​McDowell on Texas"Track conditions will probably be pretty similar as the spring race. The weather is kind of mild for both races. The one thing that you just never know about is the wind. The wind plays a huge factor in how your car drives. It’s been typically gusty at Texas. It’s one of those variables that’s ever-changing.

"Texas is a unique set-up for sure. It was a good race for us earlier this year. We qualified really well and finished in the top 15, which is a great run for us. And we feel like we made improvement on our cars, just like everybody has throughout the year. So, it’ll be a fun race to see where you stack up in comparison to when it was so early in the season. I’m looking forward to going back there, especially with Luber-finer as a new partner with Love's. This is a home race for Love's, and we always want to run well for them and their partners when we're there."

McDowell Texas Stats
17 starts, 1 top-15
Best finish: 14th 

​No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford
Started: 20th | Finished: 25th
"I felt like we made consistent improvements to our Dockside Logistics Ford all weekend, however we struggled to find drive through the corners today and that really hurt us. We definitely wanted more, but we'll take it and try to gain back some momentum next weekend in Texas."

Luber-finer Joins Love’s on No. 34 for 2 Races 
Heavy-Duty Filter Company Will Be Co-Primary at Texas and Phoenix ​
STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 23, 2018) – Love’s Travel Stops (Love’s) will introduce another new partner to its race program with Front Row Motorsports. Luber-finer® will be the co-primary sponsor of Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford for two November races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. 

The heavy-duty filter company will co-sponsor the Front Row Motorsports entry for events at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4 and ISM Raceway (Phoenix, Ariz.) on Nov. 11. The two-race program is the company’s first motorsports marketing partnership.

For more than 80 years, Luber-finer has manufactured heavy-duty and light-duty filters to provide protection for on-highway vehicles as well as for many off-road applications. The company has been a partner of Love’s Travel Stops since 2011.

“Luber-finer has worked closely with Love’s for several years now,” said Layne Gobrogge, director of heavy duty marketing for Champion Laboratories. “During that time, we have been proactive in increasing our support to coincide with the company’s rapid expansion, especially during the past year with their acquisition of Speedco. This sponsorship represents our increased level of business with Love’s and the strength of our partnership. We’re proud to have our logo on the No. 34 car for these upcoming races.”



Love’s Travel Stops is a long-time partner of Front Row Motorsports and has successfully used its NASCAR program to enhance business relationships with partners such as Luber-finer.

“Love’s does an amazing job introducing new partners to the world of NASCAR and the business opportunities that come with it,” McDowell said. “We’re looking forward to having Luber-finer with us at Texas and Phoenix, and we hope it opens some doors to even more involvement in the future.”

The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is scheduled to air Sunday, Nov. 4, on the NBC Sports Network. The Can-Am 500 at ISM Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11, on NBC.

For more information on Luber-finer heavy duty filtration products, visit www.luberfiner.com or call (800) 851-3641. You can also follow Luber-finer on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 


About Love’s Travel Stops:
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores (Love’s) is the nation’s industry-leading travel stop network with more than 470 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 22,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings, and more. Love’s has more than 250 on-site Truck Tire Care centers and 53 Speedco locations, which is the largest oil change and preventative maintenance nationwide network on the road today. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com.

About Luber-finer:
For more than 80 years, Luber-finer has been providing filtration excellence for heavy duty on-highway vehicles, vocational and off-road equipment. Recognized as a global brand leader of dependable heavy duty filter product lines, Luber-finer combines product value with a commitment to reliable customer service. For more information, visit www.luberfiner.com. 

About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports is a winning organization in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the premier division of NASCAR competition. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by Tennessean Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries, the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of David Ragan, from its Statesville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. The team's partnership base includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love's Travel Stops, K-LOVE Radio, 1000Bulbs.com and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on Twitter at @Team_FRM and on Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
 
###

Contact:
Shari Spiewak
Front Row Motorsports
office: 704-873-6445 x215
cell: 704-200-1779
sspiewak@frontrowmotorsports.com

 

​McDowell on Martinsville"Martinsville is my favorite track. The challenge is in not getting caught up in a mess. It’s about as hard as Talladega to not be in the middle of somebody else’s problem or causing one. But, it’s a great racetrack. I love Martinsville.

"I’m usually pretty aggressive. I don’t do well hanging around and waiting. I like to be in the mix, especially now with stage points. We’ve done a really good job this year scoring stage points. Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten all the finishes we want. We've got four more races to finish the season off right."

McDowell Martinsville Stats
15 starts, 2 top-20s
Best finish: 18th 

Meet Michael
Sunday, Oct. 28, 11:30am - Ford Performance display (Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone)

​No. 34 Coburn Supply Company Ford
Started: 24th | Finished: 27th
"It just wasn't our day today. We had a good pit strategy, but it didn't fall our way, and the car didn't have the speed or handling that we needed to make up the positions we needed to. A little disappointing because we've been pretty good at Kansas, but grateful all the folks from Coburn's were here with us and thankful for the support."

​McDowell on Kansas"We've got a new partner coming with us to Kansas. Coburn Supply Company will be on our No. 34 Ford for the weekend. Coburn's is a distributor of commercial and residential plumbing, electrical, waterworks and HVAC products. They've been around for over 80 years and have grown to more than 50 locations across the South. This will be their first time with us, so we certainly want to have a good run with their colors on our car, and our mile-and-a-half record this year shows that we can definitely do that.

"Mile-and-a-halfs have really been our strong suit this year. Kansas was a good one for us in the spring. I’m looking forward to going back there and see what we got. The mile-and-a-halfs are either good or bad, depending on how you run that year. It’s that one thing that’s pretty consistent. You can unload with a similar package that you ran at Vegas or Chicago or somewhere like that. I think we’re homed in pretty good on our mile-and-a-half program, and I’m looking forward to Kansas.

"The line moves around. Usually by Lap 50 or 60, you’re all the way up against the fence. And then, by the end of the race, you’re back down at the bottom. So, you’ve got to have some versatility in your car. It’s nice when the track falls off and the tires fall off. The difference with Kansas is, even though the line and grooves move around, it’s still pretty fast the entire time. Unlike Darlington, where one lap is blistering fast, and then you’re a second and a half slower. At Kansas, you stay hauling the mail the whole time. You just start moving around. It’s a fun track and our best mile-and-a-half."

McDowell Kansas Stats
14 starts, 1 top-15, 3 top-20s
Best finish: 13th 
 

​No. 34 Speedco/Rotella Ford
Started: 14th | Finished: 40th
"Obviously, not the day we were hoping for with our Speedco/Rotella Ford. We felt we had a pretty fast car, qualifying 14th. But the handling was off for the early part of the race, and then we discovered we had a wheel hub issue, which we had to go to the garage to fix. We're heading back to a mile-and-a-half track next, where we've been strong, so we'll look to rebound."

​McDowell on Talladega"The July Daytona race was great for us. We had really fast cars, so we expect to have speed when we get to Talladega. It’s really our best chance to win a race and to get some stage wins and points. We’ve got to make those weekends count. It’s Talladega, so anything can happen. But we’re not in a cut-off spot where we have to worry about playoff implications, so we can just go for the win.

"We go into the race with a lot of confidence in our Speedco/Rotella Ford. We’ve had fast cars at superspeedways this year, and that makes all the difference in the world, knowing what your car's capable of on the racetrack. We know this is a great opportunity for us. We just have to make sure we execute and get to the finish, which sometimes can be the hardest part."

McDowell Talladega Stats
15 starts, 1 top-15, 2 top-20s
Best finish: 15th 

Meet Michael
Friday, Oct. 12, 1:30pm - Love's Travel Stops (I-20, Exit 147, Leeds)
Sunday, Oct. 14, 9:30am - Ford Performance Display (Talladega Superspeedway Fan Zone)

​No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford
Started: 27th | Finished: 26th 

"Dover is always a tough track. You're racing the track all day. And we just didn't have a great car for it today. We stayed out of trouble but were never able to make up track position like we needed to with our Love's Ford."

​McDowell on Dover"Our car wasn’t bad when we were at Dover earlier this season. But, we got spun early in the race and didn’t recover as well as we needed to get a good finish out of it. But, I love Dover. It’s different but similar to Bristol, and the Front Row cars run great at Bristol. I think we can get good results on our second trip back.

"We have goals as a team for these remaining races, and top-15s or top-20s will definitely help us. We were on track for a top-10 finish at the Roval last weekend, and then we got spun on the last lap. Still got a top-20 out of it, but we could've had a really nice points day there. So, we've got some work to do at Dover, but I feel confident our Love's Travel Stops team is up for it."

McDowell Dover Stats
15 starts, 2 top-20s
Best finish: 19th