Michael McDowell won't be retiring from NASCAR anytime soon

Michael McDowell will turn 42 in December, but don't expect the Phoenix, Arizona, native to hang up the steering wheel anytime soon. 

The NASCAR Cup Series veteran and 2021 Daytona 500 champion made it clear in a Saturday news conference at Watkins Glen that retirement is not in his immediate future.

"I signed a long-term deal at Spire, and I still have time left," McDowell said. "For me, it's all about being competitive and challenging for wins."

McDowell admitted that there hasn't been much challenging for wins going on for him or his No. 71 team as of late. McDowell has fallen to 23rd in the series standings over the last four races, in which he has failed to finish inside the top 20. 

Michael McDowell in the middle of a slump

"We've just had a bad few weeks," McDowell said. "We haven't executed well. I've had too many speeding penalties. We've had loose wheels. We've had tires come apart. We haven't had the speed we've needed to have. It's just been a rough few weeks."

Watkins Glen should offer some reprieve to the road course ace, however, and a win or similarly competitive performance in Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen would go a long way in proving McDowell is still capable of competing at the Cup level.

"No, I don't have any plans to quit anytime soon," McDowell said. "I do feel like there's obviously a limit on how long you can do this. I don't know what that number is. As long as I'm performing well I feel good about doing it. The last four weeks haven't created a doubt in my mind. I know I still got a lot of racing left in me."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.