Quaker State 400
Michael McDowell did not qualify as well as he had hoped. However, once the green flag waved at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Front Row Motorsports driver made a charge for the front.
After finishing P8 in the opening stage, he came to his crew under caution for tires and fuel.
Unfortunately, a miscue when exiting his box left him with severe damage to the right front of his No. 34 Ford Mustang. This would force him to restart P36.
There was no quit in the Fr8 Auctions team though.
The repairs kept coming.
McDowell kept charging to the front.
And crew chief Travis Peterson continued to make necessary strategic calls.
One of those calls even had McDowell restart on the front row on Lap 165.
This was a risky move because McDowell was running low on fuel. It felt like lap after lap, the scoring ticker would switch to the fuel gauge, displaying approximately how much fuel each driver had remaining – and McDowell’s gauge was essentially on E.
But as McDowell battled in the top 10, nearly running on fumes, Peterson had one more opportunity to make a strategic call. This call earned him, and the No. 34 team, the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race.
Rich MARvelous Move of the Race
On Lap 178, the caution waved as Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece went spinning. Peterson told his driver they were going to wait to pit until one to go because the rain was “basically here.”
As the field paced and track officials cleaned the carnage, McDowell was on max save.
The laps ticked by and fans of the No. 34 were left wondering just how much more the driver could save.
Peterson kept saying, “Keep saving…” And then, the rain started to fall – harder by the minute.
Finally, NASCAR made the call to bring cars to pit road. Radar indicated it could either be a quick call or a late night.
Ultimately, it was a quick call. As William Byron was deemed the winner of a rain-shortened race, McDowell claimed fourth on fumes.
Your P4 duo of @Mc_Driver and @TRAVIS_P3TERSON with the bold strategy calls to come back from P36@fr8auctions pic.twitter.com/hjUOEj7Ywa
— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) July 10, 2023
Points Day & Post-Race Comments
It was a huge points day for the FRM team. After finishing eighth in the first two stages and P4 in the race, McDowell moved to 16th on the Playoff Leaderboard.
Following the race, McDowell took to Twitter to follow up on his day:
Well, we definitely had a shot at it tonight. Wanted the win, but proud to leave @ATLMotorSpdwy with a Top-5 for @fr8auctions at their hometown race. Another strong points day & some continued momentum as we look ahead to @NHMS! pic.twitter.com/7UqHYiw7le
— Michael McDowell (@Mc_Driver) July 10, 2023
Pit Pass Network would like to extend a huge thank you to Rich Mar Florist for their partnership in the Rich MARvelous Move of the race! Be sure to check out their website for all your floral needs. Follow them on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and stay up-to-date with all the Team Rich Mar NASCAR happenings.
