Michael McDowell is leaving Entrance Row Motorsports on the finish of the 2024 season.
McDowell introduced Wednesday that he’ll drive for a brand new crew in 2025. The 2021 Daytona 500 champion has pushed for the crew for the reason that begin of the 2018 season.
“We thank Michael for all he has finished throughout his time as a driver at Entrance Row Motorsports,” FRM proprietor Bob Jenkins stated in a press release. “His 2021 Daytona 500 victory, a dominant win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and two appearances within the NASCAR Cup Sequence Playoffs set a brand new commonplace for our group. He turned the chief of his crew and the group.”
McDowell, 39, has three top-10 finishes in 12 races this season. He made the playoffs after his Daytona 500 win in 2021 and once more in 2023 when he received on the Indianapolis street course. He is at the moment twenty sixth within the standings and can doubtless want a win to make the playoffs once more.
That win virtually got here at Talladega. McDowell was main the sphere off Flip 4 on the ultimate lap however crashed out as he tried to dam a run from Brad Keselowski within the trioval.
In response to Fox Sports activities, McDowell is probably going headed to Spire Motorsports in 2025. Spire has a three-car crew this season with Carson Nonetheless and Corey LaJoie because the crew’s two full-time drivers. Zane Smith is in a 3rd automotive for the crew as he’s on mortgage from Trackhouse Racing.
McDowell’s announcement may very well be the primary in lots of for drivers and groups exterior the highest tier of the Cup Sequence. There seem like many transferring elements forward of the 2025 season with Smith’s near-term future unsettled, rumors of a possible downsizing at Stewart-Haas Racing and now a gap at Entrance Row Motorsports.
Trackhouse has Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez in its two automobiles. If it needs to deliver Smith into the fold, it may decide to not re-sign Suarez — who received the second race of the season — or increase. The crew additionally has a cope with Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen as he runs a partial Cup Sequence schedule this season.
If it expands previous two full-time automobiles, Trackhouse might want to get a constitution. Per a Fox story earlier within the week, SHR hasn’t renewed its contract with Ford and “has despatched potential consumers info on what it will take to buy a constitution.”
Stewart-Haas has tailed off significantly in current seasons. Kevin Harvick propped the group up earlier than his retirement and Chase Briscoe in 14th is the one SHR driver provisionally within the playoff area by means of the primary 12 races of 2024.
If SHR sells a constitution or two, the motive force market may change much more. The crew at the moment employs Briscoe, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Ryan Preece. Gragson and Berry are of their first years with the crew, whereas Preece has pushed for the crew for the reason that begin of the 2023 season and is at the moment twenty ninth within the standings.
