ARCA

Pocono: Michael McDowell race report

McDowell scores 6th place finish in first go at Pocono Rookie gets fifth top-ten finish of the season LONG POND, PA (June 11, 2007) - Chalk it up to either good luck or dumb luck. Either way, after a stretch of bad luck, it looks as if some good ...

Published: Jun 12, 2007, 3:05 PM

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McDowell scores 6th place finish in first go at Pocono
Rookie gets fifth top-ten finish of the season

LONG POND, PA (June 11, 2007) - Chalk it up to either good luck or dumb luck. Either way, after a stretch of bad luck, it looks as if some good fortune has landed in the lap of Michael McDowell and Eddie Sharp Racing.

After a practice session that left the team scratching their heads, the only thing that McDowell could do was race hard and hope for the best. Imagine McDowell's surprise when his Dodge was strong enough to race straight to the front and allow him a 6th place finish in his first ever visit to the treacherous Pocono Raceway.

Coming off of a career-best 2nd place finish at Iowa Speedway, McDowell qualified his Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge in the 10th position with a lap of 55.338 seconds. A starting spot this low was uncharacteristic of the No. 2 ESR stable but that didn't deter McDowell from putting on a show.

McDowell was up to 4th by lap 23. By lap 46, the rookie was leading at the most difficult track on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. After leading 13 laps, he relinquished his lead to make his final pit stop for four tires and fuel. Thanks to a less-than-stellar pit stop, he lined up 11th on the re-start and quickly worked his way through the field. While his car was better than expected, he could only grab a 6th place finish, locking down his fifth top-ten finish of 2007.

McDowell was optimistic about his maiden Pocono performance:

"It was a strong run today," said McDowell. "We really didn't think we had a car that could challenge for the win but we did. The Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge was really fast in clean air, but the pit stops set us back a bit. It's really unfortunate, but we win as a team and lose as a team. We had a good car and I think we can come back and win with a great car."

Up Next: Michael McDowell and Eddie Sharp Racing will take on Michigan Speedway on Friday, June 15.

-credit: www.mmcdowell.com

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