Darlington Raceway Competition Notes
TEAM AND RACE NOTES:
The Darlington Raceway is next for Front Row Motorsports. Both Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland will have their last chance to clinch a spot in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at the historic, Southern 500.
For McDowell, the 39-year-old has three Top-10s at Darlington, two in the 2022 season and recently a 10th-place finish in May's Throwback race.
This weekend, the No. 34 will debut a new scheme and sponsor, Colortech. Founded in 1981, Colortech, Inc. is a family-owned, North American-based manufacturer of color and additive concentrates for the plastics industry. As a leading supplier of high-quality polymer concentrates, Colortech plays an integral role in producing a wide range of items, from household goods to industrial materials. With headquarters in Morristown, Tennessee, and manufacturing locations in Tennessee and Ontario, Colortech fosters innovation, achieves high performance, and builds trust-based partnerships that facilitate success. More information can be found at colortech.com.
For Gilliland, he faces a similar situation entering the 1.3-mile track. Gilliland has a career best finish of 11th at the "Track too Tough to Tame" in the Cup Series, and a 4th place finish in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He finished 15th in the May Cup race at Darlington.
The weekend will kick off on Saturday, August 31 with practice and qualifying at 12:30 pm ET. The Southern 500 is scheduled for Sunday, September 1 at 6:00 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on the USA Network. Fans can also listen in from the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.
CUP SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:
No. 34 Colortech Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:
"While we don't have a win like we did last year through this point, the speed and performances have been there. Darlington is tricky with how you dial the car in with it's different profiles of corners, but the key to success is finding that perfect balance between the two. If we can do that like we did in May, we will have a good chance to run up front and get the win."
CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:
"The Southern 500 is a special race on the NASCAR schedule, especially with it being the cutoff for the regular season. We have had good cars and opportunities all season, just haven’t been able to put it all together to win. Darlington is a very difficult track to plan for, but it’s an exciting challenge. We were able to get a Top-10 back in May, so we have a good plan to get Michael (McDowell) up front."
No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:
"This is our last chance to make the playoffs. Daytona feels like a missed opportunity but that's just how things shook out. I have to put it in the past, keep my eyes forward, and focus on the task at hand. I think we can get it done on Sunday, but we aren't going to hang our heads if we don't. There is still a lot of races left to show the world what we got."
CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:
"We had a solid run at Darlington in May, but we didn't execute as a team to put Todd in contention to win. Our progression since then has really taken off and we're all proud of that. We're executing and building fast race cars, we just need to qualify up front and stick to our plan."
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