Track: Daytona International Speedway
Race: 26 of 36
Event: Coke Zero Sugar 400
(400 miles, 160 laps)
Michael McDowell
No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang
Started: 26th
Finished: 14th
Stage One: 8th
Stage Two: 22nd
Stage Three: 14th
Michael McDowell and his No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang took the green flag from the 26th position on Saturday night, under the lights of Daytona International Speedway. After a 20-lap stint, the Competition Caution would occur and McDowell noted that his race car “sucked up good in the draft” and would pit for fuel only. The remainder of Stage 1 would run caution-less and the No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang would go on to take the first green- and white-checkered flag from the 8th position. During the Stage Break, McDowell noted that his Ford Mustang was “a little bit free on the way into the corner,” which prompted Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer to make the call for 4 tires and a trackbar adjustment.
Stage 2 remained green from start to finish as McDowell was told to save fuel for the majority of the stage and would run comfortably in the mid-teens. Nearing the end of Stage 2, McDowell would attempt to make a run for the front, however with multiple pit strategies taking place, the field would get shuffled and the No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang would finish the second stage in 22nd. Under the caution, McDowell would pit for 4 tires, fuel and added grille tape after noting that his balance was “pretty good”.
During the final stage of Saturday night’s 400-mile race, Michael McDowell and the No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang would continue to have a strong run. Fords would be the last of the manufacturers to pit for fuel and McDowell would run in the 3rd position for a handful of laps before pitting. McDowell was running inside of the Top-15 as the first of the “big ones” would occur, collecting the No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang. Thankfully, the No. 34 team was able to make repairs on pit road to keep McDowell on track and the No. 34 CarParts.com | CARDONE Ford Mustang would take the checkered flag in 14th; earning McDowell his ninth Top-15 finish of the 2020 season.
McDowell on Daytona:
“Not the result that we wanted tonight, but our CarParts.com Ford Mustang was really fast. It sucked up really good in the draft and I was able to get up in the Top-10 and stay there pretty easily, but just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know, that’s Daytona and it happens, but I’m just really proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports. It wasn’t the finish that we had hoped for, but we still got a Top-15 finish with a crashed car. The speed that we had was some of the best that we’ve had on a superspeedway in a really long time, so I’m just really proud of everybody. Thank you to CarParts.com and CARDONE Industries for coming on board.”
