MARNE, MI (JULY 10, 2007) - If Michael McDowell were in the entertainment business, his propensity for hatching out the same plot over and over would render him jobless. Fortunately for the Arizona native, he’s in the racing business and consistency pays well.
McDowell scored his fifth ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award of 2007, led the most laps at the series’ stop at Berlin Raceway, and came home with a 2nd place finish that propelled him to 3rd in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings.
His pole win was a result of a 17.604 second lap, which he used to lead the field to green and lead the race’s first 41 laps. While he had the dominant car for the entire 200 lap race, Brian Keselowski put on new tires and re-started 4th with 15 laps. McDowell’s No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge was on an old set of Hoosier tires and unable to hold off Keselowski’s final charge. Keselowski won and McDowell settled for 2nd place, consequently moving up two spots, to 3rd place, in the ARCA point standings.
Although disappointed with the outcome, McDowell was pleased with the solid showing:
“This was tough track. The car was never straight and you’re never fully on the throttle. It was definitely a different race,” explained McDowell.
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“This was tough track. The car was never straight and you’re never fully on the throttle. It was definitely a different race,” - Michael McDowell |
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“We got caught with old tires and lost to a strong driver. Fortunately, we didn’t take ourselves out of this (race). Everyone at Eddie Sharp Racing did a fantastic job this weekend, we’re closing in on the point lead, and I couldn’t be happier with our progress.”
McDowell remains confident that ESR can continue its pursuit for not only wins, but a championship:
“We’re in it. That’s all anyone can ask. We’ll continue to race for wins and let the points fall where they fall. So far we’ve been competitive at every track and I don’t see us changing our strategy of focusing on the win every single race.”
Up Next: Michael McDowell and Eddie Sharp Racing will venture to Kentucky Speedway for the WLWT Channel 5-150 on Friday, July 13. |
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McD to start from the front row at Berlin |
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MARNE MI (JULY 7, 2007) - ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year contender Michael McDowell earned his fifth SIM Factory Pole Award of 2007 at Berlin Raceway on Saturday afternoon, circling the track in 17.04 seconds. He starts on the pole for this evening's Request Foods-GFS Foods 200.
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"We're really excited to earn our fifth SIM Factory Pole Award here at Berlin," said McDowell.
"I've never raced at this track before and neither has my crew chief, Patrick Donahue. We had a pretty good practice run but decided to make some changes before qualifying and it worked out well." |
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"..so yeah, there's a lot of confidence flowing" -McDowell |
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MOORESVILLE, NC (July 4, 2007) – Three poles. 200 laps led. A win? Overdue.
Michael McDowell has a reason to be grinning like the Cheshire cat. The same car that has been an absolute tour de force at ARCA short tracks in 2007, returns Saturday at Berlin Raceway (MI) for the Request Foods-GFS 200. Forgive McDowell if he seems giddy:
“We’ve had a blast at the short tracks this year,” said McDowell. “I’ve never seen Berlin, never raced there, but this car has been that good. The whole Eddie Sharp Racing team has been incredible at these tracks, so yeah, there’s a lot of confidence flowing.”
McDowell arrives in Berlin tied for the Rookie of the Year point lead and sits 5th in the series standings. His No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge is hunting its seventh top-ten finish of the season. The Arizona native also hopes to add to his series-leading 271 laps led total:
“We’ll find the lead. I think this car may have a built-in navigation system that goes straight to the front of the field. We just need to keep our composure on pit road and hope for a clean race so we can finally put ourselves in the winner’s circle.”
McDowell is 230 points away from catching Frank Kimmel from the ARCA point lead. Anyone following the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2007 knows that momentum and luck can be the catalyst that McDowell needs to continue his fight to the top:
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“I feel like we have some momentum and the luck has certainly turned toward the good side,” added McDowell. “We’ve created a lot, if not all, of our own momentum. We’re doing the things that we need to do. Wins are going to come and that will lead to us climbing up the standings.”
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| Request Foods-GFS 200 |
| Date: |
Saturday, July 7 , 2007 |
| Track: |
Berlin Raceway (Marne, MI) |
| Race Distance: |
200 Laps (88 miles) |
| Team: |
Eddie Sharp Racing |
| Crew Chief: |
Patrick Donahue |
| Practice, qualifying and the race itself all take place on Saturday. SIM Factory Pole Qualifying at 5pm. Green flag at 8:30pm. |
McFACTS:
> McDowell is vying for his 4th short track pole and 5th ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award for 2007.
> McDowell currently leads all ARCA competitors in laps led (271) and has over 200 laps led behind the wheel of the chassis being brought to Berlin Raceway.
> He is currently 5th in the ARCA point standings and tied with Phillip McGilton for the lead in the ARCA Rookie of the Year standings.
> He recently competed a test at Virginia International Raceway behind the wheel of an Evernham Motorsports Dodge. |
