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McDowell Brings Mustang First Daytona 500 Win

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Michael McDowell wins Daytona 500 in Ford Mustang
McDowell’s first NASCAR Cup win is Mustang’s first at Daytona
Photo: Ford

With almost 57 years behind it, you’d be hard-pressed to think of much the Ford Mustang hasn’t done yet. Up until this past Valentine’s Day, there was one glaring box left unchecked on the pony car’s resume. That is, it was unchecked until Michael McDowell took the checkered flag at the 2021 Daytona 500 last Sunday. McDowell’s win marks the first time the Mustang has won the Great American Race.


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McDowell wins as 100-to-1 underdog

McDowell overcame a calamitous last lap — and 100-to-1 odds against him — to pick up a memorable first win in his 358th career NASCAR Cup Series start. The eventual Daytona 500 winner came into the final lap of the race behind Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. When Logano blocked a passing attempt by his teammate, both crashed, paving the way for McDowell to earn the victory.

“My plan was to stick to [Keselowski]. I knew he would go for a race-winning move and my plan was to let him make that move and then coming off of four try to get to his outside or inside,” said McDowell. “I knew I didn’t want to make my move too early, so I was committed to [Keselowski’s] bumper and when he made the move, the hole opened up. It’s just unbelievable.”

The victory at Daytona wasn’t just monumental for McDowell — It was also a historic event for the legendary American pony car. Though McDowell is the lucky 13th driver to win the iconic event in a Ford — and the fifth in the last 11 years — he is the first to get the job done in a Mustang.

Ford introduced the NASCAR Cup Series Mustang at the 2019 Daytona 500, where McDowell finished fifth behind Logano. The Mustang found paydirt in its next race when Brad Keselowski won the 2019 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Since then, the Mustang has won 28 of 71 races, including 18 wins in 2020 to earn the manufacturer’s championship.


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