NASCAR Driver Slams Larry McReynolds for FRM Blow – ‘Dagger That Cut Deep’

NASCAR driver Michael McDowell hit back at Larry McReynolds’ public criticism of Front Row Motorsports.

In a conversation with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, McDowell addressed McReynolds’ remarks that labeled his team as uncompetitive, calling them a “low blow” and a “dagger that cut me deep.” This tension arises amidst the ongoing antitrust lawsuit involving FRM and 23XI Racing.

McReynolds, a seasoned NASCAR analyst, cast doubts about FRM’s involvement in the lawsuit, questioning their relevance due to a perceived lack of competitive success. However, McDowell’s recent achievements paint a different picture, especially after he secured his sixth pole position of the season at Talladega Superspeedway.

McDowell explained [below]:

Michael McDowell, driver of the #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 05, 2024 in…

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

“You know, honestly, I tried to stay out of the noise as much as I could this week.

“Because obviously, I’m moving on next year [to Spire]. I don’t want to be collateral damage in any of this. But I think one of the things that I didn’t love was just Larry Mac’s take on us being the ‘not competitive’ team and why would we have skin in the game or say so.

“And that’s something I took offense to because I feel like we’re pretty darn competitive.

“This is our sixth pole, yep, we haven’t got to victory lane this year but we’ve been really close. I’m really proud of everybody at Front Row and how competitive we are.

“So, that was probably the only dagger that cut me deep and cut my guys’ deep, but you know, there’s a lot of noise and we try to ignore it. But that one was, a low blow.”

This is in response to McReynolds comments, as reported by Speedway Digest:

“We’ve got an organization that’s been here not even four years that all of a sudden is saying, ‘We gotta change the way NASCAR’s run.’ I’m all about change. Change is what makes you better.

“But you know what? When I see Richard Childress, Jake Roush, Rick Hendrick, and Joe Gibbs that’s been here longer than some of these guys have been pooping yellow… and they signed off and said this is good… we’re okay.

“There’s things we don’t like about it but we’re going to do what’s best for the sport and best for our business. And they signed off on it and these people that have been either not competitive or only been here for four and a half years have been saying the way we’ve done business for 76 and a half years is wrong.”

As McDowell looks toward his new opportunity at Spire Motorsports, his goal remains to finish his stint at FRM on a high note.

Unfortunately for McDowell, his pole position start did not lead to a race victory. The FRM driver got caught up in an accident which ended his race early.