Dale Earnhardt Jr. points his finger at Michael McDowell after Ryan Blaney incident at NHMS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sided with Ryan Blaney following the latter's on-track clash with Michael McDowell during the final stage of Sunday's USA Today 301. Junior expressed his disappointment, suggesting that McDowell is capable of better racing tactics and shouldn't depend solely on aggressive moves as his way to success.

Michael McDowell's 2024 season has been a tough one. Despite starting with an eighth-place finish at the Ambetter Health 400 in Atlanta, his record includes one top-5 and four top-10 finishes across the first 18 races. Adding to his season's narrative, McDowell recently revealed his future plans, confirming a switch to Spire Motorsports starting next season, where he'll take the wheel of the #71 Chevy under a multi-year agreement.

At New Hampshire, hoping for a better finish, Michael McDowell made a move during a restart with just nine laps remaining. On a track slick from the day's rain, McDowell's #34 car pushed into turn one on wet-weather tires. Unfortunately, he lost control, sliding up into Ryan Blaney's #12 Ford Mustang as they competed for second place, causing both cars to skid through the corner.

The result saw Ryan Blaney crossing the finish line in P25, while Michael McDowell managed P23. Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighed in on the incident, siding with Blaney and criticizing McDowell's approach:

"I'm gonna have to criticize McDowell on this one. He is... A big reason why they have [FRM] these opportunities to run the top 10. Even just about a year and a half ago, we had to decide that it was no longer a fluke for Front Road to run top 10. But they're going down into turn one racing for second. The #34 sends it in there, loses control smacks the #12 and then they crash out."

He added:

"And he gets out and says, "I had to do that." He's been able to evolve, change, improve himself, the team. What hasn't evolved is that mentality. They're not that team anymore. So he does not have to look at those moments as... 'My only opportunity ever here we go. We're jumping off the cliff!'"

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Michael McDowell justifies his actions; Ryan Blaney calls it a low-percentage move

Michael McDowell approached Ryan Blaney on pit road to apologize after their clash on the track, but later, during a press interaction, he reasoned his actions:

"I was in a do-or-die situation. I had to go for it. I know it was a low percentage move, but I had to try."

However, Ryan Blaney wasn't fully appeased by the apology, noting the recklessness of Michael McDowell's maneuver:

“Yeah, he said he's sorry but he still wrecked me. He just sent it off in there and no intention of making the corner and spun both of us. So, a very low percentage move that obviously didn't work," via FrontStretch on X.

Ultimately, Blaney's performance in the earlier stages of the race, running in the top 5, was negated by McDowell's move, drawing criticism from various quarters, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.