McDowell strong at PIR, but has no shot at victory

AVONDALE, Ariz -- Mistakes in racing usually don't turn out for the best, but forgetting what he was driving worked out very nicely for Michael McDowell in Friday's first Cup Series practice at Phoenix International Raceway.

His first and only hot lap turned out to be the second-fastest lap in the session, putting the No. 66 Toyota in somewhat unfamiliar territory amid the Denny Hamlins, Kurt Busches and Dale Juniors of the world.

"The tough part is I had just gotten done with Nationwide practice and they drive so different," McDowell said. "The Cup car, you're carrying a lot more speed. The Nationwide car rolls the corner a little bit faster. I got in a little bit too far but it stuck and I said, 'Well, that worked out pretty good.' I just got confused as to what car I was in and it worked, so maybe I'll stick to that."

Not bad for one of the nine cars parked across the way from the regular garage area, unprotected from the glare of the Arizona sun because they don't have enough owner's points to have earned a spot in the shade. And not bad for a guy running a car without a lick of sponsorship on the hood and a blue piece of duct tape over the driver's door that shows his name as "Michael McDizzle."

Explain that to me, Michael.

"Gene Nead stopped by the shop," McDowell said. "He crew chiefed the No. 47 car for me last year. He was giving the guys a hard time and told them about my nickname, so I think they just decided to put a piece of tape on there and switch it up a little bit."

Not surprisingly, a Hendrick Motorsports car paced the final 85-minute practice session for Saturday's Subway Fresh Fit 600, but it wasn't Jimmie Johnson, who has won four of the past five Phoenix events. Instead, it was Jeff Gordon who showed the way, turning a fast lap of 131.444 mph in his No. 24 Chevrolet. He was followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton.

In fact, Johnson wound up spinning his car while exiting Turn 2 about halfway through practice but was able to keep the No. 48 Chevrolet away from the wall and returned to the garage area with little damage. Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose had similar incidents in Happy Hour, while Tony Stewart avoided disaster when he spun harmlessly in the morning session. (Continued)