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North Wilkesboro Speedway has returned to the NASCAR schedule after nearly 30 years, which has created excitement among teams and drivers. Front Row Motorsports, in particular, is responding by using the race weekend as an opportunity to honor a racing icon.
Michael McDowell will take part in the All-Star Open on Sunday, May 21, while driving a red and gold No. 34 Ford Mustang. The scheme will be a major departure from his regular designs as it will actually honor Hall of Fame driver Mark Martin. The scheme will be a recreation of the Folgers car that Martin used to win at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1990.
“I have so much respect for Mark, his competitive spirit, and his longevity of being a winner in his racing career,” McDowell said in a statement. “In 1990, Mark won three races with this scheme and helped propel his stardom with Ford, Jack Roush, and the No. 6 team.
“It’s special to have this scheme on the car because as a team, we have been more consistent and we’re building our own legacy with the No. 34 team. Fr8Auctions.com has been a huge part of our build. It’s been cool to see the success and consistency we’re having, but we want to get more.”
Martin Contended for a Championship in 1990
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GettyMark Martin watches Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
Martin has a reputation as one of the best drivers in NASCAR history to never win a Cup Series championship. He was in contention numerous times while stacking up 40 total wins, and he finished second in the championship standings four different times (1990, 1994, 1998, 2009).
The 1990 season was one of his best. He won three races while driving for Jack Roush, and he finished inside the top 10 in 79.3 percent of the races. Martin also finished second in the championship standings behind Dale Earnhardt, who won nine races.
One of Martin’s victories took place at the historic short track in Wilkes County near the end of the season. Kyle Petty won the pole for the Tyson Holly Farms 400, and he led 64 laps, but it was Martin who took control with 38 laps remaining.
The driver of the No. 6 took the lead from Earnhardt, and he held on to cross the finish line first. Martin celebrated his third win of the season while The Intimidator finished second overall after leading 291 of the 400 laps.
McDowell Has a Hurdle To Overcome
GettyMark Martin (front) races against Michael McDowell (rear) at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
McDowell has the goal of putting the Martin tribute scheme on display while battling for $1 million. In order to achieve this, he will first have to overcome a different hurdle.
While McDowell has one Cup Series win in his career, it was back at the start of the 2021 season. He no longer has a guaranteed spot in the All-Star Race, which means that he will have to punch his ticket to the main event during the All-Star Open.
There will be three spots available in the All-Star Race. Two will go to the top-two finishers in the 100-lap All-Star Open. The other spot will go to the winner of the fan vote.
McDowell will have a solid opportunity to grab one of these three spots. He finished sixth at Richmond Raceway earlier in 2023, another of NASCAR’s short tracks. He was also one of the top 10 vote-getters at the halfway point of the fan vote on May 5.
The list of names receiving the most votes included AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Corey LaJoie, McDowell, BJ McLeod, Ryan Preece, and Chandler Smith.
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