Front Row Motorsports Cup Series Race Report - Talladega 2

No. 34 Love's RV Stop / Peak Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

After his record-setting, sixth pole of the season, Michael McDowell started the race in first place, with teammate Todd Gilliland in third. Both Front Row Motorsports cars worked in drafting tandem to dictate the pace in Stage 1, allowing McDowell to lead a race-high 42 laps. The No. 34 Love's RV Stop / Peak Ford Mustang Dark Horse finished Stage 1 in 18th-place after getting shuffled in the pack. Towards the end of Stage 2, Crew Chief Travis Peterson made the call to come in with 3 laps remaining to flip the stage to top off fuel, McDowell would finish 34th in Stage 2. In the final stage, McDowell stayed in the back of the pack to save fuel and pit with the last group of drivers before driving to the front. He pitted for the final time with 16 laps to go. With the race winding down and the No. 34 in 12th place, unfortunately McDowell was involved in a multi-car wreck with 5 laps to go. McDowell was unable to get his Ford Mustang rolling with two flat tires and a broken suspension, forcing him to retire and finish 37th-place.

Start: 1st

Stage One: 18th

Stage Two: 34th

Race Result: 37th

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

"I was just driving into it blind a little bit. I think we were sitting probably 12th or 13th, something like that, when it went down, so by the time I got there the road was already blocked. There wasn’t a lot of lanes available. It’s just unfortunate. We had a really fast Love’s Travel Stop Ford Mustang. We led a lot of laps and definitely had the speed in the car, it’s just that last pit cycle didn’t work out for us. You need to come out in that top five to protect yourself from this. I’m not sure where the wreck started, but you want to be somewhere near the top five to avoid it and we just weren’t. We were running right in the middle of the hornet’s nest when it happened."

No. 38 Georgia Peanuts Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

Todd Gilliland qualified third for Sunday's 188-lap event at the Talladega Superspeedway, his fifth Top-5 starting position this season. An early caution for the No. 99 triggered a string of pit stops from the field, including Gilliland who only took fuel. Gilliland continued to compete within the Top-5 and Top-10 before shuffling back to the 20s. Gilliland finished Stage 1 in the 21st position. Gilliland pitted under the stage-break caution for tires and fuel. In a mostly uneventful stage, Stage 2 ended with a multi-car accident. Gilliland finished 32nd in the stage. After pitting under the stage-break caution for tires and fuel, Gilliland made his way to the Top-5, eventually taking the lead for a couple of laps. A scheduled fuel-only stop brought Gilliland to pit road, but he was busted for speeding and forced to serve a pass-through penalty. The trouble for Gilliland and the No. 38 team didn't stop there, being collected in a multi-car accident with five laps remaining. After a lengthy red flag, the 38 team worked quickly to make the necessary repairs. Gilliland was able to survive the overtime shootout to finish the race in the 23rd position.

Start: 3rd

Stage One: 21st

Stage Two: 32nd

Race Result: 23rd

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

"From getting spun on pit road to speeding, and then getting caught up in the big one, it was a messy day for us all around. It's a little disappointing because we had great speed. Ryan (Bergenty) and the team brought me a fast Georgia Peanuts Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but we just weren't able to make it to the end. That's Talladega, though."