“We’re in the middle of that”: Michael McDowell’s crew chief speaks on his future after FRM boss voiced his expectations 

Michael McDowell announced his move to Spire Motorsports in 2025 last month, but his crew chief Travis Peterson's plans remained under wraps. Recently, talking on SiriusXM NASCAR, Peterson opened up about his 2025 season saying it was still up in the air. Interestingly, his boss Jerry Freeze doesn’t expect Peterson to return to the organization next season.

Travis Peterson was named the crew chief for the #34 Front Row Motorsports entry in the NASCAR Cup Series for 2023 in 2022. A seasoned expert in the sport, Peterson was a longtime lead race engineer before he took up the role of crew chief.

He spent five years at RFK Racing, where he worked as the lead engineer for Chris Buescher, Ryan Newman, and Matt Kenseth, before joining FRM. Prior to his tenure at RFK Racing, Peterson held a similar position at Hendrick Motorsports, working with Dale Earnhardt Jr., and at JR Motorsports.

Discussing his future after Michael McDowell announced his move to Spire Motorsports, Travis Peterson shared on SiriusXM Radio:

"Everybody has contracts and it's all similar. And you look forward to when those opportunities come that you get to negotiate and work on deals and figure out what the next best thing for you is going to be. And right now we're kind of in the middle of that. Maybe going with Michael being option, maybe staying in front row will be option."

"There's a lot of details out there to work out yet. I can't say that I have an answer to give you right now. But certainly, It's been an interesting off season for me as well as what's all been in the news. Hopefully I'll have some more to talk about soon on that."

However, Michael McDowell's crew chief believes the best way to leverage new opportunities is by delivering strong performances on the track. So, even though Michael McDowell will soon leave the Front Row Motorsports team, the duo is focused on securing a race win for the team.

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Michael McDowell's crew chief intends to perform on the track

Further during the interview, when asked if he still aims to win races, make the playoffs, and advance deep into the postseason, Michael McDowell's crew chief, Travis Peterson responded:

"Yeah, I mean, the best thing you can do for yourself anytime you're trying to to negotiate sign a new deal, make sure you end up in the best spot for your futures to go win races and perform on the race track, right? The job really doesn't change."

Talking about his relationship with Michael McDowell, Travis Peterson stated that the duo share a strong chemistry and have come quite close in 2024. However, he also emphasized on currently being focused on building momentum, aiming to perform as well as possible. He believes that everything else will naturally fall into place.