Michael Christopher McDowell (born December 21, 1984)[1] is an American professionalstock car racing driver. He competes full-time in theNASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 71Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 forSpire Motorsports. He has previously competed in theNASCAR Xfinity Series and theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has also raced inopen-wheel andsports cars.
McDowell began his career in open-wheel cars, which included competing inFormula Renault andChamp Car, and in sports cars like theRolex Sports Car Series and24 Hours of Daytona. He moved to stock car racing in 2006 and his first Cup Series season came in 2008, the latter of which saw him attract attention for a violent qualifying crash atTexas Motor Speedway. However, after losing his ride atMichael Waltrip Racing, much of McDowell's Cup career in the following years was with smaller teams, oftentimes as astart and park driver. McDowell won atRoad America during the2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series. McDowell did not run full-time in the Cup Series again until 2017 withLeavine Family Racing when he ran all 36 races. McDowell joinedFront Row Motorsports in 2018, scoring his first Cup victory at the2021 Daytona 500 with them. He moved toSpire Motorsports for 2025.
McDowell started his career at the age of three racingBMX bicycles. He would always win his division because there were no other three or four-year-olds to compete against.[citation needed] At the start of each race, someone would have to hold him in the starting gate because his feet did not reach the ground. Then, when McDowell was eight years old, he moved tokarting with help from his mother, Tracy, his father, Bill, and his older brother, Billy, who were all avid race fans. After ten years in karts, he would win not only theWorld Karting Association championship, but he would also take back-to-backInternational Kart Federation championships, along with 18 consecutive feature wins.
From karts, McDowell moved intoFormula Renault with World Speed Motorsports in 2002 and won theInfineon Raceway,Las Vegas, andFirebird International Raceway events in his rookie season. Moving up the ladder, McDowell would move to theStar Mazda Series in 2003. He took victories atSebring andRoad America en route to a runner-up finish in the points. McDowell won seven races in 2004 en route to winning the series championship. McDowell would be picked up byChamp Car teamRocketsports forSurfer's Paradise andMexico City, but decided to move on in 2005 to theGrand-Am Cup Series.
During his run for the Star Mazda Championship, McDowell met businessman Rob Finlay at theBob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where McDowell was an instructor. McDowell and Finlay soon established a partnership, and McDowell would drive his first sports car, aPorsche 996 in theGrand-Am Cup Series for Finlay Motorsports. In 2005, McDowell would stay at Finlay, but moved up to theRolex Sports Car Series, joining veteranMemo Gidley in aBMW poweredRiley sponsored by theMake A Wish Foundation. Together, they finished sixth in the overall points and took the team's first victory atMexico City. McDowell made history by becoming the youngest driver to stand on the podium for a Grand-Am race atBarber Motorsports Park,[citation needed] and became the first driver sinceMario Andretti to compete in both an open-wheel race and a sports car race in the same weekend.[citation needed] McDowell would also drive the team's No. 60BMW M3 in the Grand-Am Cup series to a podium finish atDaytona International Speedway. McDowell would stick with Finlay for 2006 and was again partnered with Gidley. The duo would improve to fourth in points despite being winless. McDowell also drove a No. 15Ford Mustang with owner Finlay, driving the car to a win atBarber Motorsports Park. He would cap off his Grand-Am year with a second-place finish atMiller Motorsports Park.
McDowell returned to the series for the2012 24 Hours of Daytona, driving forMichael Shank Racing with driversJorge Goncalvez,Felipe Nasr, andGastavo Yacamán. The four drivers would end up finishing third.[2][3]
ARCA RE/MAX Series ownerEddie Sharp put McDowell behind the wheel of his No. 2 Dodge for five races of the 2006 season, starting with the Governor's Cup 200 at theMilwaukee Mile, where he scored a 34th-place finish. McDowell finished in sixth place atSalem, fifth atTalladega, and fourth atIowa. McDowell returned to ESR to run the full schedule for Rookie of the Year honors in 2007. McDowell was involved in controversy atToledo Speedway when his ESR teammate,Ken Butler III spun him late in the race. Butler would take his first win while McDowell would rally for a top ten finish. McDowell got his first stock car win atKentucky Speedway. He followed that up with wins atPocono,Chicagoland, and the season finale at Toledo. Although McDowell was in contention for the ARCA Re/Max Series championship all season, he was unable to pose a serious threat toFrank Kimmel for Kimmel's ninth championship. McDowell scored a second-place finish in the points along with Rookie of the Year honors, as well as scoring ninepole positions during the season. As McDowell moved toNASCAR, his ESR ride was taken over by formerFormula One driverScott Speed.
McDowell made his NASCAR debut in theCraftsman Truck Series. Driving the No. 17 forDarrell Waltrip Motorsports, McDowell qualified 29th and finished 30th after a late wreck. McDowell moved to theBusch Series as adevelopmental driver forNextel Cup Series teamMichael Waltrip Racing. Driving the No. 00Toyota, McDowell drove atTexas,Phoenix, andHomestead, finishing respectively twentieth, fourteenth, and 32nd.
McDowell was chosen to drive the No. 00 Cup Series car in 2008 afterDale Jarrett's retirement;David Reutimann replaced Jarrett in the No. 44UPS-sponsored car. McDowell started 34th and finished 26th in his Sprint Cup debut, theGoody's Cool Orange 500, after a flat tire near the end of the race. After the race, he was criticized by veteran driverJeff Burton for having blocked Burton's way to leaderDenny Hamlin near the end of the race (McDowell was racing for theLucky Dog free pass, which Burton did not realize at the time of his comments). In early August 2008, McDowell was pulled from the No. 00Toyota Camry Sprint Cup car in favor of veteran NASCAR driverMike Skinner for three races. Skinner helped evaluate the team's progress while trying to get the No. 00 into the Top 35 in owner points, though McDowell returned to the ride at Richmond on September 6, 2008. McDowell was again pulled from the No. 00 Toyota Camry when he failed to qualify for theCamping World RV 400 atKansas on September 28. McDowell's contract was not renewed by MWR for 2009 whenMichael Waltrip decided not to retire, and the team did not have a sponsorship for another car.
While performing a qualifying attempt for the2008 Samsung 500 atTexas Motor Speedway on April 4, 2008, McDowell had an accident that was strikingly similar to that of another racer with a road-racing background,Gordon Smiley, who died in a crash duringIndianapolis 500time trials in 1982. McDowell's right frontsway bar broke entering Turn 1, which caused the car to hit theSAFER barrier almost head-on at approximately 185 miles per hour (298 km/h), according to data obtained and reported bySPEED channel (185 mph to zero mph in one foot, as reported by SPEED'sBob Dillner, before accelerating in the other direction). The car spun around once while tipping onto its roof, and then barrel-rolled eight times with fire coming out of the engine compartment, shedding debris in all directions, until coming to a stop back onto its tires.[4] A large, dark impact mark was seen on the SAFER barrier, which showed how hard the car hit the barrier, which had to be repaired (the barrier moved inward when the car hit it), and as a result, qualifying for the race was delayed by an hour. The safety features of the barrier, theHANS device and theCar of Tomorrow racecar protected him.[4] Because of this, he walked away from the crash without injury, and waved to the stunned crowd.[4] Since his old car was destroyed, he had to switch to a backup car and ended up starting at the rear of the field in the race.
In 2009, McDowell drove a part-time schedule forJTG Daugherty Racing in theNASCAR Nationwide Series. On February 25, 2009, McDowell's first child, Trace Christopher, was born, named after Michael's late mother, Tracy. The baby boy was seven pounds, seven ounces, and born at 7:00 a.m. McDowell next attempted the April 2009 race atTalladega forPrism Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, as a regular driverDave Blaney had a family obligation. After JTG Daugherty Racing ran out of sponsorship support after the second race atDaytona International Speedway, it was announced that he would drive the next two races forMacDonald Motorsports. He also competed in several races withTommy Baldwin Racing in the No. 36 Toyota Camry. McDowell remained in the top-ten for most of the season. McDowell also competed in theCamping World Truck Series in 2009 for ThorSport Motorsports, driving the No. 98 Chevy Silverado.
In 2010, McDowell started the season forPrism Motorsports. He drove the No. 55 car, then moved to the No. 46 team ofWhitney Motorsports. In 2011, McDowell drove the No. 66Toyota for HP Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. JGR also added theBucyrus 200 atRoad America to McDowell's schedule, leaving open the possibility of adding more races. McDowell also drove one race forJoe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup Series atTexas after NASCAR parkedKyle Busch following his actions at a Truck Seriesevent.
In 2012, McDowell ran theJoe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Nationwide Series car in select races, and competed in the Sprint Cup Series forPhil Parsons Racing (formerly HP Racing) full-time; the team secured full sponsorship for the first five races of the season.[5] It formed a partnership withWhitney Motorsports andMike Curb to field McDowell's car, which carried the No. 98.[6]
In the2013 Daytona 500, McDowell recorded a then-career high ninth place finish.[7] Later in the season in theNationwide Series, McDowell won the pole for the inauguralNationwide Children's Hospital 200 atMid-Ohio.[8] McDowell finished second behindA. J. Allmendinger.[9]
In October 2013, it was announced that McDowell would be moving toLeavine Family Racing's No. 95 Ford for the2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.[10] McDowell failed to qualify for the2014 Daytona 500.[11] McDowell had a Sprint Cup career-best seventh place finish in theCoke Zero 400.[12]
At theCheez-It 355 at The Glen, on lap 64,Greg Biffle came up onRyan Newman's front bumper, turning him into the outside retaining wall. His car ricocheted off the wall into McDowell's path, where Newman barely clipped McDowell in the right rear of his car, and with the force of the impact, the rear end housing snapped, causing him to get airborne. The car bounced twice in the air before it hit the wall. His housing was forced against the wall. The race was red-flagged, though both drivers were unharmed.[1][permanent dead link]
McDowell returned to the LFR No. 95 car for a twenty race schedule in 2015. The team merged withCircle Sport in 2016 and switched toChevrolet, with McDowell splitting the schedule withTy Dillon with sponsorship fromThrivent Financial,Cheerios, and WRL Contractors among others.[13] The season started with McDowell placing 15th in the 2016 Daytona 500, a best for LFR in the Great American Race. McDowell was able to get a tenth place finish in the2016 Coke Zero 400, his best finish of the season. At the end of the season atHomestead, McDowell drove the No. 59 Chevrolet after CSLFR purchased a charter from the closingTommy Baldwin Racing. McDowell ran decent all night, and towards the end, he was able to avoid the big wreck involving Championship contenderCarl Edwards and was able to get a tenth place finish, his first nonrestrictor plate top-ten finish.
McDowell drove forRichard Childress Racing in the No. 2Rheem Chevrolet in a one-race deal atRoad America, which got McDowell his first NASCAR victory. McDowell led the final 24 laps en route to the win.
McDowell returned to Leavine Family Racing's No. 95 Chevrolet in 2017. He started the season with a fifteenth place finish in theDaytona 500. AtKansas, McDowell scored a season-best thirteenth place finish. AtDover, McDowell scored his third straight top-twenty finish, a career first, when he finished nineteenth upon avoiding a last-lap crash. At Daytona for theCoke Zero 400, McDowell spent most of the race towards the front and competed late for the win, as he was in second place on the last lap before ending the race with a career-best fourth place finish, his first career top-five finish. It was also the best finishing result for Leavine Family Racing as a team.
McDowell completed 99 percent of the laps in 2017, the most among any full-time driver in the Cup Series that season, and finished a career-best 26th in the standings. It would be his final season with LFR.
On September 19, 2017, Leavine announcedKasey Kahne would be replacing McDowell in the No. 95 car for the 2018 season.[14] On November 24, 2017,Front Row Motorsports announced that McDowell would drive their No. 34 car full-time in2018, replacingLandon Cassill.[15] In the first race of the season, McDowell raced up front late and finished ninth in the2018 Daytona 500, his fifth straight top-fifteen finish at Daytona (and third top ten in the last four races at the track) and tied his career-best finish in the race. McDowell would have a strong run in the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400, leading twenty laps, a career-best, and would finish second in stage 2 behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Unfortunately, with seven laps to go, McDowell would crash out of the race and finish 26th. McDowell would later tie his best finish in the Cup series points standings of 26th after leading laps at his final race of the season in Homestead.
In 2019, McDowell returned to the No. 34 car for Front Row Motorsports. McDowell's longtime sponsorK-Love took a year-long break from being a primary sponsor of his car. In the2019 Daytona 500, the first race of the season, he qualified in 34th and finished in fifth, which would become his career-best finish in the Daytona 500 as well as his second-best finish in a Cup Series race. After the race, 2018 championJoey Logano confronted McDowell for not helping him win the Daytona 500, in which McDowell stated, "My team doesn't pay me to push you."[16] During qualifying for the2019 TicketGuardian 500 atISM Raceway, McDowell had an on-track incident withDaniel Suárez, which resulted in a fight on pit road.[17]
Two days before the2019 Bank of America Roval 400 atCharlotte Motor Speedway, McDowell was rushed to the hospital after complaining of abdominal pain. He was cleared to race after passingkidney stones during the examination.[18] McDowell would go on to run up front in the 1000bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, and even had a chance to win the race being in third place on the final lap of the race, and would finish fifth, capturing his second top-five of 2019, the first time he would have multiple top-fives in a single cup series season in his career.
On December 12, 2019, Front Row Motorsports announced that McDowell would return to the No. 34 for the2020 season.[19] McDowell started the year off with a fourteenth place finish in the2020 Daytona 500, his fifth consecutive top-fifteen in the Daytona 500 and his eighth top-fifteen in his last nine Daytona races. McDowell would go on to qualify 3rd for the second Charlotte race due to the random draw, and McDowell has boomed onto the scene since coming off of NASCAR's break. McDowell would capture an eighth place finish at Pocono and, following a DNF, a seventh place finish at Indianapolis, marking the first time in his career he earned two top-tens two weeks in a row. McDowell would set a career-best for most top-fifteens in a season in just sixteen races with six, and has finished higher than his qualifying effort in fifteen of his twenty starts. In his first twenty starts, McDowell had more lead lap finishes than the likes ofKyle Busch,Erik Jones,Jimmie Johnson,William Byron,Alex Bowman, andRyan Blaney, finishing on the lead lap fifteen of the first twenty races that season. During the All-Star Open atBristol Motor Speedway, McDowell would win the pole and run up front most of the day before an on-track incident with driverBubba Wallace which led to an angry interview from Wallace, as well as leaving the front bumper of his car by McDowell's garage. McDowell and Wallace later set aside their differences and, along with McDowell's sponsor carparts.com, used the front bumper to raise over $34,000 for multiple charities, including Victory Junction, and eventually gave away the front bumper to a fan. McDowell would capture his first top-ten finish on a road course in his career at the Daytona road course and would earn his new best career points standings finish in the Cup Series in 23rd. It was announced a month before the 2021 season started that McDowell had signed a one-year contract extension with FRM to return to the No. 34 for the following season.
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McDowell remained in FRM's No. 34 for a fourth year in2021.[20] He won the season-openingDaytona 500 after avoiding a crash involving the leadersJoey Logano andBrad Keselowski on the final lap.[21] Before his big victory, McDowell had the second-most Cup Series starts before his first win. It was his first Cup Series win in his 358th start, second only toMichael Waltrip, whose first win came in his463rd start. He would go on to finish the first three races of the season inside the top-ten. McDowell also nearly won at Talladega in the spring, finishing a close third behind Keselowski and Byron. McDowell would follow this performance by a strong seventh place finish at the inaugural cup series race atCircuit of the Americas after early contact withMartin Truex Jr. McDowell's win at Daytona locked him into the All-Star Race and the NASCAR playoffs for the first time in his fourteen-year Cup Series career. McDowell was eliminated from the playoffs following the conclusion of the Round of 16 atBristol.[22] He finished the season with one win, two top-fives, five top-tens, an average finish of 20.5, and finished sixteenth in the points standings.[23]
McDowell started the2022 season with a seventh-place finish at the2022 Daytona 500. He scored seven top-ten finishes during the regular season. On July 26, crew chief Blake Harris was suspended for four races and finedUS$100,000 for an L2 Penalty during post-race inspection after the2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 atPocono. The penalty came under Sections 14.1 C, D, and Q and 14.5 A and B in the NASCAR Rule Book, both of which pertain to the body and overall vehicle assembly rules surrounding modification of a single-source supplied part. In addition, the No. 34 team was docked one hundred driver and owner points and ten playoff points.[24]
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McDowell began the2023 season with a 28th-place finish at the2023 Daytona 500. He dominated theIndianapolis road race, landing him in the playoffs and earning him his second career win, as well as his first career stage win in the first stage of the race.[25] He was eliminated at the conclusion of the Round of 16.[26] He finished the season with one win, two top-fives, eight top-tens, an average finish of 19.0, and finished fifteenth in the point standings.
McDowell began the2024 season with a 36th-place finish at the2024 Daytona 500. McDowell had his first pole at Atlanta after 467 Cup Series starts. At the race atTalladega, McDowell was leading on the final lap when he spun out trying to blockBrad Keselowski. He finished 31st, not crossing the start-finish line and being marked with a DNF. On May 8, 2024, McDowell announced he would leave FRM at the end of the 2024 season, and he had signed a multi-year contract withSpire Motorsports to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet starting in 2025.[27] On June 1, 2024, McDowell won his third pole of the season for theEnjoy Illinois 300 atGateway. He set a track record in Round 1 of qualifying with a 32.318s (139.241 mph) lap time. McDowell finished his final year with FRM in 23rd place in the final point standings. McDowell also finished the season with a career best six poles, the most of any driver on the season.
McDowell began the2025 season with a 11th-place finish at the2025 Daytona 500. AtLas Vegas in March, McDowell would score his first pole of the season and Spire's first Cup Series pole. McDowell would have an up-and-down year, having many close calls of a good finish.
On July 30,Josh Williams was released byKaulig Racing,[28] and on August 4, it was announced that McDowell would drive the No. 11 for the team atWatkins Glen.
On January 29, it was announced that McDowell would return to the Truck Series after sixteen years, driving the No. 07 truck for Spire Motorsports atDaytona andAtlanta.[29]
McDowell is married to Jami and they have five children.[30] McDowell is aChristian.[31] He is a native ofGlendale, Arizona.[32][33]
McDowell andJustin Marks currently own a karting facility called the Trackhouse Motorplex, located 30 miles north ofCharlotte, North Carolina. The facility opened in October 2012 and is inspired by another karting track located inParma, Italy.[34]
(key)
| Champ Car results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points | Ref | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Rocketsports Racing | 31 | LBH | MTY | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | EDM | SJO | DEN | MTL | LVS | SRF 12 | MXC 11 | 21st | 19 | [35] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NCSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2008 | Michael Waltrip Racing | 00 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR 26 | TEX 33 | PHO 34 | TAL 26 | RCH 40 | DAR 28 | CLT 32 | DOV 30 | POC 27 | MCH 37 | SON 21 | NHA 42 | DAY 25 | CHI 43 | IND 34 | POC 24 | GLN 25 | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH 20 | NHA 27 | DOV 29 | KAN DNQ | TAL | CLT | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | 40th | 1466 | [36] |
| 2009 | Prism Motorsports | 66 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL DNQ | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | NHA | DAY | CHI | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | ATL | 52nd | 326 | [37] | |||||||||||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | 36 | Toyota | RCH 41 | NHA 41 | DOV 38 | KAN DNQ | CAL 40 | CLT DNQ | MAR 41 | TAL | TEX 41 | PHO 41 | HOM 43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Prism Motorsports | 55 | Toyota | DAY 33 | CAL 42 | LVS 42 | ATL 42 | BRI | MAR 43 | RCH DNQ | DAR 40 | DOV 42 | CLT 42 | POC 39 | MCH | SON | NHA 41 | DAY DNQ | CHI DNQ | IND 42 | POC 43 | GLN 42 | MCH 42 | BRI 43 | 45th | 870 | [38] | |||||||||||||||
| 66 | PHO 43 | TEX 41 | TAL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whitney Motorsports | 46 | Chevy | ATL 39 | KAN 40 | CAL 39 | CLT 39 | TAL 35 | TEX DNQ | PHO DNQ | HOM DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dodge | RCH DNQ | NHA 43 | DOV 39 | MAR DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | HP Racing | 66 | Toyota | DAY DNQ | PHO 41 | LVS 41 | BRI 43 | CAL 43 | MAR 32 | TEX 40 | TAL DNQ | RCH 40 | DAR 43 | DOV 43 | CLT 39 | KAN 41 | POC 41 | MCH 43 | SON 30 | DAY 42 | KEN 41 | NHA 40 | IND 37 | POC | GLN 41 | MCH | BRI 39 | ATL 41 | RCH 39 | CHI 43 | NHA 37 | DOV 40 | KAN 39 | CLT 39 | TAL 40 | MAR 39 | TEX QL† | PHO 40 | HOM 43 | 36th | 139 | [39] |
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | Toyota | TEX 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Phil Parsons Racing | 98 | Ford | DAY 30 | PHO 43 | LVS 38 | BRI 31 | CAL 38 | MAR 40 | TEX 41 | KAN 40 | RCH 39 | TAL 43 | DAR DNQ | CLT 36 | DOV 42 | POC 34 | MCH 38 | SON | KEN 38 | DAY 43 | NHA 40 | IND DNQ | POC | GLN 37 | MCH | BRI 23 | ATL DNQ | RCH 41 | CHI 43 | NHA 37 | DOV 38 | TAL 31 | CLT 31 | KAN 43 | MAR 39 | TEX 38 | PHO 38 | HOM 41 | 37th | 187 | [40] |
| 2013 | DAY 9 | PHO | LVS 43 | BRI 42 | CAL 42 | MAR 43 | TEX 43 | KAN 42 | RCH 41 | TAL 21 | DAR 42 | CLT 42 | DOV 42 | POC 40 | MCH 42 | SON | KEN 38 | DAY 42 | NHA 42 | IND 32 | POC 40 | BRI 41 | ATL 42 | RCH 43 | CHI 43 | DOV 43 | KAN 38 | CLT 40 | TAL 15 | MAR 26 | TEX 43 | PHO 32 | HOM 43 | 37th | 210 | [41] | ||||||
| Front Row Motorsports | 35 | Ford | GLN 38 | MCH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HScott Motorsports | 51 | Chevy | NHA 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Leavine Family Racing | 95 | Ford | DAY DNQ | PHO 33 | LVS 43 | BRI 37 | CAL | MAR 37 | TEX 30 | DAR | RCH DNQ | TAL 36 | KAN | CLT 30 | DOV | POC | MCH | SON 24 | KEN | DAY 7 | NHA | IND 26 | POC | GLN 42 | MCH | BRI 18 | ATL DNQ | RCH | CHI 32 | NHA | DOV | KAN 35 | CLT 29 | TAL 41 | MAR | TEX 30 | PHO 31 | HOM 21 | 37th | 255 | [42] |
| 2015 | DAY 31 | ATL 27 | LVS 30 | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX 31 | BRI 22 | RCH | TAL DNQ | KAN 36 | CLT 30 | DOV | POC | MCH | SON 34 | DAY DNQ | KEN DNQ | NHA | IND 31 | POC | GLN 20 | MCH | BRI 31 | DAR | RCH 42 | CHI DNQ | NHA | DOV | CLT 31 | KAN | TAL 28 | MAR | TEX 34 | PHO | HOM 33 | 39th | 213 | [43] | |||
| 2016 | Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing | 59 | Chevy | DAY 15 | HOM 10 | 30th | 500 | [44] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 95 | ATL 33 | LVS 29 | PHO 26 | CAL 31 | MAR 24 | TEX | BRI 29 | RCH 31 | TAL 21 | KAN 28 | DOV 20 | CLT 34 | POC | MCH | SON 39 | DAY 10 | KEN | NHA 39 | IND 23 | POC 23 | GLN 17 | BRI 19 | MCH 31 | DAR 27 | RCH 12 | CHI 37 | NHA 26 | DOV | CLT 14 | KAN 22 | TAL 16 | MAR 18 | TEX 23 | PHO 34 | ||||||||
| 2017 | Leavine Family Racing | DAY 15 | ATL 29 | LVS 18 | PHO 24 | CAL 33 | MAR 26 | TEX 23 | BRI 26 | RCH 29 | TAL 34 | KAN 13 | CLT 19 | DOV 19 | POC 24 | MCH 23 | SON 14 | DAY 4 | KEN 23 | NHA 26 | IND 18 | POC 18 | GLN 12 | MCH 27 | BRI 20 | DAR 19 | RCH 16 | CHI 30 | NHA 23 | DOV 27 | CLT 35 | TAL 30 | KAN 18 | MAR 19 | TEX 21 | PHO 22 | HOM 24 | 26th | 542 | [45] | ||
| 2018 | Front Row Motorsports | 34 | Ford | DAY 9 | ATL 24 | LVS 37 | PHO 32 | CAL 26 | MAR 21 | TEX 14 | BRI 38 | RCH 31 | TAL 32 | DOV 22 | KAN 20 | CLT 18 | POC 21 | MCH 25 | SON 21 | CHI 21 | DAY 26 | KEN 24 | NHA 26 | POC 16 | GLN 18 | MCH 25 | BRI 37 | DAR 20 | IND 17 | LVS 29 | RCH 24 | ROV 18 | DOV 26 | TAL 40 | KAN 27 | MAR 25 | TEX 29 | PHO 16 | HOM 28 | 26th | 493 | [46] |
| 2019 | DAY 5 | ATL 37 | LVS 30 | PHO 36 | CAL 24 | MAR 31 | TEX 15 | BRI 28 | RCH 36 | TAL 40 | DOV 24 | KAN 26 | CLT 22 | POC 20 | MCH 27 | SON 25 | CHI 20 | DAY 13 | KEN 25 | NHA 17 | POC 25 | GLN 16 | MCH 22 | BRI 37 | DAR 38 | IND 17 | LVS 24 | RCH 21 | ROV 12 | DOV 24 | TAL 5 | KAN 24 | MAR 23 | TEX 25 | PHO 30 | HOM 26 | 27th | 485 | [47] | |||
| 2020 | DAY 14 | LVS 36 | CAL 22 | PHO 16 | DAR 23 | DAR 17 | CLT 18 | CLT 25 | BRI 14 | ATL 24 | MAR 14 | HOM 15 | TAL 18 | POC 8 | POC 40 | IND 7 | KEN 24 | TEX 15 | KAN 16 | NHA 19 | MCH 29 | MCH 28 | DRC 10 | DOV 26 | DOV 25 | DAY 14 | DAR 16 | RCH 25 | BRI 10 | LVS 21 | TAL 36 | ROV 32 | KAN 19 | TEX 26 | MAR 28 | PHO 23 | 23rd | 588 | [48] | |||
| 2021 | DAY 1 | DRC 8 | HOM 6 | LVS 17 | PHO 23 | ATL 19 | BRD 12 | MAR 31 | RCH 27 | TAL 3 | KAN 13 | DAR 27 | DOV 25 | COA 7 | CLT 20 | SON 28 | NSH 16 | POC 19 | POC 17 | ROA 30 | ATL 27 | NHA 25 | GLN 21 | IRC 30 | MCH 20 | DAY 39 | DAR 37 | RCH 28 | BRI 24 | LVS 21 | TAL 17 | ROV 16 | TEX 17 | KAN 16 | MAR 26 | PHO 24 | 16th | 2152 | [23] | |||
| 2022 | DAY 7 | CAL 31 | LVS 27 | PHO 27 | ATL 24 | COA 13 | RCH 30 | MAR 25 | BRD 9 | TAL 8 | DOV 17 | DAR 7 | KAN 23 | CLT 8 | GTW 18 | SON 3 | NSH 13 | ROA 8 | ATL 15 | NHA 28 | POC 6 | IRC 8 | MCH 28 | RCH 29 | GLN 6 | DAY 32 | DAR 6 | KAN 16 | BRI 11 | TEX 11 | TAL 3 | ROV 27 | LVS 19 | HOM 16 | MAR 17 | PHO 25 | 23rd | 663 | [49] | |||
| 2023 | DAY 28 | CAL 18 | LVS 25 | PHO 13 | ATL 21 | COA 12 | RCH 6 | BRD 11 | MAR 19 | TAL 35 | DOV 22 | KAN 26 | DAR 33 | CLT 28 | GTW 9 | SON 7 | NSH 28 | CSC 7 | ATL 4 | NHA 13 | POC 19 | RCH 22 | MCH 24 | IRC 1* | GLN 36 | DAY 13 | DAR 32 | KAN 26 | BRI 6 | TEX 15 | TAL 21 | ROV 32 | LVS 17 | HOM 22 | MAR 25 | PHO 9 | 15th | 2185 | [50] | |||
| 2024 | DAY 36 | ATL 8 | LVS 25 | PHO 8 | BRI 11 | COA 38 | RCH 26 | MAR 21 | TEX 35 | TAL 31* | DOV 36 | KAN 10 | DAR 10 | CLT 16 | GTW 25 | SON 2 | IOW 23 | NHA 15 | NSH 35 | CSC 5 | POC 24 | IND 16 | RCH 15 | MCH 19 | DAY 30 | DAR 28 | ATL 22 | GLN 7 | BRI 11 | KAN 29 | TAL 37 | ROV 15 | LVS 20 | HOM 14 | MAR 33 | PHO 31 | 23rd | 624 | [51] | |||
| 2025 | Spire Motorsports | 71 | Chevy | DAY 11 | ATL 13 | COA 11 | PHO 27 | LVS 16 | HOM 20 | MAR 12 | DAR 29 | BRI 30 | TAL 11 | TEX 26 | KAN 23 | CLT 7 | NSH 21 | MCH 30 | MXC 5 | POC 35 | ATL 18 | CSC 32* | SON 4 | DOV 13 | IND 30 | IOW 27 | GLN 19 | RCH 17 | DAY 12 | DAR 33 | GTW 14 | BRI 17 | NHA 8 | KAN 14 | ROV 5 | LVS 16 | TAL 17 | MAR 24 | PHO 8 | 22nd | 734 | [52] |
| 2026 | DAY | ATL | COA | PHO | LVS | DAR | MAR | BRI | KAN | TAL | TEX | GLN | CLT | NSH | MCH | POC | COR | SON | CHI | ATL | NWS | IND | IOW | RCH | NHA | DAY | DAR | GTW | BRI | KAN | LVS | ROV | PHO | TAL | MAR | HOM | ||||||
| † – Qualified but replaced byJosh Wise. McDowell changed teams after NASCAR parkedKyle Busch. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Prism Motorsports | Toyota | 29 | 33 |
| 2011 | HP Racing | DNQ | ||
| 2012 | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 11 | 30 |
| 2013 | 38 | 9 | ||
| 2014 | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | DNQ | |
| 2015 | 23 | 31 | ||
| 2016 | Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 39 | 15 |
| 2017 | Leavine Family Racing | 22 | 15 | |
| 2018 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 22 | 9 |
| 2019 | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2020 | 26 | 14 | ||
| 2021 | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 6 | 7 | ||
| 2023 | 11 | 28 | ||
| 2024 | 2 | 36 | ||
| 2025 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 25 | 11 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NXSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2007 | Michael Waltrip Racing | 00 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | MXC | LVS | ATL | BRI | NSH | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | CGV | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX 20 | PHO 14 | HOM 32 | 94th | 291 | [53] |
| 2008 | DAY 27 | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | NSH | TEX | PHO | MXC | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | NHA | DAY | CHI | GTY | IRP | CGV | 112th | 119 | [54] | |||||||||||||||
| MSRP Motorsports | 91 | Chevy | GLN 42 | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Toyota | DAY 14 | CAL 36 | LVS 6 | BRI 31 | TEX 17 | NSH 15 | PHO 11 | TAL 15 | RCH 8 | DAR 33 | CLT 20 | DOV 11 | NSH 8 | KEN 29 | MLW 14 | NHA 15 | DAY 13 | KAN 39 | 13th | 3449 | [55] | |||||||||||||||||
| MacDonald Motorsports | 81 | Dodge | CHI 25 | GTY 32 | IRP 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Whitney Motorsports | 26 | Dodge | IOW 8 | GLN 27 | MCH 17 | BRI 10 | RCH 19 | CAL 38 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 96 | CGV 11 | ATL 35 | DOV 29 | KAN DNQ | CLT 23 | MEM 21 | TEX 29 | PHO 25 | HOM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | MacDonald Motorsports | 81 | Dodge | DAY 24 | CAL 21 | LVS 39 | BRI 18 | NSH 37 | PHO 18 | TEX 26 | TAL 23 | RCH 29 | DAR 19 | DOV 30 | CLT 20 | NSH 30 | KEN 28 | ROA 33 | NHA 20 | DAY 35 | CHI 35 | GTY DNQ | IRP 20 | IOW 13 | GLN 10 | MCH 28 | BRI 20 | CGV 37 | ATL 27 | RCH 37 | DOV 28 | KAN 19 | CAL 18 | CLT 26 | GTY 30 | TEX 36 | PHO 26 | HOM DNQ | 21st | 2770 | [56] |
| 2011 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | TAL | NSH | RCH | DAR | DOV | IOW 7 | CLT | CHI | MCH | ROA 12 | DAY | KEN | NHA | NSH | IRP 10 | IOW 9 | GLN | CGV 3 | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | 106th | 01 | [57] | |
| 2012 | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | RCH | TAL | DAR | IOW 3 | CLT | DOV | ROA 2 | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW 6 | GLN | CGV 6 | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | 111th | 01 | [58] | ||||||||||||
| 20 | MCH 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SR² Motorsports | 00 | Toyota | DOV 40 | CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | 27 | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI 40 | CAL 36 | 100th | 01 | [59] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 00 | TEX DNQ | RCH 22 | TAL | DAR | CLT | DOV | IOW | MCH | BRI DNQ | ATL | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | KAN | CLT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | Toyota | ROA 34 | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TriStar Motorsports | 10 | Toyota | TEX 40 | PHO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 91 | HOM 40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 20 | Toyota | DAY | PHO | LVS | BRI | CAL | TEX | DAR | RCH | TAL | IOW 7 | CLT | DOV | MCH | ROA | KEN | DAY | NHA | CHI | IND | IOW 2 | GLN | MOH | BRI | ATL | RCH | CHI | 87th | 01 | [60] | |||||||||
| Team Penske | 22 | Ford | KEN 8 | DOV | KAN | CLT | TEX | PHO | HOM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Richard Childress Racing | 2 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | CLT | POC | MCH | IOW | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA 1* | DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | 93rd | 01 | [61] | ||
| 2025 | Kaulig Racing | 11 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | COA | PHO | LVS | HOM | MAR | DAR | BRI | CAR | TAL | TEX | CLT | NSH | MXC | POC | ATL | CSC | SON | DOV | IND | IOW | GLN 25 | DAY | PIR | GTW | BRI | KAN | ROV | LVS | TAL | MAR | PHO | 99th | 01 | [62] | ||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | 17 | Toyota | DAY | CAL | ATL | MAR | KAN | LOW | MFD | DOV | TEX | MCH | MLW | MEM | KEN | IRP | NSH | BRI | GTW | NHA | LVS | TAL | MAR 30 | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | 117th | 0 | [63] | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | ThorSport Racing | 98 | Chevy | DAY | CAL | ATL | MAR | KAN | CLT | DOV | TEX | MCH | MLW | MEM | KEN | IRP | NSH | BRI | CHI | IOW | GTW | NHA 14 | LVS | MAR | TAL | TEX | PHO | HOM | 111th | 0 | [64] | |||||||||||||
| 2025 | Spire Motorsports | 07 | Chevy | DAY 26 | ATL 12 | LVS | HOM | MAR | BRI | CAR | TEX | KAN | NWS | CLT | NSH | MCH | POC | LRP | IRP | GLN | RCH | DAR | BRI | NHA | ROV | TAL | MAR | PHO | 92nd | 01 | [65] | |||||||||||||
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| ARCA Re/Max Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ARSC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Hixson Motorsports | 2 | Dodge | DAY | NSH | SLM | WIN | KEN | TOL | POC | MCH | KAN | KEN | BLN | POC | GTW | NSH | MCH | ISF | MIL 34 | TOL | DSF | 40th | 965 | [66] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eddie Sharp Racing | CHI 38 | SLM 6 | TAL 5 | IOW 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | DAY 10 | USA 18 | NSH 33 | SLM 3 | KAN 11 | WIN 22* | KEN 39 | TOL 7* | IOW 2 | POC 6 | BLN 2* | KEN 1* | POC 1 | NSH 19 | ISF 2 | MIL 4 | GTW 3* | DSF 36 | CHI 1* | SLM 3 | TAL 33 | TOL 1* | 2nd | 5455 | [67] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Toyota | MCH 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(key)
| 24 Hours of Daytona results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Class | No | Team | Car | Co-drivers | Laps | Position | Class Pos. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | DP | 19 |  Ten Motorsports | BMW Riley DP |  Memo Gidley Michael ValianteJonathan Bomarito | 465 | 42 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | DP | 19 | Playboy/Uniden Racing | Ford Crawford DP | Memo GidleyAlex Barron | 716 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | DP | 19 | Finlay Motorsports | Ford Crawford DP | Rob FinlayMichael ValianteBobby Labonte | 627 | 10DNF | 10DNF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | DP | 09 | Spirit of Daytona Racing | Porsche Fabcar DP | Guy CosmoMarc-Antoine Camirand | 652 | 15 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | DP | 6 | Michael Shank Racing | Ford Dallara DP | A. J. Allmendinger Justin Wilson | 719 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | DP | 6 | Michael Shank Racing | Ford Dallara DP |  Jorge Goncalvez Felipe Nasr Gustavo Yacamán | 761 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Daytona 500 Winner 2021 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Star Mazda Championship Champion 2004 | Succeeded by |
Michael McDowell related navboxes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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