“Our Kids Are Used To…”: Michael McDowell on Harsh Reality of NASCAR Families

Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell became one of the most talked about NASCAR stars last month. His team announced that he would leave the #34 car to join Spire Motorsports in 2025, thereby ending a long-term association. As he navigates these tumultuous times his family supports him despite being under challenging conditions itself.

He told Bob Pockrass, “My wife really does most of the heavy lifting. I’m here this weekend ready to go [at the Chicago road course] and she’s holding down the fort back home.” The driver has been married to Jami since 2004 and they have five children together. The entire McDowell camp travels with him on race weekends and this is something they’ve gotten used to.

“It’s something that we’ve learned to adapt to,” he continued. “Our kids are used to being on the road traveling. It’s their life, too. We wouldn’t change it. It wasn’t necessarily the plan we had in the beginning. But now we’re here and we enjoy it and take in every moment.” Having five kids is something that also helps him deal with a lot of work pressure, he admitted.

His oldest, Trace, is currently 15 years old. McDowell revealed that he had gotten his permit to drive. He said, “I thought it was going to be tough, but he does such a good job. It’s been really easy. He’s done good. I haven’t had to freak out at all.” The other four children of his are Emma, Rylie, Lucas, and Isabella. Lucas was adopted from China in 2016.

How the McDowells are making the most of the Olympic break

The driver also told Pockrass that the Olympic Games were always fun at the McDowell household. He takes great pride in supporting his country while his children are just happy to be spending time together. He noted how the United States dominates a particular category of sport each time and said, “And it hasn’t always been the same category, right? So yeah, nothing in particular, but we always watched and it was always a fun time at our house.”

McDowell will return to racing in a few days at Richmond. He will have a huge task at hand for he hasn’t secured qualification to the playoffs yet. Four more races remain in the regular season meaning he has only four more shots left in his gun.