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RACE REPORT
Engine woes thwart McDowell’s day at Nashville
ARCA rookie collects sixth pole of 2007
LEBANON, TN (August 13, 2007) – It seems that Nashville Superspeedway has Michael McDowell’s number. |
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In April, a cut tire ended McDowell’s night while running in second place in the early goings of the race. While he was hoping to avoid a second-consecutive snake bite, McDowell’s No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge eventually succumbed to an engine failure but not before making waves on the weekend.
McDowell’s lap of 30.126 earned the Phoenix native his sixth ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award of 2007. After leading the field to the green flag, McDowell led the race’s first 33 laps and then settled in behind race leader Bryan Clauson until the bulk of the field began a green flag pit stop cycle. McDowell’s Eddie Sharp Racing team cut the pit window too short and while pitting, the yellow flag fell, trapping McDowell one lap down.
McDowell re-started as the second car off the lead lap but quickly earned his lap back passing leader Clauson just prior to another caution period, putting him at the tail-end of the lead lap in fourteenth place. As the ARCA rookie navigated his way back up through the field, he began to encounter engine trouble which proved to be terminal with three laps to go. McDowell’s stout comeback ended in a nineteenth place finish.
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Despite the day’s unfavorable result, McDowell was pleased with the team’s perseverance:
“We had an awesome car today. It was good enough to put us in position to come back from adversity but unfortunately our motor fell flat there at the end,” said McDowell. “Ernie Elliott has given us great motors this year--this is our first motor failure of the season. We’ll go back to the shop and figure out what went wrong and move on from there.”
McDowell remains in second place in the series point standings, 80 points behind leader Frank Kimmel.
Up Next: On Sunday, August 19, Michael McDowell and Eddie Sharp Racing will take to the dirt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the first dirt oval race of the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. |
QUALIFYING
P1: McDOWELL GRABS SIXTH POLE
Closes up on points leader
LEBANON TN (August 10, 2007) - Michael McDowell earned his sixth career SIM Factory Pole Award on Friday afternoon at Nashville Superspeedway and in the process inched within five points of leader Frank Kimmel in the ARCA RE/MAX Series National Championship Point Standings. |
McDowell's No. 2 Z Line Design-Make a Wish-Beck Dodge starts alongside Jeremy Clements in Saturday's Toyota 150, scheduled to roll off LIVE on SPEED at 2:30 p.m. Central.
"We had a good racecar when we came here last time," said McDowell. "I think we were running third and cut a tire with 18 laps remaining and it hurt us in points. Believe it or not earning the pole awards and running in the top-five have kept us in contention for this championship. I think we've gained 180-plus points just by earning pole awards and leading laps."
AUDIO: Listen to Michael's post-qualifying interview on the ARCA website |
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McDowell counting his blessings in points |
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The ARCA RE/MAX Series awards 15 championship points to the SIM Factory Pole Award winner at every event; the second fastest qualifier gets 10 championship points and the third fastest qualifier earns 5 points. In addition, the series awards 5 championship points for leading a lap and 5 additional points to the driver that leads the most laps during an event. With 14 of 23 events completed this season, McDowell leads the series in SIM Factory Pole Awards with six and also leads the series in the lap leader category with 432 laps led. |
PRACTICE UPDATE
McDOWELL SECOND IN PRACTICE
Teammate Butler III 18th
LEBANON TN (August 10, 2007) - Michael McDowell, in the Z Line Design-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge, was second quickest in practice today for the Nashville ARCA 150. |
| "We had a really good car, especially on the long runs," said McDowell. "I don't know how good we will be during qualifying but we will definitely be good during the race. We actually made more laps than anyone out there during this long practice session. We were practicing our race runs and trying to see what the tire wear would be so that we can minimize the drop off during the race. We want to be there at the end and I think we will."
SIM Factory Pole Award Qualifying is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. The qualifying session will help determine the starting lineup for Saturday's Toyota 150.
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Positions one through 32 will be determined by qualifying speeds, with the rest of the starting field set by provisional positions. Positions 32 through 36 are reserved for car owners based on 2007 ARCA point standings, while positions 37-40 are reserved for "Golden A" eligible teams who competed in 100 percent of the series races in 2006. Position 41 is made available for a past ARCA RE/MAX Series champion. If no past champion is in need of a provisional, the position is made available to a "Golden A" eligible team who competed in 100 percent of series races in 2006.
The Toyota 150 rolls off at 2:30 p.m. Central on Saturday, August 11th. The race will air LIVE on SPEED at 3:30 pm ET. |
RACE PREVIEW
McDOWELL LOOKS FOR THREE-PEAT AT MUSIC CITY
ARCA rookie on the prowl for third win and series point lead
MOORESVILLE, NC (August 7, 2007) – Pat Riley invented the term “Three-Peat,” while he was a coach for the champion Los Angeles Lakers in the late ‘80’s. This Saturday, Michael McDowell looks to put the term that Riley coined to use with a third-straight win in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. |
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Trophy collector Michael McDowell |
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Naturally, McDowell’s No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge must fend off a barrage of NASCAR development drivers, hungry ARCA regulars, and one eight-time series champion at this Saturday’s race at the Nashville Superspeedway. The Arizona native is ready:
“I’m pumped,” commented McDowell. “Everyone at Eddie Sharp Racing has been working their tails off. We tested Nashville last month and we love the car we’re bringing. We realize that after winning two-in-a-row, the bulls-eye is on our backs, so we need to make sure that we’re on our game this weekend.”
McDowell’s second consecutive ARCA victory last weekend put him within 20 points of Frank Kimmel, the current standings leader. No one has been this close to the eight-time ARCA champ in over a half-decade. McDowell knows out-dueling Kimmel will be an unenviable task:
“I don’t expect catching Frank (Kimmel) will be easy. It hasn’t been so far. Last week, we were in the right situation to pounce on an opportunity for the win and we gained a lot of ground on first (in points). The championship is the goal but we need to stay composed and not try to beat ourselves, trying to beat him.
“There’s a reason he’s won the championship eight times. He’s an incredible competitor. Fortunately, Patrick (Donahue, crew chief) and the guys have allowed me to be fast at every track we’ve visited. If that continues, we’ll create our own destiny.”
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| Nashville ARCA 150 |
| Date: |
Saturday, August 11, 2007 |
| Track: |
Nashville Superspeedway (Lebanon, TN) |
| Race Distance: |
113 Laps (150 miles) |
| Team: |
Eddie Sharp Racing |
| Crew Chief: |
Patrick Donahue |
| Watch McDowell contend for the Three-Peat at Nashville on Saturday, August 11, live at 3:30 pm EST on SPEED. |
McFACTS
> Last April, McDowell qualified fifth and was closing in on the second place car with less than 20 laps to go when a blown right front tire sent him into the wall, ending his day.
> McDowell is only 20 points behind leader Frank Kimmel in the series standings and currently leads the ARCA rookie standings by 26 points over Phillip McGilton.
> McDowell and Kimmel are tied with nine top-ten finishes each for the 2007 season.
> While McDowell only led two laps in last weekend’s win, the two add to the total of 432, which leads all drivers in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
> McDowell’s crew chief, Patrick Donahue, leads the Cometic Engine Mechanic’s Award standings after last Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway.
2007 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
After Event #14, Pennsylvania ARCA 200 |
| POS |
NAME |
POINTS |
STARTS |
WINS |
TOP-5 |
TOP-10 |
| 1 |
Frank Kimmel |
3050 |
14 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
| 2 |
Michael McDowell |
3030 |
14 |
2 |
5 |
9 |
For more information on Eddie Sharp Racing, visit www.teamesr.com. |
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