NEWTON, Iowa (August 1, 2009) – The NASCAR Nationwide Series’ first venture to Iowa Speedway was also Michael McDowell’s first outing with the K-Automotive Racing team. Both proved to be successful.

In front of a sellout crowd in Newton, Iowa, McDowell piloted his No. 26 Fischer Honda Dodge to an eighth-place finish after starting ninth in Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250.

For McDowell, the finish wasn’t just another Raybestos Rookie of the Race clincher, but a testament to the work hard done by the K-Automotive team.

“This team did a tremendous job this weekend. They gave me a good opportunity to come in and compete. It was a good points day for me and a good points day for the 26 car, so we really helped each other out today,” said McDowell.

“This is a small team but they can pack a punch. We proved that here this weekend. We brought out that caution before lap 100 but we knew we still had a car capable of finishing in the top ten. Today, everything bounced our way. It was a pleasure working with these guys.”

McDowell is currently 11th-place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, 1,191 points behind leader Kyle Busch and 85 points out of 10th-place. His effort in the No. 26 entry this weekend helped the team pick up one spot in the series’ owner standings, now 30th.