Front Row Motorsports will exercise its option on both of its NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland for 2024, the team announced Aug. 9.
The decision locks McDowell in for his seventh season with the team, while it will mark Gilliland’s third season in the series since joining FRM in 2022.
“Both Michael and Todd are like family to me,” FRM owner Bob Jenkins said in a team release. “They have been determined to make the team better each season and they just keep fighting to do that. I’m proud of both and now we will be focused on the remainder of 2023 and prepare for 2024 to be even better.”
According to the team, its part-time Cup and full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Zane Smith, is free to explore opportunities in all three national series, including a return to FRM.
It’s a shift in FRM’s usual operation regarding contracts, which often involves its drivers being announced to the team after the season is completed, even if they’re a returning competitor like McDowell.
The team has seen steady growth over the past few years, with McDowell battling to point his way into the Cup playoffs. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner currently sits 17th in the standings, just three points below the cut line after earning one top five and five top 10s.
In his sophomore campaign, Gilliland sits 27th in points. He has captured three top 10s, more than his 2022 total, and eight top-15 finishes this season. He was initially announced to run full time in the No. 38 in 2023 but has also split time in the part-time No. 36 and with Rick Ware Racing after Smith had multiple Cup starts added to his schedule.
FRM also announced it will compete in Trucks in 2024, with future plans to be announced in the coming weeks.
About the author
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a contributor, furthering a love for racing that traces back to his earliest memories. Glover inherited his passion for racing from his grandfather, who used to help former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey in his Richmond, Va. garage. A 2023 graduate from the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is the author of "The Underdog House," contributes to commentary pieces, and does occasional at-track reporting. Additionally, Glover enjoys working in ministry, coaching basketball, playing sports, and karting.
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Zane Smith should be signed quickly by someone good.
Absolutely agree – one of the best young talents
Stewart Haas needs talent. They should put him in xfinity asap. Like now