"We drove to the front with a good car early on but got shuffled back after we got boxed into our pit stall. Then it was all about dodging wrecks," said McDowell.
McDowell missed two early wrecks while moving the Eddie Sharp Racing Dodge to 6th place before pitting on lap 25. After restarting 17th due to an incident on pit road, McDowell continued to move through the field and avoid trouble even after receiving damage to the nose of his #2 Dodge.
A caution on lap 74 gave the field a green/white restart on lap 79 that allowed McDowell to jump to the outside and take over the 10th place position just before the checkered flag. |
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"We drove to the front with a good car... Then it was all about dodging wrecks," |
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"That’s a solid start to the season and a good effort from everyone at Eddie Sharp Racing," said McDowell. "We thought we had a top five car, but we will definitely walk away from Daytona with a top 10".
The next race for Michael McDowell and his Eddie Sharp Racing Beck Dodge is the Construct Corps- Palm Beach Grading 250 at the USA Int'l Speedway in Lakeland, FL on March 24. |
PREVIOUSLY
ARCA DAYTONA 200
Different Daytona This Time For McDowell
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Feb. 9, 2007) - While there will be a yellow stripe on the bumper of the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Dodge, Michael McDowell isn't your normal ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year contender. |
Although it's his first visit here for stock car SpeedWeeks, he knows a thing or two about the Daytona International Speedway.
"I feel like I was just here," joked McDowell. "I'm getting to know the city of Daytona Beach pretty well".
McDowell has plenty of experience at Daytona. Just two weeks ago, he competed in the Rolex 24, and was in contention for a top five finish before a late-race mechanical problem forced he and his teammates to settle for a top-10.
With his 10th place finish in the Rolex 24 still fresh in his memory, McDowell begins his 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Rookie of the Year campaign Saturday with the 44th Annual ARCA Daytona 200.
"I think making the transition is going to be as difficult as I anticipated, but I am surrounded by a great team," said McDowell. "I am learning a lot every time I get on the track, which is what you want when you're a rookie. You're only as good as your last race, and we finished fourth last time out in the ARCA car."
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McDowell started to put the wheels in motion regarding a change in career strategy midway through 2006, making five starts in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. The move to stock cars looks to be the right one, as he scored three top-10 finishes, two of which saw him among the top five. One of his top-five finishes was his first-ever start on a superspeedway; McDowell scored a fifth-place finish at Daytona's sister track, Talladega. Coupled with a fourth-place finish in the season finale at Iowa, and a top-ten finish in the Rolex 24, McDowell hopes the added momentum carries him onward from Daytona in his quest for the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year award.
"ARCA Racing is all about momentum and consistency" said McDowell. "Hopefully we'll carry our momentum with us and get another good finish on Saturday."
Catch the race:
TV: SPEED (LIVE) 4 p.m. ET
RADIO: 1150 AM or at www.wndb.am (LIVE) 4 p.m. ET
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