Michael McDowell is qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the second time in three years after winning on Sunday in Indianapolis.
McDowell was flawless on his way to victory. The performance from the driver and team of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry was impressive.
Then again, it’s been an impressive season for the group as a whole. McDowell has been in the postseason hunt for weeks, doing so as he puts together one of his best seasons in the Cup Series.
When McDowell qualified for the postseason in 2021, it came via a victory in the season-opening Daytona 500. That was a coveted victory for any driver and the same could be said for Indianapolis, regardless of the course configuration.
But the difference between McDowell’s two victories and how he got to the playoffs could not be more different. Daytona was a significant accomplishment because of what it means to win the sport’s biggest race – and it was McDowell’s first career victory.
Indianapolis was a statement win. McDowell solidified his case as a legitimate contender on the playoff grid, which made his victory feel all the more impressive and sweeter.
“A 100% yes,” he said. “We’re in, but we’re going to look at the points because pointing our way in was something we took a lot of pride in – if we could do that as a team – because it shows how consistent you are and it shows your performance. But it’s no secret that this year is unique because you’ve had drivers that haven’t run all the races, and so we’re not sitting here saying, ‘Oh, man, look at us.’ We’re saying, this is our shot, because of those circumstances. Because some of the top guys haven’t won yet, and some of those guys missed races, it’s opened up the window for us to have a shot.
“Now, doing what we did today, I feel like is what we needed to do because I felt like no matter what, there’s going to be somebody that wins from behind there, and I’m glad that that somebody was us. We were below the cutline and we won, and now we’re that person.”
McDowell led a race-high 54 laps, won the first stage, and was second in the second stage. His average running position through the 82-lap event was third.
The fastest car won Sunday, which doesn’t always happen in racing. McDowell gave a masterclass in hustling around a road course. The team executed on pit road. And two weeks after crew chief Travis Peterson had a bad day calling the strategy in Richmond, taking a 10th-place car and finishing 20th, he called it right in Indianapolis.
McDowell was the first driver below the playoff grid cutline (by three points) going into the weekend. He doesn’t have to think about that for the next two weekends because a victory and six playoff points have him amongst those guaranteed to contend for a championship.
“I haven’t let the playoffs set in yet because winning here has been so cool,” McDowell said on Sunday. “When we think about Watkins Glen and we think about how we don’t have to just crush every element; that we can just go there and go for the win and have fun, which I think we can do, it’s going to be a big relief. But right now, I’m not feeling that — I haven’t got to the playoffs yet. I’m just enjoying today so far.”
In ’21, McDowell didn’t get out of the first round of the playoffs, and he finished 16th in the championship standings. The introduction of the Next Gen car for 2022 brought renewed optimism to Front Row, particularly for McDowell and his team.
The car has many characteristics that McDowell, a road racing ace, is familiar with. Between being able to draw on past experience, the parity the car was expected to bring, and the years of experience McDowell’s put in at the Cup Series level, Front Row hoped to capitalize on those variables. It’s continuing to come to fruition as McDowell had a career year in 2022 with 12 top-10 finishes and his best average finish (17th) in the series.
Front Row will be making its third postseason appearance in the organization’s history. And like McDowell, Jerry Freeze, the general manager of Front Row, said this time “definitely does” feel more satisfying.
“The first time, 2016, we won a race because the fog rolled in at the right time at Pocono, and we barely made it in on top 30 in points that year,” Freeze said of Chris Buescher’s victory. “So we probably didn’t deserve to be in there that time, we were just very fortunate. Winning the Daytona 500, I felt like Michael earned that one, but I don’t think our team was as strong as it is right now. We weren’t very consistent. We were kind of in a lull, I guess, rolling into the playoffs that year.
“I feel a whole lot better about the chemistry that we have between Travis and Michael and the car chief Griffin [Rider] and the engineers and everybody on the team. It’s just a really, really good bunch that we have, and really I give Travis all the credit. It’s his leadership and his work. He’s got a tireless work ethic, and he’s bringing really good cars to the racetrack for Michael, and their chemistry is super strong. I just feel like our team is so much stronger this year than what it was in 2021.”
The statistics and the eye test prove it.