Top Dog: Michael McDowell
Though Michael McDowell calls Phoenix, Ariz. home, the track nestled away in the Sonoran Desert had provided anything but a homecoming welcome for the 40-year-old for the majority of his career.
In McDowell’s first 25 starts at Phoenix Raceway, he had a best finish of 13th, one of only three tops 20s in those starts, though it must be noted that several starts came with significantly underfunded teams.
However, the last five starts have figuratively represented the shift in McDowell’s career, delivering solid results that included back-to-back top 10s between 2023 and 2024.
In a season where the veteran continues to achieve new milestones and post career-best statistics, he delivered one final mark to put a bow on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season with an eighth-place finish at Phoenix on Sunday (Nov. 2), matching his best finish at his home track.
After starting at the rear of the field, McDowell quickly advanced eight positions forward before losing some handling and sliding back to 32nd, one lap down to finish the opening stage.
A caution during the second stage opened the door for McDowell to receive the free pass, putting him back in the ballgame despite a 27th-place stage finish.
McDowell continued to chip away in the final stage, reaching the top 20 and continuing his climb one position at a time. However, McDowell remained stagnant in the back half of the top 20 before a caution with less than five laps remaining allowed the No. 71 team to play the strategy card.
Crew chief Travis Peterson called for two tires, propelling McDowell into the top 10, where he would hold the fort over the final two laps to secure the top-10 result.
In a sense, the race symbolized McDowell’s first campaign with Spire Motorsports. The beginning, though relatively consistent, began slowly, with McDowell not landing a top 10 until the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
From there, the path featured steady progression from the passionate McDowell, experiencing several peaks and valleys along the way.
However, it was the way this No. 71 team finished the season that parallels the season finale result for McDowell. Over the final 13 races, he scored 11 top 20s, including a trio of top-10 performances. As a result, McDowell comprised the second-best average finish of his career (18.2 compared to 16.7 in 2022), and the transition from his familiar home of Front Row Motorsports to Spire landed on a smooth runway overall.
McDowell appears to get better with age, meaning he shouldn’t be underestimated when he turns 41 years old next month despite reaching the twilight years of his career.
If this No. 71 team can get off to a hot start, execute on the strong days, and minimize the blows on the rough days, this is a driver and team you can point to as one that can make some noise next season.
Notable Underdog Runs
It was a range of emotions for Spire, as the team bids farewell to Justin Haley, who will move on from the team’s No. 7 to Kaulig Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program, with Daniel Suarez replacing him. Both Haley and Spire will admit that a pairing that was expected to be fruitful fell short of those beliefs, but that didn’t stop Haley from giving one last hurrah with the team, finishing his Spire tenure out in 14th.
Haley’s opening stages appeared to be even more of a struggle than McDowell’s, falling a lap down in the opening frame and putting up stage results of 33rd and 29th.
Yet, Haley too would eventually return to the lead lap, breathing new life into the team. Even then, however, the climb forward was a steep one, leading the team to even pinpoint a top 20 as the goal.
However, Haley got more than just a top 20, running just outside the top 15 deep into the final stage before the final caution set up the overtime finish. Starting outside the top 15, Haley gripped his wheel and diced his way to 14th to cap the season.
Yes, 2025 did not go as planned for the Winamac, Ind. native, but the conclusion showed a flash of what owners see when giving him the call for an opportunity, and it should be intriguing to watch what the three-time Truck winner can do in that series next season with Kaulig and Ram.
Erik Jones joined the list of underdogs to close out the year with a top 20, coming home in 16th to seal a year of much improvement for both he and Legacy Motor Club.
Jones initially struggled with handling that he described to his team as “plowing,” floundering outside the top 20 in the opening stage before finishing 27th. Fortunately for the Byron, Mich. native, some minor adjustments improved his conditions, surging to 15th by the end of stage two.
The 29-year-old stayed glued inside the top 20 during the final stage, reaching a high of 12th before his car began to loosen up. The final runs of the race combined with the overtime restart that featured varying strategies cost Jones a stronger result, though he still closed the deal with his 20th top 20 of the year.
Following a 2024 season where even the word ‘dismal’ might be an understatement, a former young star that has now become a veteran in Jones made steady gains, improving his top five total (four from one), top 10 total (five from two), average finish (20.2 from 22.9), and points rank (26th from 28th).
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. followed up Jones in 17th, wrapping up a season that started out above expectations before taking a tumultuous turn at the midpoint of the year.
Stenhouse ebbed and flowed around the top 20 for the majority of the day, finishing stage one in 22nd before bouncing back to 17th in stage two.
Those rising and falling tides of the day for the Olive Branch, Miss. native were on full display in the final stage, as he reached a high of 13th before falling outside the top 20 late in the race.
Like several other drivers, the final caution allowed Stenhouse to gain some track position through the pit stops, restarting in 14th before fading to 17th when the checkered flag flew.
In a year full of change for the re-branded Hyak Motorsports team (formerly known as JTG-Daugherty Racing), it was a character-building season for the 38-year-old. A strong start to the season saw Stenhouse sitting in a position to potentially make the playoffs before a crash at Nashville Superspeedway practically caused his season to implode. Stenhouse only found the top 20 twice over the next 18 races, and his winless campaign was his first since 2022.
However, not all was lost for the No. 47 team, as Stenhouse finished inside the top 20 in three of the final five races. Plus, even with a 30th-place points rank, this team can look at the first half of the year as proof it can compete.
2025 Underdog Awards
Rather than close the year out with the weekly power rankings, we’ll reflect on the season by handing out some accolades to the underdogs who made a louder bark than some of their competition throughout the year.
Top Dog of the Year: While some of the statistics may not show it, this award has to be given to Carson Hocevar, who was consistently the fastest driver among the underdog pack this season, as well as scoring nine top 10s. At times, it looked as though Hocevar’s first Cup win would be a matter of when and not if, competing for wins at venues such as Charlotte, Bristol, and Michigan, among others.
The bad luck bug bit Hocevar on more occasions than can be counted, and Hocevar didn’t shy away from creating controversy. But, all withstanding, if this young talent can pick and choose his battles, as well as avoid misfortune, we could be looking at a multi-time winner next year.
Most Improved: It didn’t end on the strongest note, but John Hunter Nemechek improved by leaps and bounds compared to 2024. Legacy Motor Club’s aforementioned improvement was led by this young driver, who scored his first pair of top fives, doubled his top-10 total (eight), bettered his average finish by five spots, and finished 10 spots higher in the standings from a year ago (24th).
Nemechek was another driver who was a sneaky dark horse to win on tracks such as superspeedways, and if this team continues to progress like it did this year, Nemechek could also join the first-time winners’ club next year.
Best New Pairing: It felt odd to see McDowell in a car other than a FRM Ford after spending seven seasons at that organization, but his new home at Spire was a slow, methodical mesh over the season. Had it not of been for mechanical gremlins at the Chicago street race, McDowell could have very well won his way into the playoffs, and given the trajectory the organization is on as a whole, he could be a part of whatever format the sport uses to next year.
Keep an Eye On: Zane Smith. With FRM still mired in the drama of a joint lawsuit with 23XI Racing against NASCAR, there is a looming asterisk alongside its future. For the time being, however, the plan is for the current crop of Smith, Todd Gilliland, and Noah Gragson to return, and Smith staked his claim as the leader this season. Scoring a career-best five top 10s and average finish of 21.1, not to mention several strong runs that won’t show up on the scorecard, Smith is destined to be a star in the making, which injects him into the thick of 2027 silly season talks .
Small Team Scheme of the Week
With all of the change that has occurred in NASCAR over the years, evidenced by the championship format, a nostalgic aspect returned in the form of the “Tide Ride.”
The iconic brand returned aboard McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet, delivering a clean look that is fit for the line of flamboyant schemes the sponsor has been on over the years.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.