Michael McDowell has seen numerous drivers rise through the racing ranks during his career. One that has particularly impressed him is the Spire Motorsports development driver, Tristan McKee.
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The 15-year-old is early in his career, but McDowell sees some great things coming for the North Carolina native.
"I'm going to quit when he's ready to go Cup racing, Lord willing," McDowell said on Saturday at Watkins Glen International. "So, yeah, I think that he's going to be a star. There's no doubt about it.
"But we also got to remember to not put a ton of pressure on these young kids. He's already doing it, right? He's winning at a high level. You don't want to put that expectation on them that they have to go out there and win every race."
McKee has competed in numerous racing series while rising through the ranks and becoming a member of the Spire Motorsports family. He has won races in the zMAX Cars Tour, Carolina Pro Late Model Series, and the Trans-Am Series. He also won his ARCA Menards Series debut last year at Watkins Glen International after turning 15.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
This season, McKee is competing full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Pinnacle Racing Group. He's made three starts and won twice — Hickory and Rockingham. He finished third at the Nashville Fairgrounds.
McKee has competed in two ARCA Menards Series races this season thus far. He finished second at Phoenix Raceway and then 18th at Watkins Glen International due to a mechanical failure.
McKee has already shown that he can be a contender in multiple series; McDowell certainly believes this will continue as the young race car driver approaches the end of his teenage years.
Constant top-3 cars all race, a mechanical issue would derail @Racing7Tristan to 18th and @cbrownracing brings home a 2nd place finish at the 🏁@GoBowlingdotcom | Klean Freak pic.twitter.com/wIkrtJMw4Y
— Pinnacle Racing Group (@RacePRG) May 8, 2026
How he performs during this stretch will depend on multiple factors, some that McKee can control and others that Spire Motorsports can control.
"So I feel like just making sure that we support and surround him the right way and not put this tremendous amount of pressure that takes the fun out of it because right now he's having fun, and that's what makes him good," McDowell said. "We've got to keep it fun for him.
"I think he's doing a great job. Like I said, he's very mature for his age, and he's very switched on. He's got great parents, and that's a big part of it. He's got a great foundation. He's somebody that 10 or 15 years from now, you guys are still going to be talking to him here, for sure. He's definitely the real deal."
