McDowell Returns To Site Of 12th Place Finish

Michael McDowell and Leavine Family Racing (LFR) are looking forward to returning to Richmond International Raceway (RIR) for the first time since securing one of their best finishes last year during the 2016 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Season (MENCS).

LFR and McDowell are especially looking forward to bouncing back at RIR after struggling through a rain-plagued weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway during the Food City 500. After qualifying for the 500-lap race was rained out, McDowell started the race 28th, as per NASCAR’s rulebook.

Throughout the majority of the Food City 500, McDowell dealt with tire issues as well as throttle linkage issues in his No. 95 WRL Chevrolet SS. He fell back multiple laps and was not able to gain them back, eventually finishing 26th at the Last Great Colosseum.

McDowell and LFR are eager to head to RIR, where they recorded a 12th place finish in the fall of 2016.

“The fall race for us in Richmond last year was great,” said McDowell. “We finished 12th, and it was a really good run for us there. It may not have been our best finish, but it was one of our best races as a team. We definitely want to come back and build on that. You just never know. There have been a lot of rule changes and package changes. It’s another short track that has been good to us in the past.

Richmond also does a great job with fan interaction. There’s a ton of fun things that happen around the racetrack during the weekend. It’s one of the tracks that I’ve worked most closely with, so I have a great relationship with the fans and everyone there.”

LFR PR