If there’s a face for the underdog in NASCAR, it has to be that of Michael McDowell. Driving the #34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, he looked certain to cause a mighty upset in the 2023 Cup Series season. Though his shot failed, he finished the year strong with a Round of 16 appearance and one victory lane visit. One key stat surrounding the driver that puts the rest of the grid to shame is his record in Daytona 500s.
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Between 2016 and 2022, McDowell finished 7 consecutive Daytona 500s in the top 15. What makes this number much more interesting is the fact that 37% of cars that raced in the fixture during this period never finished the race. Dale Earnhardt leads the list for the most consecutive top 15s with 11. He is followed by Bill Elliott with 10 finishes and Terry Labonte and Richard Petty with 8 each.
The most insane part about Michael McDowell finishing 7 straight Daytona 500s in the top 15 is that he did it from 2016-2022.
From 2016-2022 37% of all cars in the Daytona 500 did not finish (103/280 cars).
Some of the most wreck filled Daytona 500s ever. https://t.co/0fCYkdwbAk
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) January 16, 2024
38-year-old McDowell spent most of his career thus far trying to keep his name in the big leagues. He lost his seats without sponsors, was forced to park his cars at times, and faced many hurdles until he caught a big break during one of the Daytona 500s that he was so good at. The season-opening race in 2021 saw him make use of a last-lap crash at the track and clinch the win for himself.
He said in the wake of the win, “I just can’t believe it. I’ve got to thank God. So many years (14 Cup seasons) just grinding it out and hoping for an opportunity like this.” It was his first Cup Series victory and proved to be a major turning point in his story. McDowell is now a Cup Series force with two wins and a strong title contention capability.
His long streak at Daytona came to an end in 2023 when he finished 28th.
Who is the winningest driver of the #34 car in NASCAR history?
Michael McDowell’s second win in the Cup Series came at the Indianapolis Road Course. The driver had completely dominated the field on the race day and led a career-high 54 of the 82-lap race. His victory brought the #34 car its sixth win in its 75-year history.
The 66% of laps that McDowell led at Indianapolis was also the most dominant performance by a #34 car ever.
The last time the car led the most laps was in the first-ever NASCAR race back in 1949. McDowell had broken the team’s 2737 race streak of not leading the highest number of laps. Having been piloted by stars like David Ragan, Chris Buescher, and Jim Roper, the car appears to have finally found its tune with Michael McDowell.
