Update (1:03 p.m. ET): Michael McDowell will drive the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2024.
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Michael McDowell is out at Front Row Motorsports at the end of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, he announced May 8.
McDowell has raced the team’s No. 34 since 2018.
“Over half of my NASCAR Cup Series starts have been made under the FRM banner, and I’m thankful for each and every one of them,” McDowell said in a release. “With that being said, my family and I have made the bittersweet decision that it’s time for us to embark on the next chapter of our motorsports journey, making 2024 my final season as the driver of the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports.”
McDowell’s whereabouts after 2024 are not yet known, though The Athletic‘s Jordan Bianchi reports sources indicate he could move to Spire Motorsports.
“We thank Michael for all he has done during his time as a driver at Front Row Motorsports,” FRM owner Bob Jenkins said in a separate release. “His 2021 Daytona 500 victory, a dominant win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and two appearances in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs set a new standard for our organization.”
McDowell has earned two wins, eight top fives and 35 top 10s for FRM since joining the organization in 2018. He has three of those top 10s in 2024, plus two poles, sitting 26th in points entering Darlington Raceway.
FRM also fields a full-time entry, the No. 38, for Todd Gilliland, plus the part-time No. 36.
The team has not indicated plans for its cars yet for 2025.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
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