Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Michael McDowell was rolling along at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he saw another driver signal for a car to pass.
When McDowell came upon the same driver, he wasn’t given the same courtesy.
“I literally saw a driver wave another driver by, and then race me for the next seven laps like it was the last lap,” McDowell recalled Tuesday.
He declined to identify the rival who refused to give McDowell an easy pass over the weekend, but it was an eye-opener for the Daytona 500 winner. A journeyman driver for small-budget teams, McDowell isn’t usually racing at the front of the pack or passing cars for top-10 finishes.
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March 1, 2021
Top Dog
Only two drivers currently have finished in the top 10 in the first three races of 2021. One was likely expected in 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick. The other continues to carry on the momentum after a Cinderella story moment at the Daytona 500. Michael McDowell has now finished first, eighth, and sixth to start out the season. In 2020, McDowell had a career-high four top 10s. He is now 75% of the way there after Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With the current qualifying system for most weekends, a strong finish at the Daytona Road Course set up McDowell for a sixth-place starting position for the 400-miler. The Phoenix, Arizona native ran in the top 20 for the majority of stage one en route to a 19th place result. He would stay in the relative area for stage two to take the green-white-checkered in 20th.
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