Countdown to Daytona 2026 - 22 Days

By Adam Carabine

Counting down the final 30 days to the 2026 Daytona 500, we are looking at last year's Top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Today's driver: Michael McDowell

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

No. 71 – Spire Motorsports

2025 Stats

Standings	22nd
Wins	0
Points	734
Stage Points	53
Stage Wins	1
Laps Led	96
Lead Lap Finishes	24
Average Finish	18.2
DNFs	2
Races since last win	84

What Does Success Look Like in 2026?

McDowell was brought into Spire Motorsports to be a veteran presence, and it does seem like Spire has gotten better with him on the team.  McDowell has some great skills with drafting tracks, and also on road courses, and if he can impart some of that knowledge to his teammates, that will be a success for Spire in general.  Personally, for McDowell, success would be earning a win, though making it into The Chase is probably out of the question.

Best-Case Scenario in 2026?

If Spire’s equipment can continue improving, McDowell could certainly be a threat on both drafting tracks and road courses.  He’ll be hard-pressed to compete against the SVGs, Allmendingers, and Ziliches of the world, but he could sneak one with some decent strategy.  Best-case? He wins two races this year.

Most Likely Outcome in 2026?

Like I’ve said for some of the other Spire drivers, I think it’s most likely that they go winless again in 2026, but they take some positive strides to continue building their program, and challenge for Top 16-20^th in the points.

Bold Prediction?

Michael McDowell’s old sponsor from his Front Row Motorsports days, Love’s, is not pleased with their return on investment with Todd Gilliland and come back to McDowell on his 71 car.