Wheels Ruedebusch Development and Construction Ford to 10th
McDowell Powers Through the Field to Finish 12th in Love's Travel Stops/PEAK Ford
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) picked up its first top-10 finish of the season on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in the NASCAR Cup Series. Todd Gilliland raced the No. 38 Ruedebusch Development and Construction Ford Mustang to a 10th-place finish. Michael McDowell took the Love's Travel Stops Ford to 12th in an amazing drive in an overtime finish.
Gilliland worked his way to a top-10 finish after starting 36th. Early in the race, Gilliland showed his short run speed. He raced to 15th and finished Stage 1 in 13th. After pitting, the No. 38 Ruedebusch Development and Construction team settled into a long run. The car fell off in speed, but Gilliland was running top-20 or just outside. The final stage proved chaotic with multiple overtime results. Gilliland was actually hit and spun around. He then used the next restarts and his short run speed to blast back to 10th. He gives FRM its best Cup finish in the early season.
Michael McDowell and the Love's Travel Stops/PEAK Ford Mustang team finished 12th after an amazing final two laps. In a race where the team bounced back from a corner cutting penalty, differing pit strategy, a third-place finish in Stage 2, and a late-race bump from a competitor, McDowell passed 21 cars on the final restart to nearly get a top-10. The team raced the majority of the event in the top-five and top-10 before the rebound to 12th.
Todd Gilliland, Driver No. 38 Ruedebusch Development & Construction Ford Mustang:
"The restarts were really good for us, even in the very beginning of the race. We were able to fire off and gain a lot of spots right off the bat. So, after that, we had fallen off a little worse than everyone else, but our fire-off speed was probably top-five to [top] 10 every time. It was really nice to have some speed there, and to be really aggressive on the restarts. Most of them worked out really well. I got spun once, but we were able to rebound up to 10th or so. That’s good – 15th and 10th the last two races. That’s something to build on.”
Michael McDowell, Driver No. 34 Love's Travel Stops/PEAK Ford Mustang:
"We gave it all we had. We had a great Love's Travel Stops/PEAK Ford Mustang today. We ran where we deserved most of the day. These late race restarts get pretty chaotic, so it's all about holding your ground and capitalizing when you can. We left it all out there on the track and came from the rear multiple times. That is something we can be proud of."
FRM travels to the Richmond (Va.) Raceway this weekend in NASCAR Cup Series action. The race is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on FS1.
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
-30-
CONTACTS:
Michael McDowell
Mac MacLeod
Email: mac.macleod@fastlanemediainc.com
Mobile: 704-578-9937
Todd Gilliland
Alex Minton
Email: aminton@frontrowmotorsports.com
Mobile: 704-560-6343