Michael McDowell wins first Cup Series pole in 467th start - ESPN

HAMPTON, Ga. — Michael McDowell insisted his first NASCAR Cup Series pole in his 467th career start was not a surprise.

Following a close runner-up finish in last week's Daytona 500 qualifying, McDowell said he knew his Front Row Motorsports Ford would be fast Saturday.

After starting beside Daytona 500 pole winner Joey Logano on the front row last week, McDowell edged Logano in qualifying for Sunday's race. McDowell was first with a fast lap of 178.844 mph on Atlanta Motor Speedway's 1.54-mile track. Logano continued another strong day for Ford drivers by claiming the No. 2 spot at 174.424 mph.

«I don't think it's too much of a coincidence,» McDowell said of his duels with Logano in back-to-back weeks. «I say that because, with both qualifying sessions being a superspeedway and superspeedway package, we sort of knew coming from Daytona that we were going to have good speed. So not a huge surprise but really cool.»

McDowell, 39, won the 2021 Daytona 500. His only other Cup Series win came at Indianapolis in 2023.

After starting second last week and leading six laps at Daytona, McDowell finished 36th. He said he needs a strong finish in Atlanta to help set the stage for a strong season.

«It's fun today, but it doesn't count for too much for tomorrow,» McDowell said of winning the pole. «I've got to go out and make it count. For us, more than anything, we need to score some points. Having some issues at Daytona put us behind.»

McDowell said he is relishing his opportunity for success with Front Row Motorsports.

«I think the first eight years of my career were rough, so I'm enjoying it now, having fast race cars and a good team behind me,» McDowell said. «At the same time it's motivating too, because I'm not getting any