Sportscasting | Pure Sports
Home / NASCAR / Spectacular Start Goes Painfully South For Michael McDowell In Chicago Street Race

Spectacular Start Goes Painfully South For Michael McDowell In Chicago Street Race

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Updated –
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
Michael McDowell

For a good while, Michael McDowell looked to be sailing for victory in Sunday’s Chicago Street Race.

How fast was McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet? Put it this way: Even road racer extraordinaire Shane van Gisbergen couldn’t chase him down.

This is the same van Gisbergen who ultimately won from the pole at the Chicago Street Course after doing the same in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

As for McDowell, defeats don’t come much harder to swallow than the one he endured on Sunday in the Windy City.

What Went Wrong For Michael McDowell In The Chicago Street Race?

Starting second alongside polesitter Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell grabbed the lead on the opening lap and paced the field for the first 31 laps around the streets of Chicago.

After holding down P1 for every lap of Stage One and earning his fourth career stage victory, the 2021 Daytona 500 winner appeared poised to continue his dominance.

Then, heartbreak.

Moments after crew chief Travis Peterson opted to keep McDowell off pit road and on the track so he could be assured of strong track position for the start of Stage Two, McDowell experienced a throttle issue with his No. 71 car.

So instead of leading the field to the green for the start of the second stage, McDowell came to pit road so his team could assess the problem. He ultimately lost 22 laps while his team made extended repairs. McDowell finished 32nd in the 40-car field, missing out on a golden opportunity to capture his first NASCAR Cup Series win since 2023.

“The throttle cable just broke,” said McDowell, who with a victory likely would have locked up a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. “I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened.”

Chicago Street Race Seemed For A While Like Michael McDowell’s To Lose

Before things took a dramatically bad turn for Michael McDowell at the Chicago Street Course, the veteran driver thought he had a car capable of holding off Shane van Gisbergen.

“I feel like we had control of the race, and I think it would have been a battle, no doubt,” the 40-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native said. “I felt like any time I could open a gap on SVG (van Gisbergen), I could. We were just working on our strategy. We knew we were going to one-stop it (just make one pit stop), so I was taking care of the tires and doing all the things I could.”

The problem with McDowell’s throttle came about with no warning.

“I was behind the pace car, and the throttle stuck wide-open,” he said. “Luckily, I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something. And then a cable broke after that.

“It’s just a shame. We had a great No. 71 DePaul Chevrolet. We’ve got some good momentum heading into Sonoma next weekend.”

Sonoma being another road course, McDowell — one of the Cup Series’ best road racers — is certainly justified in feeling confident. After all, he finished second at the Northern California track just last summer.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
All posts by Jared Turner
Other News