Front Row Motorsports has a new look for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
The two-car operation welcomes back David Ragan, who will pair with new teammate Michael McDowell in a pair of Ford Fusions. The veteran McDowell joins FRM after a stint with Leavine Family Racing, competing in 102 races over the past four seasons.
“To be here another year and run full-time is not something I take for granted. It’s something you have to fight for every year, so I’m thankful for the opportunity,” said McDowell, who has long-time sponsor K-LOVE on his No. 34 Ford for five races and Love’s Travel Stops as an 18-race sponsor beginning with the Daytona 500. “There are a lot of great things happening at Front Row right now and everything is lining up really well.”
Derrick Finley will serve as crew chief for McDowell, who’s looking forward to having a teammate in Ragan for the entire season – a luxury he has not enjoyed in recent years.
“It’s gonna be a huge advantage for me,” he said. “I’ve been on an island by myself for these last four or five years. We’ve had data and you can look at it, but who are you comparing to? So to have somebody with the experience David has and the caliber of a driver he is, and the fact that he’s worked with a lot of great teams recently – when he filled in for Kyle (Busch) and filled in for Brian Vickers – he was with organizations that were at the top of their game at the time, so he knows what that takes and what that looks like.”
Ragan will again be paired with crew chief Seth Barbour, a reunion for the two after their days at Roush Fenway Racing when Barbour was an engineer on his team. The two organizations will share a more advanced alliance with additional support from Form Motor Company, which Ragan believes will pay huge dividends.
“Front Row Motorsports has taken another step to being more competitive on and off the racetrack,” Ragan said. “We’ve had some of our long-term partners come back, and Ford has stepped up its program and committed as much to Front Row Motorsports as they ever have. It’s a long, hard process to turn from a start-up team into a race-winning team, and a consistent contender for top 10s and top 15s. That’s our next goal.”
Shriners Hospital for Children and 1000bulbs.com are two of the sponsors already announced to support Ragan’s effort, who believes his team can get off to a good start this year at the season-opening Daytona 500.
“I always tell people that I feel like we have as good a chance to win the Daytona 500 as anyone,” Ragan said. “We work hard on our speedway cars and I’ve been grateful to drive some fast Fords over the years. The FR9 engine Doug Yates and his camp provide for us is great for speedway races. We have a different rules package with springs, shocks and setup that we can run at Daytona with a little different schedule and flow for the weekend.
“It’ll be a little different than normal – to hit the racetrack on Saturday, qualify and run the Duels. It’ll be a tough weekend and it’s always challenging to win that race. Going into the weekend, I feel as good as anyone should. It’s our most important race of the year, to get a good start to the season.”
Up Next: Motor Racing Network will preview Leavine Family Racing on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
