Michael McDowell Is Feeling the Sponsorship Love After His Thrilling Win at Daytona
If NASCAR fans didn’t know about driver Michael McDowell before last weekend … well, they certainly do now.
McDowell had participated in 357 races at the Cup Series level and never won once before the 2021 Daytona 500. A late set of events, including a crash between Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, allowed McDowell to cross the finish line and win last weekend.
As a result, McDowell is feeling the sponsorship love ahead of this week’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 253.
Michael McDowell just received great sponsorship news
This is a perfect time to be Michael McDowell — and if you don’t believe us, just ask CarParts.com.
McDowell already had an agreement with the online sales parts company. Following McDowell’s stunning victory at Daytona, though, the website wants to change the terms of their contract.
In great news for McDowell, the website agreed to terms on a four-race primary sponsorship for McDowell’s car.
Fox Sports shared comments from CarParts.com CMO Houman Akhavan, who explained why they are buying high on McDowell after one race.
“As we worked through our 2021 plans, we always look for the best opportunities that will make us stand out above the rest in our space. Michael winning the Daytona 500 and becoming a Daytona 500 champion does that. … We want to continue our story and partnership and help tell that story in a bigger way now.”
CarParts.com will be McDowell’s primary sponsor at the Watkins Glen and Indianapolis road courses, the regular-season finale at Daytona in August, and the playoff race at Las Vegas.
McDowell is the talk of NASCAR right now
Before the 2021 Daytona 500, even the most devoted NASCAR fans may have had trouble picking Michael McDowell out of a lineup.
It’s funny how a single victory changes that fact. MVP Index, a software company based in Texas, tweeted that McDowell’s engagement rate on social media — across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube — is up 93.2% since winning the Daytona 500.
McDowell’s total follower growth is at 14% in that span.
The odds are against Michael McDowell this week
NASCAR fans hoping to see Michael McDowell win two consecutive Cup Series races might be surprised when they see the latest odds.
According to Odds Shark, McDowell is only at +7000 odds to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Sunday.
Chase Elliott, the reigning Cup Series champion, leads all drivers at +200. Martin Truex Jr. is second at +550, and Kyle Busch isn’t far behind at +700.
As of publication, 19 total drivers had higher odds to win this weekend than McDowell.
But, Michael McDowell has been an underdog since joining the Cup Series level. Wouldn’t it be something if, after going 0-for-357, McDowell rattled off a 2-for-2 streak to open the 2021 season?
Betting odds courtesy of Odds Shark as of Feb. 20, 2021.
