DAYTONA BEACH — As Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell’s family grew, he conveniently turned the annual trek to Florida into a vacation for all.
This year, COVID-19 restrictions forced the 36-year-old journeyman driver to make trip alone, the same way he ultimately would cross the finish line 15 minutes after midnight Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway.
McDowell’s raw emotion was evident following his first trip to Victory Lane in 358 tries in the NASCAR Cup Series. Yet, something also was glaringly missing.
The McDowell clan was back home in North Carolina, unable to partake in its patriarch’s life-changing moment.