Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway marks the end of the 2024 NASCAR season, but for Michael McDowell, it closes out a pivotal chapter of his life.
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So is he prepared for his final start for Front Row Motorsports?
"I'm kind of like neutral, right," McDowell told FanBuzz at Martinsville Speedway. "Like I'm not sitting here looking forward to being done, but I'm also looking forward to the season to be over and wrapped up."
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The mixed emotions are understandable. After all, McDowell's journey to this point has included a significant amount of growth for both him and the Cup Series team.
His first season with the team was in 2018. He only posted one top-10 finish, which was in the season-opening Daytona 500. His best finish after that was 14th at Texas Motor Speedway.
The situation improved in 2019 as McDowell delivered two top-five finishes while moving his average finish from 24.5 to 24.2. This was a small step, but it was in the right direction.
McDowell continued improving his stats while the organization continued making progress, adding key personnel, and obtaining important equipment. He won two races — including the 2021 Daytona 500 — and put the team into the playoffs twice.
He helped guide multiple teammates, including Todd Gilliland, who has grown in his three full-time seasons.
"The process of getting to those wins is definitely a big part of the journey and the story and the memory," McDowell said. "So I think that, yes, the wins stand out, but there's a lot of moments that stand out.
"Just from offseasons and getting new equipment, new things, and making a couple key hires and things like that, that you knew were moving the program along, that were really integral into us having success."
McDowell's time with Front Row Motorsports will end after Sunday's season finale. The organization will move forward with Gilliland and Noah Gragson leading the way.
It's certainly the end of an era, and Sunday's race will likely be emotional for McDowell as he climbs out of the No. 34 Ford Mustang for the final time.
Still, the end of the season will also kick off a new adventure for the Arizona native. He will head to Spire Motorsports on a multi-year deal — with crew chief Travis Peterson in tow — and he will try to help this team the same way he helped Front Row.
Things will change, but the process will remain the same.
"You build relationships with people and with (owner Bob Jenkins) and (GM Jerry Freeze) and all the way to the shop floor guys," McDowell said. "We're a smaller group, and we all know each other, and I spend a lot of time at the shop.
"You'll miss having those interactions, but it's just changing, right? And you're going to have new interactions and new relationships and new things developing."
