Michael McDowell Lets-Slip ‘Selfish’ Motive Behind Advocating for Less Practice That Ricky Stenhouse Jr Also Endorses

Just like Dale Earnhardt Sr, who was never a fan of practice sessions to test the waters or fine-tune the car, others in the racing world have their unique takes. Everyone has got their reasons, after all. Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr were recently put on the spot about whether a mere 20 minutes of practice was enough. McDowell’s reply was a bolt from the blue – he’d rather skip practice altogether!

On the flip side, Ricky Stenhouse Jr spilled the beans on his perspective. For him and his team, those 20 minutes are like gold, especially since they run a single-car operation. It’s a case of different strokes for different folks. We’ve all heard the old saying, “Practice makes a man perfect,” but it seems this isn’t a one-size-fits-all mantra in the racing world. Some drivers, it appears, prefer to march to the beat of their drum when it comes to preparing for the race track.

Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr aren’t exactly clamoring for more practice time

Bob Pockrass recently had the opportunity to pick the brains of Michael McDowell from Front Row Motorsports and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Their take? More practice might just widen the gap between the big fish and the small fry in the racing pond.

McDowell laid it out plain and simple: “I wish we didn’t have practice at all. […] Selfishly I think anytime that we give us more time to practice the bigger teams do a better job of maximizing their car potential and setup if you allow them those opportunities to do everything just right. You have got 75 eyes looking back at the shot pictures, and running simulation and having somebody back on the simulator running, you are going to make it better than a team that doesn’t have those resources.” For him, less practice is a leg-up, a chance to outpace a few more rivals than usual.

Agreeing with McDoweel Ricky Stenhouse Jr, on the other hand, kept it short and sweet: “If you start stretching that out [practice sessions] the big team’s definitely I think start collecting more data on a weekend and can send all the four cars in a different direction and hone in on something. In 20min it’s tough for them to run that many different setups. So, I enjoy the 20 minutes I think for our single-car team.”

Practice sessions in motorsports, unlike other sports, offer a unique spectacle, allowing fans to witness the behind-the-scenes action, building suspense and narratives. While Formula 1 indulges in three lavish 90-minute sessions, NASCAR fans might dream of at least one 60-minute slot per series. And with IndyCar’s smorgasbord of practice runs, one might think NASCAR, with its hefty TV deal, could easily follow suit.

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But skinning back the layers of the drivers’ insights, it seems there’s a balancing act to be struck in managing practice sessions, especially for the underdogs in the race. Well, for now, looking ahead, McDowell seems to be wearing his optimism on his sleeve for the 2024 season, while Stenhouse is setting his sights on a repeat performance at the 2024 Daytona 500.

Both drivers are setting their sights high for the coming year

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Michael McDowell didn’t mince words while reflecting on his 2023 season at the glittering NASCAR Awards in Nashville. He’s been a fixture in the Cup Series, either full-time or part-time, for a solid 16 seasons. Thinking back on a year of adjustments with his third crew chief in as many seasons, he’s looking ahead with optimism. “We’ll go into the beginning of next year ready to do battle rather than trying to figure out each other’s names and how people work and where their strengths are, where their weaknesses are, what roles are best — just all those things.

He added, “We’re going to be in a really good spot starting next year, and so I’m super thankful for that. That’s a big part of, I think, what will make us successful next year.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, etched in history as a Daytona 500 champ, has his eyes on the prize for a repeat victory at the season opener in 2024. Joining the ranks of back-to-back Daytona 500 winners is no small feat – only four have achieved it. Denny Hamlin most recently did it in 2019-2020, joining the likes of Sterling Marlin, Cale Yarborough, and Richard Petty.

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Stenhouse is keen to etch his name as the fifth. “It’s something that I’ll cherish these next couple of months, and then go back down in February trying to defend. I think that it’s been done a few times, and it’d be cool to do it again.”