It was American author Jim Butcher who said, “A house doesn’t make a home. When the place has got history, family, emotions, worries, joys worked into the wood, that’s when it gets a solid threshold.” Indeed, a supportive family is everything you need to achieve great things. Well, why are we talking about this, you may ask? Yesterday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway witnessed the victory of a 38-year-old family man. And when the victor spoke about his family and kids during the post-race interview, it touched the heart of every NASCAR fan out there.

The #34 Ford Mustang driver for Front Row Motorsports, Michael McDowell, explained that nothing ever goes as planned in this world. You just have to keep your faith and make the best out of each moment. It was this mindset that got McDowell to the victory lane on Sunday.

Michael McDowell never planned to have 5 kids, but he refuses to change anything

A reporter asked McDowell about the role that his family played in shaping his character. While answering, the humble, God-loving man’s voice clearly depicted how much he loves his family and how much he misses them every day.

He explained that NASCAR, as a sport, is hard on families as the drivers have to keep traveling for their races and it is not always possible for their families to keep them company.

The Verizon 200 at the Brickyard winner revealed that he had never planned to have five kids. Even though McDowell knew that five kids were a handful, he wouldn’t change a thing.

He joked about the luggage that his family brings along with them whenever they have to travel and said, “When we get on the plane and we take half the plane, people look at us like we’re crazy, and I know that. I know we’re crazy. We are. You should see all the stuff we have to bring.”

“But it’s who we are. We travel as a family and we stay together as a family,” he said with a proud smile on his lips.

However, if you have been following NASCAR and the resurgence of this Front Row Motorsports driver since 2008, you would know that things have not always been this easy for Michael McDowell. And he got candid about the same in Sunday’s press conference.

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A horrendous crash at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008 marked Michael McDowell’s inception into NASCAR, where he hit the side wall and his car barrelled 13 times. However, he made it through the accident and came into the sport with a big contract and a multi-year deal.

In an interview, McDowell recalled his initial days of struggle and said, “Nine months later, I was without a job and my wife was pregnant, expecting our first child and just so much happening in that period of time and so many trials…it was really hard to wrap my head around…”

He continued, “I remember just opening up my Bible and just prying like, Lord, what do you want me to do?” A verse from James 1 about perseverance made him realize that it was one of those moments when God was speaking to him. To this day, he believes that those hard times were there in his life for a reason.

Thinking about his past and taking about having 5 kids, McDowell, in the post-race presser at Indianapolis, said, “Then we just felt called to adopt, and we started that process, and it took a long, long time… took seven years for the adoption to go through. In those seven years my wife was like, I think we should have more kids… and I was like ‘no’,” he continued.

“We were struggling and barely making it, and I’m starting and parking and driving my motor home and not doing anything well.”

But then, he exclaimed, “But looking back now, it’s the greatest thing we’ve ever done. We have a big family. We have great, healthy kids, and it’s kind of who we are.”

With his latest victory, Michael McDowell has secured a 15 rank in the driver standings and is looking forward to winning more races to corkscrew his place in the playoffs. Looking at his journey, do you see McDowell as a contended for the 2023 Cup Championship?

Read More: A Heroic Call By Michael McDowell And Front Row Motorsports Warrant Him A Playoff Chance