By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
Saturday at Kansas Speedway may only have been Michael McDowell’s third top-20 finish of 2018, but Front Row Motorsports has seen improvement after a third of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
McDowell, who’s competing in his first season for the Ford organization, kicked the new relationship off with a ninth-place run in the Daytona 500. And in the last five races, teammate David Ragan has earned three top-15 finishes, jumping to top 25 in driver points.
For McDowell, however, both luck and speed fell off, backing Daytona up with five straight finishes outside the top 20. Among those runs, though, was a career day at Las Vegas, where he qualified 15th and led 11 laps, his most ever in not only a single race, but an entire season.
A 14th at Texas broke a disappointing string for the Arizona native, finishing outside the top 30 for three straight races until a 22nd at Dover.
So, a 20th-place run in the KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas, was timely for the 33-year-old.
“It’s good to get some points and get some momentum back,” McDowell said. “We just started out really loose and got behind a little bit and made good changes at the end.”
The adjustments were too late, however, as caution-free runs in Stages 1 and 2 made it tough to stay on the lead lap.
“We were two laps down and it’s just hard to make up,” he said. “Everybody fought hard and it’s still good to get a top-20.”
McDowell’s 20th was complemented by Ragan’s 13th-place lead-lap finish, the team’s best ever at Kansas. Additionally, Front Row saw both cars in the top 20 for the first time on a non-plate track since the fall of 2016 at Charlotte.
“I’m really happy for my teammate, David Ragan, with a top 15,” he said. “That’s a great run for them, and they’ve been having a good streak.”
The duo now approaches a big challenge this weekend at Charlotte, where they each will race in the Monster Energy Open for a spot in the Monster Energy All-Star Race Saturday night.
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell
Mid-Pack With Zach: Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports
By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Each week, Kickin’ The Tires will highlight the 20th-place finisher from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Standing as the middleman in weekends with 40-car fields, there is sure to be a story behind each one.
Saturday at Kansas Speedway may only have been Michael McDowell’s third top-20 finish of 2018, but Front Row Motorsports has seen improvement after a third of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
McDowell, who’s competing in his first season for the Ford organization, kicked the new relationship off with a ninth-place run in the Daytona 500. And in the last five races, teammate David Ragan has earned three top-15 finishes, jumping to top 25 in driver points.
For McDowell, however, both luck and speed fell off, backing Daytona up with five straight finishes outside the top 20. Among those runs, though, was a career day at Las Vegas, where he qualified 15th and led 11 laps, his most ever in not only a single race, but an entire season.
A 14th at Texas broke a disappointing string for the Arizona native, finishing outside the top 30 for three straight races until a 22nd at Dover.
So, a 20th-place run in the KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas, was timely for the 33-year-old.
“It’s good to get some points and get some momentum back,” McDowell said. “We just started out really loose and got behind a little bit and made good changes at the end.”
The adjustments were too late, however, as caution-free runs in Stages 1 and 2 made it tough to stay on the lead lap.
“We were two laps down and it’s just hard to make up,” he said. “Everybody fought hard and it’s still good to get a top-20.”
McDowell’s 20th was complemented by Ragan’s 13th-place lead-lap finish, the team’s best ever at Kansas. Additionally, Front Row saw both cars in the top 20 for the first time on a non-plate track since the fall of 2016 at Charlotte.
“I’m really happy for my teammate, David Ragan, with a top 15,” he said. “That’s a great run for them, and they’ve been having a good streak.”
The duo now approaches a big challenge this weekend at Charlotte, where they each will race in the Monster Energy Open for a spot in the Monster Energy All-Star Race Saturday night.
List of 20th-Place Finishers So Far in 2018
Daytona: Gray Gaulding
Atlanta: Alex Bowman
Las Vegas: Trevor Bayne
ISM: Trevor Bayne (2)
Auto Club: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Martinsville: William Byron
Texas: Gray Gaulding(2)
Bristol: Landon Cassill
Richmond: Ty Dillon
Talladega: DJ Kennington
Dover: Chris Buescher
Kansas: Michael McDowell