At the end of the 2021 racing season, late model veteran and Chickamauga, Georgia native Dale McDowell didn’t know if he’d be back in a race car again.
The driver of the No. 17M underwent prostate cancer surgery, keeping him out of a super late model and anything consisting of racing for an entire four months leading up to this week. In his first race with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in 2022, McDowell went straight to victory lane.
“I want to be tough,” McDowell said on the DirtVision broadcast. “I realize you need to be tough, but I’m very emotional. I need to thank the good lord above for letting me to come back and do what I love. Sorry if I forgot anybody, because four months ago, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I haven’t been in a car for four months.”
McDowell won’t be running full-time on the World of Outlaws tour in 2022, but still holds a special spot in the series’ history – being one of the ‘dirty dozen’ that helped resurrect the tour in 2004.
Friday afternoon’s victory – a makeup race from the evening prior – represents his 14th career win in the World of Outlaws coming ahead of another show tonight.
“I think the conditions are going to be a little different tonight,” McDowell said on the broadcast. “It’s a game of checkers – I don’t know how to play chess. I’m beat. I’ll get rested up for tonight.”
McDowell served as a mentor to a number of successful drivers in auto racing, including Austin and Ty Dillon during his career in the sport and brought up texting a former Cup Series native from Georgia on Thursday after his heat race win.
“It’s funny, Chase Elliott was texting me last night and he said ‘I see you, you need to go get it,’ I said, yeah but it’s gonna need to be aggressive,” McDowell said.
That he did, leading all 30 of the laps and making quick work of each restart that was thrown his way.
Dennis Erb Jr. took the second position on the podium and finishes as the highest full-time Outlaw while Kyle Larson came home in third.
“To get a good start down here – what we’ve got seven races or so – it’s important to come out of it with a good run in the points,” Erb Jr. said.
The series will turn right around and run its second race of the year on Friday night, complete with a full-program of hot laps, qualifying, and heat races. Fans can watch all of the action live on DirtVision and visit Always Race Day for coverage of the series in 2022.
Sunshine Nationals Night 1 Results
Volusia Speedway Park
1. Dale McDowell
2. Dennis Erb Jr.
3. Kyle Larson
4. Chris Madden
5. Hudson O’Neal
6. Shane Clanton
7. Brandon Sheppard
8. Max Blair
9. Tyler Bruening
10. Chase Junghans
11. Darrell Lanigan
12. Cade Dillard
13. Brent Larson
14. Kyle Strickler
15. Morgan Bagley
16. Boom Briggs
17. Gordy Gundaker
18. Tanner English
19. Josh Richards
20. Chris Simpson
21. Jimmy Mars
22. Devin Moran
23. Jimmy Owens
24. Ashton Winger
25. Ryan Gustin
26. Ricky Thornton Jr.
