“It’s Such a Hard Sport”: Michael McDowell Opens Up on How NASCAR Drivers Are the Most Privileged Members of a Race Team

When Alex Bowman voiced support for a shortened season — not for the drivers, but for the road crews, many fans didn’t immediately grasp the weight of his words. He pointed out that the crew members carry the heaviest load, often working until 3 a.m. and getting back at it by 8, week in and week out, until the season wraps.

In recent months, more drivers have begun echoing that sentiment, giving credit where it’s due and acknowledging that the grind behind the scenes is among the toughest in the sport. The latest to weigh in is Michael McDowell.

During a recent appearance on The Elvis Blueprint podcast, McDowell spoke about the challenges of maintaining a work-life balance. He said his family remains his top priority. Whether he’s putting in extra hours at the garage or refining his craft on the racetrack, his goal is to perform well and ensure he can support his family in every way.

To strike that balance, McDowell makes it a point to travel with his family each weekend, making the most of their time together. But as he noted, that luxury isn’t available to the crew members, whose demanding schedules make it much harder for them to juggle personal and professional responsibilities.

As McDowell put it, “I’m super fortunate because being a driver, it allows me to do that [bring his family on the racetracks]. These guys here at the shop — they can’t bring their family, and they’re missing all those moments. And so it’s such a hard sport on the family unit that we just made it a priority that this is how we’re going to do it.”

Often, the crew puts in long hours even during the off-season, working behind the scenes to ensure the car delivers the balance and speed the drivers expect, with the throttle neither too tight nor too loose. A shorter season could offer them some breathing room and the chance to spend more time with their families. However, as the 2024 NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano noted, the idea doesn’t make sense financially.

He explained that cutting the season would also mean cutting salaries unless teams could justify the change to sponsors. With fewer races, sponsor commitments would likely diminish, which would lead to an overall contraction in resources across the board. So while the push for a shorter season gains moral traction, the financial math — as Logano outlines — keeps that conversation parked, at least for now.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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