2022 Season in Review: Front Row Motorsports

Drivers: Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland 

#34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford (McDowell)

#38 Ford (various sponsors) (Gilliland)

Engines: Roush-Yates

Crew Chief(s): Blake Harris (#34), Seth Barbour (#38)

2022 Season Grade:  B- (Overall)

2022 Season (Michael McDowell #34): 

The 2021 season saw the Front Row Motorsports #34 and driver Michael McDowell experience their best season to date…until 2022. While the team was not able to defend their 2021 Daytona 500-win, performance vastly improved with the addition of first-year crew chief Blake Harris.

Harris proved to be a missing piece of the puzzle for Front Row, as the team would more than double their Top 10 results (12), while improving their average finish to 16.7 (20.5 in 2021). The biggest accomplishment for 2022 however, is McDowell and the #34 Ford completed the most laps of anyone in the Cup Series. A marked improvement could also be seen in DNFs, with McDowell only failing to finish twice. 

The team’s lowlight would come following Indianapolis, where Harris would have to serve a 4-race suspension due to an L2 penalty, regarding modification of the overall vehicle assembly or body part. This penalty resulted in the loss of 100 driver points, 100 owner points, and 10 Playoff points. Had this penalty not been assessed, it is possible the #34 Ford would have been an initial playoff contender in 2022.

Harris’ replacement Chris Yerges was able to guide McDowell to a 6th place finish at Watkins Glen, maintaining the team’s performance, and wrapping up a career year for McDowell and Front Row both. 

2023 Outlook: 

While no details have been announced as of yet, it is expected that McDowell will return for the 2023 season. Crew chief Blake Harris, however, will be leaving to join Hendrick Motorsports as Alex Bowman’s crew chief. As Harris replaces Drew Blickensderfer from 2021, it is still possible that a repeat performance, with a win, is not out of the question. Keep an eye on the #34 on the road courses and the superspeedways. 

2022 Season Results:

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2022 Season (Todd Gilliland #38):

Following a tremendously successful 2021 in the Truck Series with Front Row, Todd Gilliland was promoted to the Cup Series #38 Ford for 2022, competing for Rookie of the Year honors. As it was Gilliland’s maiden season in the Cup Series, expectations were relatively low, not driving for one of the powerhouse teams in the series. The NextGen Car however, evened the playing field for the talented rookie.

Gilliland and crew chief Seth Barbour performed admirably, finishing the season with a Top 5 on the Indianapolis course, and coming home 7th at Talladega in the fall. While not quite matching McDowell’s performance, the 38-team closed 2022 with an average finish of 23.2. Gilliland did fail to finish five races, but he also completed the third most laps amongst all competitors

The team also fell victim to the new loose wheel violation rules, as Troy Raker would have to replace Seth Barbour for 4 races…starting at the first Atlanta race and going through race 8 in Martinsville.

2023 Outlook:

While nothing has been announced as of yet, expect the team to return intact. Barbour is a veteran crew chief, and now the team has a full season under their belt with the new car. A surprise win could be in the cards for Gilliland and the 38 team, as Gilliland is a strong competitor on superspeedways, and has some road course prowess. 

2022 Season Results: