Michael McDowell (racing driver)
Michael McDowell ( born December 21, 1984 in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American race car driver.
Career
McDowell began, as many racers, his career in karting, where he spent ten years running. During this time he won the championship in the World Karting Association and the International Karting Federation. These two racing series, even if the names suggest different series that deliver exclusively in the U.S. race. Nevertheless, the performance showed that McDowell is a talented driver. In 2003 he got a place in the Star Mazda Series, an American single-seater racing series. During the 2004 season, he won seven races in this and ultimately the title. The Champ Car Team Rocket Sports Racing offered in on account of its good services, to participate in some races in the Champ Car season 2005. He ran two races, which he finished in respectable places, but was not appointed to the Champ Car season 2006 the team.
Grand-Am
Over the Star Mazda Series 2004 season met McDowell Rob Finlay, the owner of a Grand -Am team, was impressed by the achievements McDowell and gave him the opportunity in the KONI Challenge Series, the second-highest series of the Grand-Am to drive,. In this he drove after signing a contract for the 2005 season a Porsche 996 His performance convinced Rob Finlay and he got out of this together with the experienced Memo Gidley a cockpit in the Rolex Sports Car Series, the most important series of the Grand- Am. Gidley and McDowell came in sixth place in the driver standings, the race in Mexico City they could realize a win. In 2006 it remained the driver combination Gidley / McDowell. Although they won no races, but improved in the drivers' standings and occupied at the end of the season in fourth place.
ARCA Racing Series
The talent of McDowell was also in other racing series no longer a secret. Eddie Sharp, owner of a team in the ARCA Racing Series, McDowell's recognized skills and let go of these in for five races of the 2006 season in. Although McDowell's first race at the Milwaukee Mile ended on the 34th, but the following results showed ( sixth place on the Salem Speedway, fifth at Talladega Superspeedway and fourth place in the Iowa Speedway ) that he is adaptable and diverse ovals without a long familiarization period can be fast. Therefore McDowell was allowed to drive the entire 2007 season for the team from Eddie Sharp. In 23 starts he won four times, came eleven times in the top 5 and 15 times in the top 10. This was enough for second place overall.
NASCAR
NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, who with his own racing team Michael Waltrip Racing had some problems in terms of competitiveness, convinced the benefits of McDowell. He signed him as a driver in the hope that McDowell could get good results in a relatively short time. After four races in the Nationwide Series and a race in the Craftsman Truck Series without significant successes McDowell took over after the resignation of Dale Jarrett the free space at Michael Waltrip Racing and thus received a place in the Sprint Cup, the highest division of NASCAR. He announced on 30 March 2008 in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia made his debut in the Sprint Cup. He drove in this race in the # 00 Toyota of David Reutimann, who previously sat at the wheel of car number 00, took over the starting number 44, who resigned Ex - Champions Dale Jarrett. After the 29th race of the season McDowell left the team due to the unexpectedly poor performance. He finished the Sprint Cup 2008 season at No. 40 overall. 2009 McDowell was active for JTG Daugherty Racing - in the Nationwide Series. In the NASCAR Sprint Cup 2010 season, he returned to the Sprint Cup. Currently McDowell piloted the number 55 Prism Motorsports.