MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 21, 2010) – Michael McDowell’s road course expertise was on display this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., running consistently in the top five before a blown motor ended his day ten laps from the finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ first venture to the facility.

McDowell qualified his No. 81 Mobile Shop Dodge fifth for Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 by Menards and was a mainstay in the front of the pack. His MacDonald Motorsports team worked proper pit strategy for the race, setting up the Arizona native for a shot at the race win. Unfortunately, the motor in McDowell’s Dodge blew less than ten laps from the finish while McDowell was running in the fifth-place.

He was registered with a 33rd-place finish.

“We had an awesome race. We could have won,” said McDowell. “Just to run that high up in the running order with our small team was a feat in itself. It’s a shame that when we’re having a top-five run that we blow a motor, but there are two more road course races this year and we know we have a good car for them.”

McDowell fell one spot, to 22nd, in the season-long point standings as a result of the finish.

McDowell and the No. 81 MacDonald Motorsports Dodge will return to the track on Saturday, June 22 as the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series takes on the “Magic Mile” of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The New England 200 will air live at 2:30pm EST on ESPN.

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