NASCAR: Top 5 remaining free agents for 2021
By Asher Fair
Top 5 remaining free agents: No. 4 – Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell was easily one of the most underrated and underappreciated drivers throughout the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. While it is assumed that he will be back behind the wheel of the #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports in the 2021 season, he is not yet under contract for next year.
The 35-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native finished the season in 23rd place in championship standings after entering the year with career-best finishes of 26th in 2017 and 2018.
Additionally, his average finish of 20.9 is the best of his career by more than one full place. He set his previous career-best of 22.2 back in 2017.
While he did not record a single top five finish this season after recording two last year to triple his career top five finish total, he shattered his career-high top 10 finish mark. Entering the year, he had never recorded more than three in a two-year span.
This season alone, he recorded four, and most notably, none came in superspeedway races. He finished in eighth place at Pocono Raceway, seventh at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 10th at the Daytona International Speedway road course and 10th at Bristol Motor Speedway.
He entered the season with just eight career top 10 finishes in 321 starts, and he hadn’t finished in the top 10 in a non-superspeedway race since 2016 when he finished in 10th place at Homestead-Miami Speedway driving for Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing.