McDowell did really well in the first part of the qualifying. Then, he continued to do great in the final round, winning the pole for Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
He set a new record for the fastest qualifying lap in the first round. Even though he lost a bit of speed in the final round, he was still faster than Austin Cindric, who also drives a Ford.
McDowell talked about his close moment during the qualifying. He said, “I was close to messing it up. I had a little moment in Turn 3. I got a little bit loose; I was able to catch it, but luckily, I was able to recover quickly and get back to the throttle.”
He also praised his team at Front Row Motorsports. This is his third pole this year, but it’s the first time he’s gotten it on a track that’s not a superspeedway. He’s proud of his team’s effort.
McDowell is 39 years old, and he’ll be leaving Front Row Motorsports after this season to join Spire Motorsports. Front Row Motorsports is also planning to expand to a three-car Cup team in 2025.
Ryan Blaney came in third in the qualifying, and Christopher Bell, who won last weekend’s race at Charlotte, came in fourth. Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five.
The rest of the top ten starting lineup includes Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, and Kyle Busch. Busch was the only Chevrolet driver in the top ten.
This was the first time this season that all four drivers from Hendrick Motorsports didn’t make it to the final round of qualifying.
