Leavine Family Racing continues to make progress as both team and driver secured their best finish (29th) at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday in the Bank of America 500.
Michael McDowell qualified the No. 95 KLOVE Radio Ford Fusion in 31st position for the 500-mile event. McDowell ran laps that were one tenth off from the leader during the second half of the race and kept the car between 27th and 31st positions most of the night before finishing in 29th place.
Crew chief Wally Rogers had to plan strategy most of the race with long green flag runs and then cautions coming out at inopportune times for the No. 95 team. The No. 95 pit crew completed several 12.5-second pit stops during the race, assisting McDowell in gaining track position.
Pieter’s Pals was featured on the hood of the No. 95 KLOVE Radio Ford Fusion to celebrate the life of five-year-old Pieter Swart who recently lost his battle with Neuroblastoma, an aggressive pediatric cancer. The Swart’s are Davidson, N.C. residents and Pieter was a pre-school classmate with McDowell’s son, Trace.
Charlotte Hornets player Cody Zeller joined Leavine Family Racing at the track on Saturday for his first NASCAR race experience. Zeller met McDowell at the KLOVE fan awards earlier this year and the two have kept in touch since.
Next up for the No. 95 team is the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 19. McDowell finished 14th in the May race at Talladega and the team’s season best finish came at another superspeedway – a seventh place finish at Daytona International Speedway this summer.
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