Michael McDowell Reveals Who Successor in No. 71 Car Could Be
NASCAR’s foolish season is only a few months away and, whereas Michael McDowell is not one of many largest names being talked about, the veteran driver does consider he is aware of who his successor might be.
Speaking to reporters at Watkins Glen, McDowell known as Tristan McKee “the real deal” and believes he would be the one who takes over behind the wheel of the No. 71 automotive for Spire Motorsports when McDowell retires.
Coming into the yr, McKee was ranked 14th among the many high NASCAR prospects in 2025 by Fox Sports‘Bob Pockrass. He turned the second-youngest ARCA winner in 2025 at Watkins Glen, simply two years after he turned the youngest driver ever to win in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model division.
Notably, McKee does not flip 16 till August. The Virginia native has already raced in the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East, however whereas he is a rising star in NASCAR, he nonetheless must show himself on the Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ranges.
Realistically, McKee is not less than three years away from having a shot at a full-time trip in the Cup Series and even that timeline could be a stretch.
Examining Michael McDowell’s Future in NASCAR
McDowell, who turns 42 in December, clearly has no intention of retiring anytime quickly. The longtime Cup Series driver intends to stay behind the wheel of the No. 71 for a number of extra seasons, however even that appears unlikely.
Part of the problem for McDowell is the underwhelming outcomes. His final win got here on the Verizon 200 on the Brickyard again in 2023. More troublesome for Spire Motorsports, his outcomes are getting worse yearly.
In 2024, McDowell had seven top-10 finishes with six pole positions and 256 laps led, ending the season with a 14.58 common beginning place and a 21.31 common ending place. A yr later, McDowell led simply 96 laps with six top-10s and two poles, and his common beginning place fell to fifteen.69.
Things have solely gotten worse in 2026. Through 11 races, McDowell ranks twenty third in factors (189), 18th in common beginning place (19.0) and twenty fourth in common ending place (21.5).
Spire has made it clear in current years that he needs to be one of many high groups in the Cup Series. Carson Hocevar, who earned his first Cup Series win at Talladega, is rising as a celebrity, and Daniel Suarez is having fun with a rebound yr in his first season with Spire.
McDowell is definitely the worst-performing driver at Spire Motorsports proper now. Ultimately, if his contract expires following the 2026 season, it would not be all that stunning if Spire decides to seek out another person to drive the No. 71 automotive subsequent yr.
