Earlier this week, 39-year-old Michael McDowell announced that he will be leaving Front Row Motorsports to join the camp of Spire Motorsports in 2025. McDowell is currently in his seventh season with Front Row and it is where he got his first Cup Series victory. Talking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he opened up on why he chose to leave the team that has been the biggest part of his journey.
What Front Row wasn’t ready to offer him and Spire was, is a long-term contract. Having spent multiple years in the top tier of NASCAR proving his caliber, the driver looked for some degree of job security. When Spire pitched to match his demands and Front Row didn’t, he wasn’t left with much else of a choice but to make the move. He will be piloting the #71 Chevrolet Camaro beginning next season.
He said of his reasons, “I wanted to have some long-term security and have the ability to race for several years to come and that wasn’t an option at Front Row. So, that kind of opened up my mind and eyes to go out and explore what was available and what was out there. I think I’ve landed in a really good spot at Spire Motorsports.”
McDowell has three top-10 finishes in the 2024 Cup Series season thus far. He hopes to transfer all his skills to the Chevy Camaro next year and help Spire Motorsports build on what it has been tirelessly working towards. The arrival of a senior driver such as McDowell will be a big push to the team’s efforts at becoming a NASCAR powerhouse.
Spire Motorsports expects McDowell to be a leader in 2025
Addressing the media after the announcement of the signing, Spire Motorsports president Doug Duchardt laid out what was the expectation from McDowell. He said, “The driver of a race team is a leader. They drive the tone. Drive the narrative. The team feeds off of their energy. The team feeds off how you’re doing. The team’s eyes are on the driver, the moment they come in the back of that truck for that weekend. I think that that’s one of Michael’s strengths.”
With the top brass wanting him to be the tip of the three-car spear alongside Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar, McDowell will have quite the job to do. Right now, he is still focused on giving his best results on the track for Front Row. His next race will be on Sunday at the Darlington Raceway.
