Despite the stunning lawsuit, Michael McDowell said he and his Front Row Motorsports (FRM) team have been "laser-focused" heading into Talladega. The veteran driver had zero Cup poles in his previous 15 years of competition, but now has six poles this year alone -- more than any other driver during the 2024 season. It was an all-Ford front row with Team Penske's Austin Cindric qualifying second, leading all playoff drivers.
"It's just amazing," said McDowell. "I'm just so proud of everybody on this No. 34 Ford Mustang team. It's hard to come down here and get the pole. We found some things in the off-season. Went to Daytona and it worked and we just kept that momentum going. Really proud. We came here with a game plan and the game plan was to sit on the pole, and we did that today. That should put us in the lead for the most poles of the year. That's something we had circled.
