Ahead of the Ambetter Health 400, for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Michael McDowell has earned the pole. The front row from the Daytona 500 swapped places, with Joey Logano finishing P2.
It took him 467 starts in the Cup Series, but Michael McDowell now has his first pole award. The new and improved Front Row Motorsports have been flexing their muscles. Teammate Todd Gilliland finished P4 in the qualifying session.
McDowell and Logano will make up the front row. They will be followed by Kyle Busch, Gilliland, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Dillon.
The new Mustang Dark Horse and the alliance with Team Penske is already paying off in a big way. Michael McDowell won the Indy Road Course race last season. Now, he looks like he is ready to get himself another superspeedway victory with all of this speed.
The Ford camp has been so fast in qualifying this year. Is it the new car, a new approach to these drafting tracks? I’m not sure. But we have a long season to figure it all out.
Michael McDowell beats Joey Logano for the pole
Another week and another FRM x Team Penske front row. In fact, all five drivers from these two organizations made the final round of qualifying. That is dominance, even in a small sample size.
Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Austin Dillon were the only non-Ford drivers in the final round. There were no Toyotas in the top-10 of qualifying at Atlanta.
Michael McDowell is entering his prime. He has yet to turn 40 years old and with Front Row Motorsports becoming a Tier 1 program with Ford Performance, he’s already turning heads. Again, I don’t think we should overlook his teammate Todd Gilliland, either. The 23-year-old is still young and has a lot to prove.
The last two seasons have been incredibly competitive in the Cup Series. However, with the rise of FRM and other programs early on this year, that parity is only going to increase in 2024.
More must-reads: