While NASCAR driver Michael McDowell was at the Richard Childress Racing shop recently, making preparations for an upcoming XFINITY Series start with the organization, McDowell’s wife was thousands of miles away. In China. When Jami McDowell returns next week, she will arrive with the newest member of the McDowell household, 3-year-old son Lucas. ‘I wish I could be there,’ Michael McDowell said. ‘I have obligations here and need to make sure I can provide for my family, too.’ The McDowells already have three children ‘ Trace, Emma and Rylie ‘ but were first-time parents when they initially decided to go the adoption route. ‘That was our plan,’ McDowell said. ‘We were going to have one and then we were going to adopt one. We felt like with our lifestyle and travel and everything, two is manageable. But God had other plans, and while we were waiting we had two more, so now we’ll be at four. And four is not manageable on the road and all those things. But at the same time, I’m very thankful to be in this sport and have the opportunities that I have.’ The family’s faith started the McDowells down the road to adoption. And while it has taken longer than expected ‘ six years ‘ that faith never wavered. Even as their family continued to grow. ‘Our son Lucas, he’s 3 now, but he was left in the street at five days old because he has cleft hand and feet. Something here that would be very small, something that ‘¦ you can operate and help them be able to walk and grab and do all the things that your other kids can do. But over there, it’s ‘Well, he’s not perfect. There’s something wrong with him.”(NASCAR.com)
