No. 34 MTS / Love's Travel Stops Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
Michael McDowell started 17th for the NASCAR Cup Series annual visit to the Michigan International Speedway. Qualifying was rained out for the event, so the field was set per the rule book, putting McDowell and the No. 34 MTS / Love's Travel Stops Ford Mustang in the 17th position. McDowell fought with the with the handing of his Ford Mustang, reporting that he was too free in. A caution for the No. 11 gave Crew Chief Travis Peterson the chance to work on the car, pitting for tires and fuel as well as a wedge adjustment. McDowell finished Stage 1 in the 34th position. With rain moving in, NASCAR brought the cars down pit road before the start of Stage 2. NASCAR then postponed the event to Monday morning. Restarting the next day, McDowell chipped away at the competition, then pitted under green for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A caution for the No. 16 and No. 22 brought McDowell back to pit road for another swing of adjustments, especially in the right rear. McDowell finished Stage 2 in the 32nd position. McDowell continued to fight on, eventually cycling to the Top-10 before having to pit for fuel within the closing laps. After two overtimes, McDowell crossed the start / finish line in the 19th position.
Start: 17th
Stage One: 34th
Stage Two: 32nd
Race Result: 19th
DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:
"Tough day for sure. We were super tight once we restarted after the rain delay and just worked on finding speed and making as many adjustments as we could and still managed to salvage a Top-20. We're looking forward to going back to Daytona, it's a big opportunity race for us to get a win and I know we will have the speed there."
No. 38 Grillo's Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
Todd Gilliland and Grillo's Pickles reunited this past weekend at the Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series annual event at the 2.0-mile track. With qualifying rained out, Gilliland and the team started the 400-mile event from the 20th position. A caution for the No. 11 brought Gilliland to pit road for tires and fuel with just a few laps remaining in Stage 1. Gilliland finished Stage 1 in the 24th position. With rain moving in, NASCAR brought the cars down pit road before the start of Stage 2. NASCAR then postponed the event to Monday morning. Restarting the race the following day, Gilliland picked up where he left off. Gilliland fought with the handling of the No. 38 before coming to pit road under green for tires and fuel . Back on track, Gilliland's right-rear tire blew, forcing the driver to come back to pit road. The caution flag came out for the No. 22 and No. 16 who both blew a tire after Gilliland. Restarting with six laps remaining in Stage 2, Gilliland was involved in an multi-car incident and was forced to retire the car. Gilliland was credited with a 36th place finish.
Start: 20th
Stage One: 24th
Stage Two: 30th
Race Result: 36th
DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:
"We were fighting for the Lucky Dog and I thought we were in a pretty good position. I ran to the bottom into Turn 3 and I was trying to get up all the way back to the wall. I am pretty sure I was just looking in my rearview camera, and everybody wrecked. I am not too sure. I was trying to get up into a hole, and the next thing I knew, we were all in a wreck. It is unfortunate. I thought we were clicking away."
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