McDowell to Appear on Wind Tunnel This Weekend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Heather Haupt ▪ cell: (517) 927-8472 ▪ e-mail: heatherh@rocketsportsracing.com

ROCKETSPORTS RACING’S MICHAEL MCDOWELL TO APPEAR ON WIND TUNNEL THIS WEEKEND

EAST LANSING, Mich. (October 28, 2005) – After making his Champ Car debut last weekend in Australia with Rocketsports Racing, Michael McDowell prepares for a full throttle weekend in Mexico City on November 4-6 where he will be pulling double duty racing in both the Champ Car and Grand Am events.  The 20-year-old will be making a guest appearance Sunday night on SPEED Channel’s popular “Wind Tunnel with David Despain”.

McDowell is your typical American boy. Growing up, he dreamed of being a race car driver.  Despite coming from a family that did not have a lot of money to support his dream, he found a way to pursue it.  At the age of 11 he started looking for sponsors and created his own marketing proposal.  With the backing from people that believed in this up-and-coming star, he was able to get to where he is today thanks to that support, networking, and doing coaching or whatever else it took to raise the capital he needed to race, without ever spending one penny from family money or family related money.

McDowell started racing BMX bikes at the age of three.  Soon after, he realized that this was not just a phase he was going through in life, but a new-found passion.  He then set his goal in life: To make a long career in Champ Car and to become a Champ Car Champion.  With two races remaining on the 2005 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford schedule, Rocketsports Racing offered the opportunity of a lifetime for the American rising star, putting him behind the wheel of one of its Champ Cars to work with Timo Glock for the remainder of the season.

In preliminary testing with the Rocketsports team at Putnam Park, McDowell broke the lap record for current-configuration Champ Cars.  He made his Champ Car debut in Surfers Paradise, Australia, which was a very tough track for a driver to make his debut on but he held his own and had a supportive team behind him.  Starting 16th on the grid, McDowell successfully completed his first Champ Car event finishing 12th, scoring nine championship points.

McDowell is the only driver currently running in both the Champ Car World Series and the Grand American Rolex Series.  In the Mexico City, the season finale for both series, he will race the #31 Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone on Sunday, November 6, prior to racing in the #19 Finlay Motorsports Daytona Prototype on Saturday, November 5.

“Wind Tunnel” airs live every Sunday from 9:00 – 11:00 p.m.  After an eventful couple of weeks for McDowell, he will sit down with Dave Despain on October 30 to talk about how all his dreams are coming true as he continues to make his way into the racing limelight.  Other guests on tonight’s show include NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kurt Busch, along with NHRA Funny Car championship leader Gary Scelzi.



 

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