Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell of Arizona are preparing for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2021

The field for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has been decided, and it includes some local talent in Arizona’s Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman.

Bowman, of Tucson, enters the playoffs in sixth place out of 16 drivers, with 2,015 points after winning three races this season. McDowell, from Glendale, starts in 13th place with 2,005 points, having won the Daytona 500 in February.

The two Arizona drivers are no strangers to one another, having competed against each other for years.

“I’ve known Michael (McDowell) for quite a while. He’s a really good dude. I think it’s cool that he won the Daytona 500. It’s so cool to see somebody that’s kind of been through similar things to me in their career, at a similar point to where I was at one point in their career,  have success,” said Bowman, during a media session on Tuesday via Zoom.

Bowman is in good condition heading into the playoffs, having won at Richmond, Dover, and the Pocono 325 this season. He hopes to be one of the top four drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway in November.

“He’s got a great opportunity this year with those Hendrick cars being so fast. Obviously, he’s (Bowman) got (three) wins and a really good spot to contend for the championship this year,” McDowell said Tuesday during his media session.

McDowell, on the other hand, has stumbled into his first career playoff berth, having not finished in the top five since the Talladega Superspeedway in April.

“Statistically it might not look that great, but I think if you look back to this year at just our top finishes for me over my career, (they) have been this year at a lot of racetracks,” McDowel lsaid. “I feel like we have the speed and the momentum to surprise some people in the playoffs, but we’re also realistic of where we’re at.”

He added: “I have to have three incredible races in order to advance in the next round and I know that, we know that, we’re not naive to it. We know where we’re at as a race team and what we need to do, so we’ve got to hit home runs here the next three races and if we don’t, we won’t advance.”

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