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"Any time you break a transmission, it's tough. ...We had a chance at a top-ten tonight... " -Michael McDowell |
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HOMESTEAD, FL (November 20, 2007) - Michael McDowell's 2007 has been full of late-race charges and spectacular finishes. That's why in the NASCAR Busch Series season finale, McDowell's late-race misfortune was considered "unorthodox" for the Arizona native.
McDowell fought a loose condition in Friday afternoon's practice session in a research development car from the Michael Waltrip Racing stable. With qualifying and race set to take place just 24 hours later, McDowell and crew chief Butch Hylton worked on the balance of the car as opposed to any serious mock qualifying runs.
Saturday morning saw promise as McDowell's lap of 31.954 seconds put the No. 00 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota third on the scoring pylon for the time being. A late-session cloud cover after McDowell's early draw saw quicker times in the session. After time trials concluded, the ARCA Rookie of the Year found himself lining up 26th on the evening's starting grid.
McDowell's night looked to be on the upswing-he navigated into the top fifteen with 24 laps to go (after running in the top-twenty for the majority of the evening), before catching a much-needed yellow for the race's final green flag run. With four fresh Goodyear tires, McDowell was poised to charge to the top-ten. Unfortunately on the re-start, the transmission gave way on his Toyota, ending any chance of a decent finish. McDowell pulled his car into the garage on lap 176, ending his night in the 32nd position, short of the finish.
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No doubt upset over the outcome, McDowell noted that the team, only three races-old, was stout:
"Any time you break a transmission, it's tough," said McDowell. "I hate this for these guys at MWR but I have to commend them-getting these cars running this well in these last three races is a testament to them. It's been a blast so far with the guys on the No. 00 team. We had a chance at a top-ten tonight and I let them down.
"Everyone at MWR really worked their tails off to make this work for these last three races. Jerry Baxter and Butch Hylton were a pleasure to work with and I'm truly grateful to all of the guys in the MWR shop who put in the overtime to get this second team up and running."
Third Practice is a Charm: While this was the first NASCAR Busch Series weekend in which McDowell did not pace the Rookie Practice Session, he did manage to rip off a lap of 31.583 in Friday's final practice, 15th overall and nearly half a tenth quicker than what he would run in qualifying. It was McDowell's first visit to the oval track layout at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Lucky or Unlucky Number?: McDowell finished 14th last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Ironically, he was running in the 14th position when he broke his transmission.
FINAL RESULTS
Homestead-Miami 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
| Pos |
Car |
Driver |
Team |
Laps |
Status |
| November 17, 2007 | Final |
| 32 |
00 |
Michael McDowell |
NAPA/Best Western Toyota |
176 |
Out |
Next Up: Michael McDowell will participate in several pre-season test sessions for Michael Waltrip Racing with announcements regarding his future plans soon to come. Also, be on the lookout for McDowell to once again compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in February, the single-biggest sports car race in the United States. |
HOMESTEAD, FL (November 16, 2007) - Michael McDowell saw steady progress over his three practice sessions for Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series race Homestead-Miami.
Final (Happy Hour) practice had McDowell 15th quickest, just 0.252 sec off the leader's pace.
Qualifying is at noon eastern on Saturday. |
PRACTICE SPEEDS
Homestead-Miami 300 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
| Pos |
Car |
Driver |
Team |
Time |
Speed |
| November 16, 2007 | Practice 1 |
| 41 |
00 |
Michael McDowell |
NAPA/Best Western Toyota |
32.962 |
163.825 |
| November 16, 2007 | Rookie Practice |
| 6 |
00 |
Michael McDowell |
NAPA/Best Western Toyota |
32.595 |
165.670 |
| November 16, 2007 | Final Practice (Happy Hour) |
| 15 |
00 |
Michael McDowell |
NAPA/Best Western Toyota |
31.583 |
170.978 |
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| CORNELIUS, NC (November 15, 2007) - Michael McDowell's dream season will conclude with this Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In a year that saw McDowell raise the bar for fellow ARCA RE/MAX Series competitors and a deal struck with Toyota- backed NASCAR team Michael Waltrip Racing, McDowell looks to make one final indentation on the 2007 season.
His last two Busch Series races at Texas and Phoenix saw respective finishes of 20th and 14th. Certainly not bad for his first career starts, but the 22 year-old, soon- to-be NASCAR rookie wants more out of his fledgling program.
"I always like striving for more," admits McDowell. "This team has given me a lot to work with in these Busch starts and I want to leave a final mark before we make a go at NASCAR full-time next year. Realistically, we should be running in the top-ten this weekend."
McDowell's eagerness will come with a considerable obstacle -the star-studded season finale is expected to be filled to the brim with NASCAR Nextel Cup competitors in top-tier equipment. Still, the Glendale, Arizona-born driver isn't concerned and is looking forward to the challenge.
"Oh, this will be a show come Saturday night," McDowell continued. "Homestead is a going to be another mile-and-a-half monster like Texas, so we know a little about what to expect. Hopefully, we can go out, run well, and get a decent finish for MWR."
McDowell's No. 00 NAPA Auto Parts / Aaron's / Best Western Toyota will take to the track on Friday for three practice sessions. Saturday will see McDowell qualify and race his machine for the final time in 2007.
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RACE: |
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| Homestead-Miami 300 |
| Date: |
Saturday, November 17, 2007 |
| Track: |
Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, FL) |
| Race Distance: |
200 Laps (300 miles) |
| Television: |
4 pm EST on ESPN2 |
| Team: |
Michael Waltrip Racing |
| Crew Chief: |
Butch Hylton |
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"Oh, this will be a show come Saturday night!" -Michael McDowell |
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McFACTS:
> In his two career NASCAR Busch Series starts, McDowell has a 20th place finish (Texas) and a 14th place finish (Phoenix). At this rate, McDowell is slated to finish 8th, which would become his first top-ten finish at the NASCAR level.
> McDowell scored two wins at intermediate tracks (Kentucky and Chicagoland) in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition.
> His most recent trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway was in March 2006, when he and teammate Memo Gidley finished 4th in Rolex Sports Car Series competition.
> In 2005, McDowell and Gidley scored a 10th place finish in the Grand Prix of Miami Rolex Sports Car Series race.
> Despite two top-ten finishes on the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course, McDowell has never competed on the high-banked oval. |
