“That’s completely 100% my fault”: Michael McDowell takes the blame for contact with Ryan Preece at Loudon
NASCAR's latest visit to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway saw Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell get up close and personal with Ryan Preece on the track.
The rain delayed Crayon 301 on the one-mile-long oval track in Loudon, New Hampshire saw some great racing amongst the field. There were also a few slip-ups along the way as usual.
The 301-mile-long event saw multiple restarts with cars three and four wide battling for position. In what was a race well received by analysts and fans for the action it produced on the track, there were bound to be a few close calls.
Michael McDowell became one of the drivers to make contact on Monday. The #34 Ford Mustang driver tried to put a move on Stewart-Haas Racing's Ryan Preece.
After Preece managed to overtake McDowell in one of the frantic restarts, Michael McDowell tried to get underneath the former to pass him. However, the move resulted in contact between the drivers, which sent Ryan Preece into the outside wall at the 'Magic Mile'.
The Front Row Motorsports driver took complete blame for the incident post-race and elaborated to NBC Sports' Dustin Long in an interview:
"He has every right to be mad. He pulled a slider on me in (turns) 3 and 4 and slid up and I got back underneath him. When I drove to the bottom on the flat, I just didn't get a good downshift and I got loose and I came up and I hit him, put him in the wall."
"That's completely 100% my fault, I understand why he's upset."
Michael McDowell ultimately managed to finish in P13 while Ryan Preece finished the Crayon 301 in P28.
Michael McDowell and Ryan Preece exchange words after NASCAR Cup Series race in Loudon
After coming together during the 301-mile-long NASCAR Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ryan Preece and Michael McDowell were seen talking to each other. In what McDowell termed as a mistake and claims complete responsibility for, both Cup Series drivers were seen cordially talking their differences out after the race.
The #34 Ford Mustang owner also took to his official social media handle and tweeted about the same incident. He wrote:
"It was 100% my fault @RyanPreece_ has every right to be mad. I made a mistake, got loose and ruined his day. I would be mad as well."
It was 100% my fault @RyanPreece_ has every right to be mad. I made a mistake, got loose and ruined his day. I would be mad as well. twitter.com/nascar/status/…
NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway next weekend for the highpoint.com 400.