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Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell takes hot streak to Las Vegas

Michael McDowell walks by the championship trophy before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Michael McDowell followed his Daytona 500 victory with a pair of top-10 finishes. That's three in three races, one shy of his total from all of 2020. Perhaps his Front Row Motorsports team really has turned the corner. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Michael McDowell walks by the championship trophy before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Michael McDowell followed his Daytona 500 victory with a pair of top-10 finishes. That's three in three races, one shy of his total from all of 2020. Perhaps his Front Row Motorsports team really has turned the corner. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

By JENNA FRYER / The Associated Press 5 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Michael McDowell was rolling along at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he saw another driver signal for a car to pass.

When McDowell came upon the same driver, he wasn’t given the same courtesy.

“I literally saw a driver wave another driver by, and then race me for the next seven laps like it was the last lap,” McDowell recalled Tuesday.

He declined to identify the rival who refused to give McDowell an easy pass over the weekend, but it was an eye-opener for the Daytona 500 winner. A journeyman driver for small-budget teams, McDowell isn’t usually racing at the front of the pack or passing cars for top-10 finishes.

But since his Daytona 500 victory – his first win in 358 previous Cup Series starts – McDowell has found himself running with a different crowd. He has opened the season with three top-10 finishes through three races, just one shy of his total last year.