Smith Finishes 30th at Charlotte Roval and McDowell 32nd
The NASCAR Cup Series returned to their home track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, for the now annual race on the Charlotte Roval- the mix use of the Charlotte oval and the infield road course.
After qualifying 34th, Zane Smith and the No. 38 Ambetter Health team were in for a long battle. During an uneventful Stage 1, Smith pitted with three laps remaining in the stage for fresh tires and fuel. Smith finished the stage 36th. Stage 2 provided more action as Smith and the No. 38 Ford Mustang competed in the top-25 throughout the stage. Pitting for tires and fuel with five laps remaining in stage two, Smith crossed the start/finish line 28th to end stage 2. On fresh tires and topped off on fuel to start the final stage, Smith and the No. 38 team avoided the chaos to finish the race 30th
Qualifying 13th, Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang team had their eyes set on another road course victory. Competing in the top-10 and top-15 throughout a caution-less Stage 1, McDowell was shuffled back to 16th where he finished the stage. Starting Stage 2 with tires and fuel, McDowell inched closer to the top-5, running in the top-10 and finishing 9th in the stage. Trouble began at the start of the final stage as McDowell reported he lost power steering. Fighting through the power steering issues, McDowell was involved in a late race incident with fellow competitor, Erik Jones. The team made the necessary repairs to keep McDowell on track and finished the race 32nd.
Zane Smith, Driver No. 38 Ambetter Health Ford Mustang:
“Definitely not the results we wanted, but I’m glad to have my first Roval under my belt. I have to thank Ryan (Bergenty) and everyone at Front Row for making this happen."
Michael McDowell, Driver No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang:
“What a tough race. We started off the day with top-10 potential, even top-5, but it’s hard to drive without power steering. The incident with Erik (Jones) didn’t help our day either. We’ll just have to move past it and get and get ready for Vegas.”
The team next races Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.