NASCAR: 5 playoff drivers who might be in trouble

Playoff drivers in trouble: No. 2 – Michael McDowell

Believe it or not, Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell has quietly had a career year in his fifth season with the team, a team that has taken a clear step forward with the introduction of the Gen 7 car.

At the halfway mark of the season, the driver of the #34 Ford has already recorded seven top 10 finishes. His previous career-high for a full season was five, which he recorded last year.

McDowell has already led 38 laps this year, which is more than his single-season career-high of 33 from 2018. Additionally, his average finish is 16.6, which is nearly four positions better than his previous career-high of 20.5 from last year.

But because McDowell hasn’t won a race this year like he did last year when he won the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, he finds himself sitting well below the playoff cut line. With a top finish of third place in the race at Sonoma Raceway, McDowell sits in 21st in the point standings.

There are still several tracks at which McDowell could score an upset win, including this weekend’s pseudo-superspeedway race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, and the two road course races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Watkins Glen International.

If he can’t do that, however, a second consecutive — and career — playoff berth is all but out of the question for the 37-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native.