Add Michael McDowell to the list of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers planning to moonlight in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. The current entry list shows Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya and AJ Allmendinger in Daytona Prototypes and Michael Waltrip in a GT-class Ferrari. McDowell was introduced as one of the drivers for Michael Shank Racing’s #6 Ford Riley DP. ‘I ‘m grateful I can do both NASCAR and run the Rolex 24,’ McDowell said. ‘It is a fun race. It’s one race and a big race. It’s exciting to get back behind the wheel of a DP car. I grew up road racing. To come back road racing is a lot of fun. It’s a refresher, too. It reminds me where I came from and how it used to be for me. It’s cool.’ McDowell said he’s getting close to making an announcement about a full-time Sprint Cup ride in a few weeks. ‘I am going to switch manufacturers and I got a new partner onboard, too,’ he said. ‘We ‘ll be talking about that soon. I will also be in the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide car for a handful of races. I ‘m excited about that.’(Daytona Beach News Journal)(1-10-2012)
UPDATE: McDowell says he ‘ll be back in the #18 car in 2012 for five Nationwide races with plans for him to race at Road America, Watkins Glen, Michigan and Iowa twice. On the Sprint Cup side, McDowell says he ‘ll be back full-time with Phil Parsons Racing (formerly HP Racing). He isn ‘t sure what number he ‘ll have this year, but he does know that they are making a change to Ford this coming season, powered by Roush-Yates engines. And they have found enough sponsorship to race the first five races of the season, rather than resorting to a start and park situation.(Yahoo Sports)(1-19-2012)
