Front Row Motorsports announced Thursday that Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland will return to the organization’s driver roster in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.
The 2023 campaign will mark McDowell’s sixth season with Front Row’s No. 34 Ford team. Gilliland will return for year two as driver of the No. 38 Mustang.
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The Bob Jenkins-owned organization also rounded out its crew chief lineup Thursday, tapping Ryan Bergenty to the No. 38 team’s post. Bergenty, 39, joined FRM as the No. 34 team’s car chief in 2021. He also served in that role in previous stints at Chip Ganassi Racing and Furniture Row Racing. The Connecticut native previously served as a mechanic and crew chief for Modified teams, but next year will mark his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief.
Travis Peterson was announced as the No. 34 crew chief on Nov. 23, replacing the departing Blake Harris. The team also announced last month that Seth Barbour had been named Front Row’s technical director.
McDowell, 37, is fresh from a banner season where he set career bests in top-10 finishes (12), laps led (67) and average finish (16.7). His final ranking in the Cup Series points was 23rd, hampered by a 100-point penalty for a midseason technical infraction.
McDowell made the postseason field in 2021, clinching a berth by scoring his first Cup Series victory in the Daytona 500.
“I‘ve been really fortunate to find a home at Front Row Motorsports and to race for Bob Jenkins,” McDowell said in a team release. “We’ve accomplished so much together, and I feel strongly that we’re just going to continue to improve. We have work ahead of us, but Travis and this team are more than capable of having another great season. I’m grateful for all the partners who support this team and we‘re going to fight hard to get back into the playoffs in 2023.”
Gilliland returns after a rookie campaign where he netted his first top-five finish (fourth at Indianapolis). The 22-year-old driver ended the year 28th in the Cup Series standings, but added a victory in a one-off start on the Knoxville (Iowa) Speedway dirt for his father’s Truck Series operation, David Gilliland Racing.
“Todd showed us growth in his rookie campaign,” said Jerry Freeze, Front Row’s general manager. “The addition of Ryan as the crew chief, and the promotion of Seth, we believe we’re making changes to give Todd what he needs to improve.”
The organization had previously announced that Zane Smith would return to defend his championship next year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Smith, 23, is also set to make Cup Series starts on a limited schedule in 2023. Smith made his Cup Series debut last season, placing 17th as a fill-in for RFK Racing’s No. 17 team at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.