It was an intense battle this past Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course as Michael McDowell brought Front Row Motorsports their fourth NASCAR Cup Series victory. For McDowell, it is his second career win in the NASCAR Cup Series. With his win, McDowell and the No. 34 team are locked into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. McDowell is currently 15th in the championship points standings.
After posting the fastest time in practice, McDowell and the No. 34 Horizon Hobby team qualified fourth. The team wasted no time getting to the lead and taking the Stage 1 win. McDowell finished second in Stage 2, but after a round of pit stops, regained the lead and took the checkered flag. McDowell led 54 of the 82 laps.
Qualifying 23rd, Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 gener8tor Skills team chipped away at the competition, gaining seven spots before the first caution came out. The team had shown speed and progress, but a late-race spin cost the team. Gilliland and the No. 38 gener8tor Skills team finished 37th.
Michael McDowell, Driver No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang:
YOU ENTERED THIS WEEKEND NEEDING POINTS, BUT YOU CAME OUT WITH THE WIN. HOW DID YOU MANAGE SUCH A DOMINANT PERFORMANCE? “I didn’t. It was a total team effort. Our car was so fast. I just knew I had to execute and not make any mistakes. We lost the lead there in that first cycle but got it back on the second. We did everything we needed to do to have a fast Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang. So thankful, man. Such a grind – to finally be in victory lane. To do it at Indy, on a road course – it’s so special.”
THE FIRST REQUEST YOU HAD AT THE START-FINISH LINE WAS YOUR FAMILY. HOW SPECIAL WAS THAT MOMENT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO CELEBRATE WITH THEM? “It’s special. There’s not a cooler moment than winning the Daytona 500. But to do it and not have my family there, it was tough. So, I always cherry pick the races they come to. They can’t come to all of them, but they come to the ones that we think we can win. Today, we did it.”
Todd Gilliland, Driver No. 38 gener8tor Skills Ford Mustang: "We were fast in practice, but didn't have the qualifying lap we wanted. We fired off fast in the race. We weren't bad, but we needed more grip. "We’ll bounce back though. We have two good chances for us at Watkins Glen and Daytona to get into the playoffs."
The team next races Sunday at the Watkins Glen International.. The race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.