NASCAR DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL: A MAN DEFINED BY PRINCIPLES

PHOENIX – Michael McDowell is a journeyman driver who worked to reach NASCAR, but his career is defined by holding to his values of family, faith and adoption amidst personal struggles.

 

McDowell, a Glendale, Arizona, native, fought for his chances to race competitively. He won the Daytona 500 in 2021 and now drives for Spire Motorsports in the No. 71 Chevrolet.

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The road to the NASCAR Cup Series is daunting, requiring sacrifices. “There's only 38 drivers this weekend on Sunday, and I get to be one of them,” McDowell said.

 

“I didn't earn it or deserve it, or it could very easily be gone tomorrow,” McDowell said. “So it's this really weird balance of holding it very loosely but taking it very seriously.”

 

In 2008, when McDowell signed with Michael Waltrip Racing, he was let go midway through the season. That moment re-shaped the way McDowell approached life. 

 

“When I lost my job at MWR, that was kind of like that reality check of, ‘hey, this is really cool, what I get to do,’ and it's not guaranteed,” McDowell said.

 

“God has really allowed me to be here and has opened up these doors,” he said. The sport of NASCAR “Is where God has us, and this is where he's placed us,” McDowell said.

 

McDowell seeks to be a steward of service and said, “It's not about me, it's about serving others and loving others.” Those principles ultimately fueled another passion: adoption.

 

In July 2016, his wife Jami traveled to China to adopt a boy named Lucas who was left on the street at five days old. He was born with cleft hands and feet, giving him unique challenges.

 

“He looks down and he has two fingers, everybody else has five,” McDowell said about Lucas. “But he's super brave and he's not bothered by those things.”

 

McDowell said, “Adoption can be messy and your background and your past can be messy.” Adopting Lucas took several years, but the family firmly felt called to do so.

 

“It's not easy, and it's not for everybody,” McDowell said. Today, he advocates for adoption, encouraging awareness in local communities and involvement in the lives of youth.

 

A month after adopting Lucas, McDowell scored his first national series win, becoming the first Arizona driver to do so. This followed years of chances with top-tier teams that slipped away. 

 

“To finally get that first win was a big deal,” he said. After scratching and clawing for every shot, McDowell’s victory was a “big relief” that gave him the confidence to push forward.

 

McDowell hopes to impact the aspiring Arizonan racers fighting similar battles. McDowell’s motivation came from the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner, Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice of Phoenix.

 

McDowell explained how witnessing others' accomplishments helped just re-motivate him. Seeing success galvanized him “to stay on the path and to keep working at it.”

 

McDowell said, “I was inspired by the guys that went before me.” McDowell aims to encourage the next generation of racers coming out of Arizona, continuing the cycle of chasing dreams.

 

Travis Peterson, McDowell’s crew chief at Spire Motorsports, witnessed the impact of McDowell's way of life firsthand. He and McDowell worked together at Front Row Racing.

 

Peterson said McDowell’s faith subtly influences everything in his everyday life. To him, McDowell is always “willing to help and go the extra mile and put the work in.”

 

Peterson felt that people often think of race car drivers as having a larger-than-life persona or act like a celebrity. While some of them are, that is not the case for McDowell. 

 

“The McDowell's are just very down-to-earth people, they're faith-based, they just shoot you straight, treat you good,” Peterson said. 

 

Lori Cutter is a chaplain with Racers for Christ who grew up in Tucson and connected with McDowell several years back. She contributed to an incredibly meaningful moment in his life.

 

While McDowell celebrated his Daytona 500 victory, Cutter felt compelled to do something to recognize that achievement. At the time, she had a friend on the Glendale City Council.

 

After McDowell crossed the checkered flag, Cutter texted that friend. “You need to get Michael out here and give him the key to the city of Glendale,” she told the council member.

 

Within a few weeks, that text message became reality. March 11, 2021 was renamed Michael McDowell Day, and he was given the city key.

 

“I need to enjoy these moments because they're not guaranteed,” McDowell said. “I hold the future very loosely, but every day I wake up ready to go and pursue it with everything I have.”