{"id":1574772,"date":"2023-07-12T16:50:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T20:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1574772"},"modified":"2023-07-12T16:50:32","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T20:50:32","slug":"michael-mcdowell-luckiest-driver-atlanta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/michael-mcdowell-luckiest-driver-atlanta\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael McDowell Was the Luckiest Driver in Atlanta, and Not Just Because of His Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Michael McDowell did not win the NASCAR<\/a> Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he may have been the driver who benefited most \u2014 even more than race winner William Byron \u2014 from a rainstorm that ended the race short of the scheduled distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McDowell entered Sunday\u2019s race 18th in the points standings and 10 points out of the 16th and final playoff spot with eight races left in the regular season. He left Atlanta tied for 15th in the points standings, thanks to good luck and a premature end to the event<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Byron had already won three races this season. So while a fourth win is helpful in terms of playoff points, he was going to be near the top of the playoff standings either way. McDowell, on the other hand, could have seen his playoff hopes crushed if rain had not arrived at AMS as early as his team had planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMcDowell faced adversity early in Atlanta race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n