BIOGRAPHY
Michael McDowell was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and like many of his contemporaries, began racing go-karts at an early age. McDowell’s talent for going fast and desire to win did not go unnoticed. After almost 10 years of go-kart racing, this young, aggressive American racked up numerous wins including the 1997 World Karting Association (WKA) National Championship, two undefeated International Karting Federation (IKF) seasons, and 18 consecutive main event victories.
McDowell also established himself on the international racing stage, becoming the first Junior American to ever podium in an International Competition CIK-FIA sanctioned event. The next logical step for McDowell proved to be the Star Mazda Series. Driving directly into the racing limelight, he took the series by storm in 2003, finishing in second place overall and earning Rookie of the Year honors. McDowell continued his domination in 2004 by winning 7 out of 10 races on the way to becoming the Star Mazda North American Champion.
Thanks to businessman Rob Finlay, McDowell received his first taste of sports car racing in 2004. Finlay and McDowell met at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving where McDowell played the role of instructor. The two hit it off and McDowell began driving in the Grand-Am Cup Series (now the Koni Challenge Series) for Finlay Motorsports behind the wheel of a Porsche 996.
In 2005, McDowell co-drove the No. 19 Make-A-Wish Daytona Prototype with Champ Car veteran Memo Gidley. The duo finished sixth in the Rolex Sports Car Series Championship and, together, they gave Finlay Motorsports its first victory in Mexico City. With that victory, McDowell became the youngest driver ever to finish on the podium of a Rolex Series race with his runner-up finish at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, and was the first driver since Mario Andretti in 1975 to run both a major open-wheel race and a sports car race in the same weekend. If that was not enough, McDowell also co-drove the No. 60 Finlay Motorsports M3 entry in the Grand-Am Cup Series with team owner Rob Finlay, scoring a podium finish at Daytona.
McDowell again competed in the Rolex Series and the Grand-Am Cup Series in 2006 for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based Finlay Motorsports team. Co-driving once again with Gidley, the duo finished an impressive fourth in the Rolex Series Championship with 11 top-ten finishes. He also co-drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang with Finlay, scoring three podium finishes including a win at Barber Motorsports Park. His success in the sports car ranks did not go unnoticed as Eddie Sharp Racing put the talented McDowell behind the wheel of the No. 2 ARCA RE/MAX Series car for five races.
2007: The 22 year-old racer continued his ascent to the top of the motorsports world by contending his first full season of stock car racing for the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship in the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Dodge. It was by any measure, a stunning season. Michael scored 4 wins, 9 poles, finished second in the points to 8-time champion Frank Kimmel, and took the Rookie of the Year award. McDowell finished off the year by running his first NASCAR event -the Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville and then the remaining Busch Series events for Michael Waltrip Racing at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead. |
Michael Christopher McDowell
Birthdate: December 21, 1984
Height: 6' 2 "
Weight: 190lbs
Hobbies: Computer race simulators, karting
Marital Status: Married to Jami
McFacts
> McDowell scored four ARCA RE/MAX Series victories in 2007, (the highest win total of all 2007 ARCA competitors). The first at Kentucky in July, the second in Pocono in August, the third in an astounding perfect weekend at Chicagoland where he led practice, qualified on the pole and won the race leading the most laps. Number four was his masterful season-ender at Toledo. Add in an expectation-smashing second place podium finish in his dirt track debut at the Illinois State Fairgrounds to his two other runner-up results at Iowa and Berlin, and it was quite a season!
> The Arizona native finished second in the series point standings, giving eight-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel a serious run for title.
> McDowell won the 2007 Rookie of the Year title as well as the Stewart Warner Lap Leader Award (most laps led in the series);
> The 22 year-old has claimed Nine ARCA SIM Factory Pole Positions in 2007 -leading all 2007 ARCA competitors
> In 2006, McDowell scored three top-ten finishes in the last three ARCA events of the season
> He earned a top-five finish in his very first Superspeedway start: a fifth place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2006
> McDowell has a top-five finish on all three size tracks: Short Track (runner-up at Berlin ’07), Intermediate (win at Kentucky), and Superspeedway (win at Pocono)
> An avid simulation racer, McDowell spends on average, four hours a day driving a computer racing simulator
> The former sports car racer has two podium finishes at Daytona International Speedway
> As a 19 year-old, McDowell became the youngest driver ever to finish on the podium of a Rolex Sports Car Series race (Barber Motorsports Park (AL))
> He became the first driver since Mario Andretti (1975) to run both an open-wheel race and a sports car race in the same weekend; at Mexico City in 2006, he won the pole and race in the Rolex Sports Car Series and finished eleventh in a RocketSports Champ Car
> In 2004, he dominated the Star Mazda North American Championship, winning 7 out of 10 races en route to a series title
> McDowell was the first Junior American to podium in an international event: Intercontinental-A CIK FIA |
Kart Racing Accomplishments:
> 1997 Junior North American WKA Champion
> 1998 First American to Podium in a Junior International Event
> 1999 Shifter Kart USA Race Winner
> 2000 4th in World Finals 125cc SuperPro Division
Race Car Accomplishments:
> 2002 Russell Racing Formula Car
Winner: Infineon
> 2002 FormulaTR Series
Winner: Las Vegas, Infineon, Firebird
> 2003 Star Mazda Series
Race Winner: Sebring , Road America
2nd in Championship points
Rookie of the Year
> 2004 Star Mazda Series
Series Champion
Race winner, Mid Ohio, Lime Rock, Infineon, Mosport, Road Atlanta, Road America, Phoenix Int'l Raceway.
> 2005 Rolex Daytona Prototypes
Pole Winner: Mexico City
Race Winner: Mexico City
10 tops-ten finishes, 6 top-fives
6th in overall Championship
> 2005 Champ Cars
Sixth youngest driver to compete (20)
Mexico City 11th
Surfers Paradise 12th
> 2006 Rolex Daytona Prototypes
Pole Winner: VIR
Race Winner: VIR
13 top-tens; 6 top-fives
7th in overall Championship
> 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series
4X Race Winner: Kentucky, Pocono, Chicagoland & Toledo
9X Pole Winner:
Salem, Winchester, Kentucky, Toledo, Berlin, Nashville, Milwaukee, Chicagoland, Toledo
15 top-tens; 11 top-fives
2nd in Championship points
ARCA Rookie of the Year
What people are saying
about Michael:
William Mayer
- President Team MMI
"After testing
several candidates, we felt Michael best characterized the well rounded ideals of
our organization."
Bob Bondurant -
founder Bondurant Driving School
"Michael is a good racer because he uses his head. He's a quick thinker
and takes excellent care of the equipment."
Mark Rodrigues -
Star Mazda
"With a podium
finish in his debut Star Mazda race, Michael definitely impressed me. He was locked
in a tight battle all race long and held his own against more experienced drivers.
When we started looking for someone he was at the top of our list."
Tracy McDowell Memorial Page
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