Getty Michael McDowell has a new partner for four races.
Michael McDowell has secured a new partner ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series trip to Richmond Raceway. He has joined forces with Navage Nasal Care as part of a four-race primary deal.
Front Row Motorsports announced the news on March 29 and provided the first look at McDowell’s new scheme. The blue and white stock car features the Navage Nasal Care graphics on the hood and sides, as well as blue door numbers. Along with the trip to Richmond Raceway, McDowell will also showcase the new scheme at Martinsville Speedway on April 9, Dover Motor Speedway on May 1, and Darlington Raceway on May 8.
🚨SPONSOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!🚨
We’re excited to welcome @Navage4Life to our team, and to @Mc_Driver‘s car for four races this season! 🏎️
Release👉https://t.co/ki0RySZCWl
“It’s a great time to enter the NASCAR Cup Series with a Daytona 500 winning team and driver,” said Martin Hoke, founder and president of RSI, the creator of Naväge. “The sport is seeing gains and we respect their innovations: we are so proud to enter this partnership. We hope people will try Naväge and experience great nasal hygiene. Naväge helps not only Michael, but his fans, too, and I happen to be one of them!”
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McDowell Fought for a Top-10 Finish at COTA
GettyMichael McDowell finished 13th overall at Circuit of the Americas.
The partnership follows McDowell’s second strongest performance of the year. He kicked off the season with a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500, and then he fought for another top-10 at Circuit of the Americas.
The weekend didn’t start out particularly well for McDowell and the No. 34 team. The veteran driver posted the 27th-fastest qualifying time at 91.5 seconds and 134.164 mph. The team then spent the first two stages trying to dial in the stock car.
McDowell made strides during the final stage. He moved his way up to eighth place overall before ultimately ending his day in the 13th position. This performance added 24 points to his total and moved him to 25th overall in the championship standings.
“We didn’t unload like we wanted, but the team never gave up all weekend,” McDowell said in a release from Front Row Motorsports. “Saturday was frustrating for everyone, but that’s when Blake and the engineers really dug deep to give us that speed we needed. It didn’t happen at the start of the race, but by the end we were running top-10. A few little things different and we could have finished there, but we’ll take 13th today and get on a roll from here.”
McDowell Has Reunited With Multiple Partners
Front Row Motorsports announced on November 30 that McDowell would return to the No. 34 Ford Mustang for another run. This news prompted some other updates, including the return of multiple primary partners.
Love’s Travel Stops, a key partner of FRM, confirmed its return for a 10th consecutive season on February 4. The company agreed to take over the No. 34 Ford Mustang for 18 of the 36 points-paying races, including stops at COTA, Daytona International Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway among many others.
Horizon Hobby, the company that made its debut with McDowell in 2021, also returned for the 2022 season as part of an expanded deal. Horizon Hobby announced it would take over the No. 34 for races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and the Daytona International Speedway in August while also serving as an associate partner of Todd Gilliland. Horizon Hobby also agreed to serve as Zane Smith’s primary partner during the Camping World Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway in June.
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