DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation Now) — Michael McDowell became a Daytona 500 champion this month, securing the first win of his career.
McDowell sat down with NewsNation’s Aaron Nolan Wednesday to talk about his historic victory and how his life has changed since crossing the finish line. Watch the full interview in the embedded player.
McDowell overcame 100-1 odds to win NASCAR’s biggest race on Feb. 14, zipping past two crashing cars on the final lap.
Unlike any race on NASCAR’s schedule, Daytona requires a real understanding of the nuances of superspeedway racing, from managing the draft to using instinct to plot strategy at almost 200 mph.
Before Daytona, McDowell was 0-357 in his Cup Series career.
Most recently, he was rewarded a sponsorship increase from CarParts.com. The online parts sales company was already part of McDowell’s program at Front Row Motorsports but was still working on its 2021 budget when the NASCAR season began Sunday with the Daytona 500.
CarParts.com will be McDowell’s primary sponsor on the No. 34 Ford at Watkins Glen, Indianapolis, at McDowell’s return to Daytona in August and finally at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.