Michael Mcdowell calls Tristan McKee the real deal for No. 71
Michael McDowell said Tristan McKee is the driver he believes will take over the No. 71 car for Spire Motorsports when he retires. McDowell called him “the real deal” at Watkins Glen, putting a name on the driver he sees as his likely successor.
McDowell Names McKee
That is the clearest sign yet of how Spire is thinking about its future. McDowell turns 42 in December, and the No. 71 could open up when his contract expires after the 2026 season.
McKee’s rise makes the comment more than a casual compliment. He was ranked 14th among the top NASCAR prospects in 2025, became the second-youngest ARCA winner that year at Watkins Glen, and had already set a mark two years earlier by becoming the youngest driver ever to win in the CARS Tour Pro Late Model division.
Tristan McKee's Progress
He still does not turn 16 until August, and he has only moved through the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East so far. He still has to prove himself at the Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series levels before a full-time Cup ride becomes realistic.
Spire’s other seats make the timing even more interesting. Carson Hocevar earned his first Cup Series win at Talladega, and Daniel Suarez is in his first season with the team and has been on a rebound year, while McDowell has been the worst-performing driver in the lineup right now.
Spire Motorsports' No. 71
McDowell’s recent results help explain why the No. 71 conversation has started early. His last win came at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in 2023, and his numbers have slipped since then: in 2024 he had seven top-10 finishes, six pole positions and 256 laps led, while his average starting position was 14.58 and his average finishing position was 21.31.
The slide continued in 2025, when he led 96 laps, had six top-10s and two poles, but his average starting position fell to 15.69. Through 11 races in 2026, he sat 23rd in points with 189 points, 18th in average starting position at 19.0 and 24th in average finishing position at 21.5.
Spire has been pushing to become one of the top teams in the Cup Series, and McDowell’s successor talk now sits right in the middle of that push. If his contract runs out after 2026, the team could decide to go in a different direction for the No. 71, with McKee already on the radar.
