While Daniel Suarez from Trackhouse Racing clinched a win in Atlanta with a thrilling photo finish, the 23XI Racing squad is not so behind as well. On one side, Tyler Reddick celebrated a victory at Daytona’s Dual 1, and Bubba Wallace has already racked up two top-5 finishes in the first three races. Meanwhile, the newly joined Tier 1 unit, the Front Row Motorsports team, which recently entered a tech partnership with Team Penske, is also making waves.

Its drivers, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland, turned heads with their solid runs in Atlanta. Last year’s McDowell’s impressive victory at Indianapolis also stands out. However, despite these achievements, the Trackhouse and 23XI Racing’s performances indicate they might be the teams to beat.

Michael McDowell is positive about having everything in place to solve the winning puzzle

Michael McDowell is feeling upbeat about his team’s chances of cracking the winning formula. The Atlanta race was a standout moment for them, with McDowell snagging the pole and their duo leading a whopping 85 out of 260 laps, a record for the team. Todd Gilliland took the lead for a hefty 58 laps, and McDowell secured a ninth-place finish. Add to that McDowell’s commanding performance at Indianapolis last year, where he started fourth and led for 54 of the 82 laps, bagging the win.

Yet, when you stack up Front Row Motorsports against the relatively fresh faces of Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing, it might seem like FRM has some catching up to do. But McDowell is all in on making that leap: “I think the last few years has definitely helped us, internally with the team, and all the people that work at Front Row from top to bottom realize that we’re pretty close. We’re getting there. And if we keep the foot down and we keep working on all the things that we know we can still work on, […] We feel like we have the people, and we have everything in place to do that if we go out there and do our jobs well.”

McDowell is pretty pumped about the boost his team’s getting from beefing up their partnership with Ford and linking up with Penske on the tech front. He’s also stoked about the sponsorships they’ve landed, like the deal with Famous Toastery, a breakfast joint out of Charlotte that’s just upped their game.

But it looks like they’ve still got their work cut out for them, squaring off against Trackhouse and 23XI Racing. These newcomers are shaking things up, giving the big dogs like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing a run for their money. For now, McDowell and his crew are zeroing in on Phoenix, aiming to knock it out of the park there.

Front Row Motorsports is eyeing the Pheonix race

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Front Row Motorsports has its sights set on Phoenix, especially after McDowell’s impressive ninth-place finish in the season finale there last year. For McDowell, a Phoenix native, the race has a special place in his heart, considering his journey from the days of driving cars that barely made it through races to now being a contender.

Back in the day, McDowell’s home races in Phoenix were tough. Showing up knowing one didn’t stand a chance to impress the home crowd or snag a win was rough. But times have changed. There’s a real buzz of excitement for McDowell now, believing he’s got a shot at making waves at Phoenix, a complete turnaround from his earlier racing days.

Front Row Motorsports Surprise Leader Finally Gains the Due Respect From Other Drivers

As someone who calls Phoenix home, McDowell shared, “To be a local driver and represent The Valley is something that is fun and it’s an honor. Now that we’re running good, it’s even better. Winning races and running well always helps everything. We’ve just got to keep that going.”