"He likes this one": JD Vance and son explore Michael McDowell’s FRM asset as Senator expresses his motorsport enthusiasm

NASCAR driver Michael McDowell competed in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 playoff race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In attendance was Senator JD Vance, the Republican candidate for the Vice Presidency. Senator Vance was at Charlotte with his son, where they were seen taking interest in McDowell's #34 Ford.

Michael McDowell pilots the #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, competing full-time in the Cup Series. In a career spanning 17 years, McDowell has secured 3 race wins across NASCAR's top divisions. Moreover, the 39-year-old is also a four-time ARCA race winner, where he was also crowned Rookie of the Year in 2007.

The Bank of America ROVAL 400 was an elimination race for the drivers competing in the playoffs. McDowell, who didn't secure a seat in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs, started the race in P21. Ahead of the race the Republican Vice President candidate Senator JD Vance observed his racecar and asked his pit crew a few questions. Here's a look at the Senator and his eldest son, Ewan, at Charlotte via a post on X(formerly Twitter) captioned:

"Senator @JDVance here at @CLTMotorSpdwyHe and his son take a look at @Mc_Driver’s No. 34 car and ask the team questions about the car. The 34 crew thought this was a very cool moment when speaking after."

While exploring the #34 Ford, Senator Vance inquired about the fuel return line and what it does. A pit crew member from the #34 team explained that it sends excess fuel back to the fuel tank when the fuel pressure exceeds a certain limit. Senator Vance's son Ewan also inspected the car, after which the VP candidate said:

"He likes this one"

Michael McDowell finished the final playoff race in the Round of 12 in P15. As this race was an elimination race, playoff drivers Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe failed to secure a spot in the Round of 8.

Meanwhile, Michael McDowell's team, Front Row Motorsports, has joined hands with 23XI Racing in filing an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and CEO Jim France amidst the charter dispute. No other team besides 23XI and FRM has publically taken a stance against NASCAR.

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Michael McDowell snaps back at former crew chief Larry McReynolds for "not competitive" comment amid NASCAR lawsuit

Former crew chief Larry McReynolds shared his thoughts on the charter dispute and the ongoing trial between NASCAR and 23XI/FRM. The 65-year-old, who has worked with legends like Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Davey Allison, remarked that FRM was not a competitive team. The comment did not sit well with Michael McDowell.

The #34 driver, despite keeping his distance from the controversy as he is set to join Spire Motorsports next season, responded to McReynolds's comments. He said:

“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,”

“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[...] 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.” he added"

Meanwhile, the latest joint statement by FRM and Michael Jordan-led 23XI stated that they are "fully committed to competing in next year's Cup Series", despite an ongoing dispute with the organization.