"I have a lot to study" - Michael McDowell details all the problems he had to face en route his P8 finish at the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell scored his second-best finish of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season with a P8 at Talladega Superspeedway yesterday. The 37-year-old has only finished higher once this year, with a P7 at the 2022 Daytona 500 earlier this season.
The 2022 GEICO 500 proved to be a race of attrition for McDowell as he struggled with the handling of his #34 Ford Mustang. Couple that with difficulty in passing other cars, McDowell had his work cut out.
@TALLADEGA @ClintBowyer @Aric_Almirola #NASCAR | Michael McDowell led the day for #Ford with an 8th place finish while Kevin Harvick was 10th @TALLADEGA
On to @MonsterMile
@Mc_Driver @KevinHarvick https://t.co/PrXyYE0K73
However, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner did well to position his car during the final laps, where he could capitalize on any incidents ahead of him.
He said after the race:
“Unfortunately it wasn’t a great day for us but we salvaged a good finish out of it. We really struggled with just handling today which you wouldn’t think at Talladega. But at the same time, we got ourselves in position there at the end when it counted."
"I thought with three to go that something was going to happen so I repositioned myself and built a run and was able to weave through there on the last lap. It is just so hard to pass today. It was hard to make moves from sixth or seventh to the lead."
Michael McDowell on racing Next Gen cars on superspeedways
Michael McDowell has been one of the few drivers on the grid who have had to put in extra effort in order to learn to race the Next Gen car.
Speaking about the car after the 2022 GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the Phoenix, Arizona native told media officials:
"It is just a different style of racing even more so here than it was at Daytona with this Next Gen car. I have a lot to study and go back and learn and figure out how to make the moves."
Mr. Superspeedway does it again: Michael McDowell came home eighth at the finish, scoring his third top 10 of 2022 and his second in a row. https://t.co/AffeQQaqz4
Michael McDowell finished in a respectable eighth position in the race at the 2.6-mile-long oval.
Catch him racing in the Cup Series Race at Dover International Speedway next weekend.