Getty Michael McDowell (right) has embraced his leadership role.
Michael McDowell has been the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford since the start of the 2018 Cup Series season, and he has worked with a variety of teammates. Now, he is trying to help the organization grow with its current lineup instead of simply resetting each year by embracing a leadership role.
As McDowell explained, he has worked a little with Zane Smith as the reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion has made his first foray into the NASCAR Cup Series. Though this line of communication between the two drivers has been fairly limited as Smith has only made three starts for the team.
With Todd Gilliland, however, McDowell has been an “open book.” He has worked with the current driver of the No. 38 Ford Mustang as much as possible because he sees a path to a bright future.
“That mindset probably changed for me a few years ago because I was going through a new teammate every year,” McDowell explained during a May 6 media session. “I mean, I know it sounds silly, but it’s hard to build a program when you’ve got a brand new rookie every single year in that second car.
“So I mean, I told Todd ‘I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure that you don’t fail and that you’re here more than one year because I need it. We need it as a program to get better.’ And we have.”
Multiple Drivers Have Taken Over the No. 38 Ford
GettyThe 2 Front Row Motorsports drivers take part in driver introductions at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
McDowell has been the driver of the No. 34 Ford since the start of the 2018 season, and he has delivered some standout performances. This includes a Daytona 500 win, 25 of his 30 career top-10 finishes, and six of his seven top-fives.
In this same span of time, there have been four drivers that have controlled the No. 38 Ford for FRM. David Ragan was in the entry in 2018 and 2019 while John Hunter Nemechek took over for the 2020 season.
FRM replaced Nemechek with Anthony Alfredo for 2021, the final year of the Gen 6 era. The organization then brought Gilliland up from the Truck Series for 2022 and the first year of Next Gen.
These drivers delivered some solid performances for FRM. Though this was expected for Ragan due to his role as a proven veteran in the Cup Series and his previous experience with the organization.
Nemechek posted three top-10 finishes during a COVID-altered season in which he had very few practice sessions and then Alfredo added one more as he tried to adjust to the Cup Series in 2021.
Gilliland has achieved the most success out of this group of younger drivers. He has had the benefit of extra practice sessions in both 2022 and 2023, and he has had a teammate in McDowell trying even harder to help him.
The Shop Has Set Up All the Drivers for Better Runs
GettyTodd Gilliland (left) & Michael McDowell (right) pose at Road America.
There are many factors that go into determining how a driver performs on any given week. His level of comfort in the car is one, as is the amount of knowledge that he has about specific tracks on the schedule and where there is a potential for danger.
There are other factors that have played a role in Gilliland already setting a new career-best mark with three top-10 finishes and improving his average finish to 18.3. The communication with McDowell stands out, but so does the overall progress at FRM.
“Obviously, his confidence is up, and it’s not his rookie season,” McDowell added. “So he’s got a good feel for the weekend and what he needs and all that, but we’re just giving him better race cars. I mean, that’s the bottom line.
“His jump in performance has been significant from last year, but our performance is pretty similar as far as where the 34 car was last year. So I just feel like we’re doing a better job at the shop, preparing cars, and getting both race teams similar. And it’s just taken some time to put those processes in place and get it there.”
There is no clear information available about Gilliland’s future with the organization. FRM could put Smith in the No. 38 Ford, or it could keep the North Carolina native for another full-time campaign. Regardless of the direction the team goes, McDowell will continue to show support for his running mate as he pursues a brighter future.