Thursday, February 19, 2009

#47 McDowell - Raybestos Rookie of the Race

Last week, I picked Michael McDowell as my pick of the driver to watch for the season opener. Driver McDowell did not disappoint. Driving the #47 Tom's Snacks Toyota, his fourteenth place finish earned him the “Raybestos Rookie of the Race” award.

I was a bit disappointed with the television coverage of McDowell’s race to the front from his fourty-second (42) starting position. I watched the entire race and never once heard his name mentioned.

Although I try to avoid picking the same driver twice, I just have to pick him as my favorite underdog in the upcoming “The Stater Bros 300” to be held this Saturday at the two-mile D-shaped oval, the Auto Club Speedway in California.

From Michael McDowell’s Website:

McDowell Shines in Debut with Tom's Snacks Toyota - 02.14.09

Michael McDowell got his 2009 NASCAR season off to a solid start with a 14th place finish at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. He started the race from the 42nd position and put on an exciting performance as he worked his way into the top 10 by the race's mid-point.

"Daytona is a Superspeedway but is notorious for rewarding the cars that handle well especially on a hot sunny day. The guys built some extra downforce into our car so we knew we would struggle in qualifying, but once the race started the Tom's Snacks Toyota sure was fun to drive," stated McDowell.

The 24 year old Glendale Arizona native was also aided all day by lightning fast pit stops from the #47 "Snack Attack" pit crew.

Crew Chief Gene Nead, who is no stranger to winning NASCAR Championships, reflected on a solid day. "You always want to win, but when you don't, you need to leave Daytona with a finish that provides a solid points position for a year-end championship run. Michael and all the folks who work on this #47 team did a solid job and gave us a good start to a long season ahead."

McDowell is now 14th in NASCAR Nationwide Series points.

The Stater Bros. 300 at Auto Club Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, February 21st at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN Radio at 7:00 p.m. ET. Two practice sessions are scheduled for Friday at 12:45 p.m. ET and 8:45 p.m. ET. Qualifying is slated for Saturday at 12:35 p.m. eastern.

4 comments:

Kristin Weaver said...

I just love Michael McDowell. I had the chance to meet him at Daytona on Saturday before the race. He is a great guy! I hope he has a great season in the #47. He deserves it!

NASCAR Race Mom said...

I agree Kristin - Michael is very sweet and has great manners. I was lucky enough to interact with him a lot when he and Moses were battling in the Star Mazda series.

Did you like the photo in my first McDowell post? Both he and Moses were so young!

NASCAR Race Mom said...

JTG Daugherty Racing and Pacific Packaging Group have reached a a multiyear sponsorship agreement for the Nationwide Series' No. 47 Toyota and driver Michael McDowell along with the team's other sponsor partners.

The partnership came together after a meeting at Homestead last season and after Pacific Group Inc. had plans to run a program for its family of companies and brands starting in 2009. Pacific Group Inc. had imperative qualifications to maximize its NASCAR initiatives, so the decision to team up with JTG and the team's current sponsors was based upon the values, stability and reputation that JTG Daugherty Racing brought to the partnership.

Both JTG Daugherty and Pacific Group Inc., saw the win-win of what they had to offer and how it would extend to both Nationwide and Cup programs running throughout the multiyear deal. Pacific Packaging Group will be the first sponsor from within the Pacific Group Inc. brands.

ST Motorsports, JTG Daugherty's marketing arm, will work with Pacific Group Inc. to maximize opportunities.

Kristin Weaver said...

No, I haven't seen that picture. I actually started reading your blog recently.