FILE - Michael McDowell smiles prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., Sunday Aug. 20, 2023. McDowell will not return to Front Row Motorsports after this season, he announced Wednesday morning, May 8, 2024. FILE - Michael McDowell celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. McDowell will not return to Front Row Motorsports after this season, he announced Wednesday morning, May 8, 2024.
McDowell has made 228 of his 477 career Cup starts with the organization. He has scored eight of his nine career top-five finishes and 35 of his 40 career top 10s while at Front Row Motorsports. “Over half of my NASCAR Cup Series starts have been made under the FRM banner, and I’m thankful for each and every one of them,” McDowell said. “With that being said, my family and I have made the bittersweet decision that it’s time for us to embark on the next chapter of our motorsports journey, making 2024 my final season as the driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports.
“He became the leader of his team and the organization. Outside the car, he was the model for a driver we want to represent us and our partners,” Jenkins said. “We’re sad to see Michael leave, but wish him, Jami and his family nothing but the best as he moves on to another chapter of what is already an incredible racing career.”
McDowell won the pole at Atlanta and Talladega this year and started on the front row for the Daytona 500. He crashed while defending his lead coming to the checkered flag at Talladega, one of a series-high four races he failed to finish this year.