"I was getting wide and making mistakes," rues Michael McDowell after P6 finish at NASCAR Watkins Glen race
Former Formula Renault and Rolex Sports Car Series racing driver Michael McDowell proved to be the wildcard entry in last weekend's Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International. The Front Row Motorsports driver was one of the leading cars in the road course race and was seen battling for the lead on numerous occasions at the start of the race.
Rain showers and lightning strikes around the area saw the start of the race get delayed, as teams and drivers tried to adapt to the weather conditions. The governing body allowed every car to fit in wet weather tires as a result of the conditions on track. The Goodyear 18-inch wet weather tires saw their first significant performance test in race conditions on Sunday. The 90-lap race saw numerous drivers go aggressive on their strategy and pit for slick dry tires once the track started to dry up.
The #NASCARPlayoffs picture could change in a big way with a @Mc_Driver win!
He takes the lead from @chaseelliott in Stage 1! https://t.co/JA2lhjOu7W
McDowell, who drove the #32 Love's Travel Stops Ford Mustang, managed to lead the race and hold off faster cars like the #9 Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the #5 Chevy of Kyle Larson. The performance deficit on Michael McDowell's car eventually meant he made mistakes trying to keep others behind. He elaborated post-race and said:
“It is disappointing. I don’t think we quite had enough for the #9 or the #5. I tried to hold them off as long as I could, they just had a bit of pace on me. They were pushing me hard enough that I was getting wide and making mistakes. I tried to make a move on that second-to-last restart there and got a pretty good run on the #5 and went to the inside and it just didn’t work out.”
Michael McDowell on his playoffs aspirations after Watkins Glen International outing
37-year-old NASCAR veteran Michael McDowell was realistic in his expectations of making the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs as he could not manage to win in last Sunday's race. The Go Bowling at The Glen saw the Phoenix, Arizona native fight for the lead at one point in the race, only to be overtaken by faster cars.
teamfrm.com/post/watkins-g…
.@Mc_Driver Scores Career-Best Tenth Top-10 of Season, while @ToddGilliland_ Suffers Mechanical Failure While Leading Race
@LovesTravelStop | @ChevronDelo
Recap👉teamfrm.com/post/watkins-g… https://t.co/QaF6nWzYdt
The Front Row Motorsports driver described what racing was like after falling back in the field and said:
“We got jammed up on the bottom and everyone was smashing into each other and we lost a couple of spots. That was pretty much it at that point. It is just disappointing. We’ve gotta win to get into these playoffs. But I am proud of everybody at Front Row. We had a fast car and we were in the hunt. It just wasn’t quite enough.”
Watch Michael McDowell make one last attempt at qualifying for the playoffs next weekend during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.