Michael McDowell made headlines by defying the odds to secure his first-ever pole position for Spire Motorsports ahead of the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas. After a blistering qualifying session, the No.

Michael McDowell has a fast car on a 1.5-mile NASCAR race track. The Spire Motorsports driver, who is 15th in the Cup Series standings entering Sunday’s race at Las Vegas, won the pole position to lead the field to green for the Pennzoil 400.

A change of scene did nothing to diminish Michael McDowell’s qualifying prowess. After winning the first six pole positions of his NASCAR Cup Series career with Front Row Motorsports last season, McDowell moved to Spire Motorsports in 2025 and apparently retained the speed he found last year.