Michael McDowell is set to return for a third consecutive year at Front Row Motorsports in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Amid speculation that he wouldn’t be back with the team for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Front Row Motorsports have confirmed that Michael McDowell is set to return for a third consecutive year behind the wheel of the #34 Ford.
The 34-year-old Glendale, Arizona native is coming off of a season in which he finished in 27th in the championship standings with two top five finishes, his first top five finishes as a Front Row Motorsports driver.
He entered the 2019 season with just one top five finish in 285 starts over 11 years before finishing in fifth place in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and fifth again in the October playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
He finished in a career-high 26th place in the championship standings in his first year with the team in 2018, but he only recorded one top 13 finish, that being a ninth place finish in the Daytona 500.
He confirmed his return on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Mc_Driver/status/1205146918562779144
Here is what McDowell had to say about returning to the team for a third season next year, according to NASCAR.
"“Front Row has been getting better and better every season. A big part of that this year for us on the 34 car was Drew Blickensderfer. So just having a second year with him, going back to the same race tracks and with the same package…I feel like we can build on some of the momentum we have from last year and we’ve been able to really improve our program in the offseason.”"
Here is what Front Row Motorsports team owner Bob Jenkins had to add.
"“Michael is a veteran leader who is determined to win in the Cup Series. He gives our organization the experience we need to continue to get better.”"
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Front Row Motorsports will go back to operating as a two-car team following the departure of Matt Tifft and retirement of David Ragan.
Rookie John Hunter Nemechek is set to be McDowell’s teammate behind the wheel of the #38 Ford that Ragan drove from 2017 to 2019.
Nemechek replaced Tifft in three of the four races that Tifft missed at the end of the season after suffering a seizure in late October at Martinsville Speedway. He has been a heavy favorite to land a full-time role with the organization for next year for several weeks.
Jenkins added the following about the team’s complete driver lineup confirmation for 2020.
"“Most importantly, both Michael and John Hunter also fit our team values and are tremendous assets to our partners on-and-off the track.”"
The 62nd annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to get the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season underway in just over two months on Sunday, February 16 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.