After transitioning from Front Row Motorsports to Spire Motorsports at the end of last year, Michael McDowell has been making an impact at his new team, setting a high standard both as a driver and a mentor. He has notched up six top-20 finishes in nine races of his first full season with Spire. McDowell’s teammates, Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar, relatively green in the sport, have been witnessing and learning from his silent leadership.
Prior to the Talladega Superspeedway race, McDowell shared his feelings about being the senior-most driver on the team and guiding his younger teammates, not just about racing, but also in life beyond it — a role he cherishes. He humorously remarked that Haley had playfully started calling him “dad.” McDowell, while finding the nickname a bit odd from the 25-year-old, sternly put an end to it.
McDowell, however, takes a more diplomatic approach to his leadership position. He said, “To me, more than anything, I just try to do my thing and hopefully lead by example. And then we sit down and we have conversations; walk through anything that they want to walk through. But each one of those guys is so different. And so, I’m not trying to project or interject on them… how they should be or what they should do. They’re going to figure that out on their own.”
McDowell stressed that he is always ready to lend a hand when his teammates approach him with questions or when any issues crop up. He truly enjoys the role of a mentor, albeit not being a primary focus for him. He acknowledged his own responsibilities with the new team and despite taking the guiding aspect seriously, he suggested that there have not been many instances where he felt the need to heavily intervene.
Presently, Michael McDowell holds the P19 position in the driver standings, while his teammates, Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar, are at P23 and P25, respectively. Among the three, Hocevar is the only driver with a top-five finish this season, while Haley has one top-10 under his belt so far. These stats give an insight into how McDowell’s presence and guidance, while subtle, may be playing an important part in shaping the future of his younger teammates at Spire Motorsports.
