![Arizona Can Get Their First NASCAR Championship With the Help of This Driver](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2023/08/attachment-GettyImages-1612671898.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Arizona Can Get Their First NASCAR Championship With the Help of This Driver
With the NASCAR playoffs set, it'll be soon to crown another NASCAR champion. We know that Texas has a chance of seeing a champion this year; Arizona also has a chance of seeing a NASCAR champion in 2023. Michael McDowell is locked in the playoffs & he has a chance of being the first NASCAR champion to represent the Grand Canyon State.
Let's look at Michael McDowell's 2023 season
While Michael might not has as many wins as other drivers in the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, he DID manage to score a win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on August 13, 2023 in true underdog fashion. He was driving the #34 Ford Mustang for Front Row Racing. That win gave Michael locked his way into the NASCAR playoffs for a shot for the championship.
What's amazing is that this is only Michael's 2nd win during his NASCAR career; his only win prior came during the 2021 Daytona 500. Not bad for your first NASCAR win...
That year he finished 16th place & was one of the first drivers eliminated from the playoffs. This year, Michael sits at 13th place going into the first round with 1 win, 2 top 5 finishes & 6 top 10 finishes. That's just as many wins as Ricky Stenhouse Jr & more wins than former NASCAR champion Kevin Harvick & Bubba Wallace.
While we're certainly not sure who will win this year's championship, we know that Michael McDowell is an underdog favorite so we will see if he can snag his first championship for not only himself, but his home state of Arizona.
![KLAQ El Paso logo](https://townsquare.media/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/KLAQFM.png?w=100)
13 Rock + Metal Bands Featured on NASCAR Vehicles
LOOK: 30 Best Major League Baseball Home Run Celebrations Using Props
More From KLAQ El Paso
![This Texas Stripper Scammed NASCAR Out of Thousands of Dollars](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/06/attachment-Texas-Stripper-Scammed-Nascar.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![This Amazing Finish at Texas Motor Speedway Made NASCAR History](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/04/attachment-Texas-Motor-Speedway-Photo-Finish.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![NASCAR Drivers Who Had First & Final Wins at Texas Motor Speedway](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/03/attachment-Texas-First-Final-NASCAR-Winners.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Race in Peace: Lives That Were Lost at the Texas Motor Speedway](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/03/attachment-People-Who-Died-at-Texas-Motor-Speedway.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![NASCAR’s Love For This Texas Favorite Expands Over A Decade](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/04/attachment-Whataburger-NASCAR.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Many Texas Companies Have Seen Success in NASCAR](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/04/attachment-Texas-Companies-That-Won-in-NASCAR.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Daytona Has Tragically Claimed the Lives of 3 Texas Racers](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/02/attachment-Texas-Drivers-who-died-at-Daytona.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![One Texas Driver Has Ever Won the Prestigious Daytona 500](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/02/attachment-GettyImages-474426195.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![This Texas Artist Scored Their Very Own NASCAR Race Car](http://townsquare.media/site/62/files/2024/02/attachment-MGK-race-car.jpg?w=980&q=75)