Leavine Family Racing (LFR) and Michael McDowell are looking forward to returning to Martinsville Speedway, the site of McDowell’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start.
After earning their 14th Top-20 finish of the 2017 MENCS season in Kansas and solidifying their already exceptional season together, McDowell and LFR look to continue that momentum this week with the same mindset.
This week, McDowell will return to Martinsville Speedway, the track at which he began his Cup career in 2008 with Michael Waltrip Racing. His best finish at the half-mile track came in 2016 with an 18thplace finish.
Not only is Martinsville the site of McDowell’s first start in NASCAR’s premier series, but it is also one of his favorite tracks on the MENCS schedule.
“Martinsville is one of my favorite racetracks – I love it!” Said McDowell. “I mean it’s just so cool. It’s tight, it’s hard to pass, and everyone is beating and banging. I like those places where if you hit someone or you hit the wall, it’s not ending your day and you’re not losing a bunch of speed like tracks where aerodynamics are so important.
It’s been a really good track to me in the past, and some of my best runs have come at Martinsville. We did struggle at the race back in April, so we are going into this weekend with kind of a different mentality to hopefully make some gains.”
The First Data 500 will take place on Sunday, October 29 at 3PM ET at Martinsville Speedway, where McDowell will pilot the No. 95 Jolt Chevrolet SS. Live coverage will be on NBCSN, and race fans can follow @LFR95 on Twitter for race updates.
LFR PR/Photo Getty Images for NASCAR
