N’WIDE: McDowell, Filling In For Green, Finishes Last At Texas

SOURCE: Jeff Wagoner

Michael McDowell picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway when his unsponsored #10 TriStar Motorsports Toyota fell out with a vibration after he completed 4 of the race’s 200 laps.

The finish was McDowell’s second of 2013 and his first since Bristol last spring, twenty-seven races ago.

McDowell was making his first Nationwide Series start since his runner-up performance at Mid-Ohio in August and his first-ever for TriStar Motorsports.  Jeff Green, who had already secured the 2013 LASTCAR Nationwide Series title in the #10 five races ago, was set to drive the car at Texas.  However, when Green’s teammate Eric McClure was again sidelined by illness, Green took over the fully-funded #14.

McDowell, tabbed as Green’s replacement, ran 28th-fastest in the first practice, 27th in Happy Hour, then timed in 24th in qualifying at an average speed of 180.192 mph.  The only the driver to miss the field was July Daytona last-placer Morgan Shepherd in his #89 Chevrolet.

At the start of Saturday’s race, McDowell pulled the #10 behind the wall just one lap before Michigan last-placer Dexter Stacey in the #92 Maddie’s Place Rocks Ford.  Finishing 38th was Josh Wise, securing yet another bottom-five finish for The Motorsports Group in his #42, followed by Johanna Long in the #70 ForeTravel Motorcoach Chevrolet and the #00 FrontlineWraps.com Toyota of Blake Koch.

Jeff Green finished 27th, four laps down, in McClure’s #14 Hefty Ultimate / Reynolds Toyota.

LASTCAR STATISTICS
*Despite the driver change, the #10 TriStar Motorsports team successfully swept both last-place finishes at Texas in 2013.  Four of the last six Nationwide races at this track have had a TriStar car finish last with three of those coming with Jeff Green.

THE BOTTOM FIVE
40) #10-Michael McDowell / 4 laps / vibration
39) #92-Dexter Stacey / 5 laps / suspension
38) #42-Josh Wise / 6 laps / electrical
37) #70-Johanna Long / 49 laps / clutch
36) #00-Blake Koch / 79 laps / handling

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Jeff Green (14)
2nd) Blake Koch (3)
3rd) Joey Gase, Michael McDowell (2)
4th) Tanner Berryhill, Danny Efland, Johanna Long, Eric McClure, Robert Richardson, Jr., Morgan Shepherd, Dexter Stacey, Mike Wallace, Josh Wise, J.J. Yeley (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) #10-TriStar Motorsports (15)
2nd) #00-SR2 Motorsports (3)
3rd) #52-Jimmy Means Racing (2)
4th) #14-TriStar Motorsports, #17-Vision Racing, #23-R3 Motorsports, #27-SR2 Motorsports, #42-The Motorsports Group, #46-The Motorsports Group, #50-Mark Beaver, #70-ML Motorsports, #89-Shepherd Racing Ventures, #92-KH Motorsports, #01-JD Motorsports (1)

LASTCAR N'WIDE SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Toyota (23)
2nd) Chevrolet (6)
3rd) Dodge, Ford (1)