Michael McDowell’s hope to avenge his disappointing end within the Chicago Road Race two weeks in the past must be placed on maintain for at the least a few years, if in any respect.
After beginning on the surface pole, McDowell dominated the primary 31 laps of the Windy Metropolis’s race with the Chicago lakefront on one facet and the busy downtown space on the opposite facet. It regarded like nobody, not even pole sitter and eventual winner Shane van Gisbergen, had something to problem McDowell within the 75-lap occasion. Then catastrophe struck the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
A throttle cable broke, sending him to the storage to overlook the subsequent 20 laps whereas repairs have been made. Finish of story: from what doubtlessly regarded like his profession’s third Cup win, McDowell finally completed a disappointing thirty second.
The dangerous information for McDowell continued when Chicago Road Race officers introduced on Friday that the occasion wouldn’t return in 2026, although there are hopes for a comeback in 2027. Hopes is the important thing phrase. That’s all the road race and McDowell now have.
McDowell sad that Chicago Road Race could possibly be historical past
McDowell spoke in regards to the Chicago Road Race hiatus throughout Saturday’s media availability at Dover Motor Speedway.
“Yeah, it’s a bummer,” McDowell stated. “I’ve loved it clearly. It’s a fantastic environment, actually cool racetrack, and want that throttle cable wouldn’t have broke as a result of it could have been good to have a shot on the final one.”
The Phoenix, Arizona native is hopeful that the road race will return to Chicago in 2027, even with studies that there will probably be a road race subsequent 12 months in San Diego and doubtlessly one other road race in 2027 in Philadelphia.
“However possibly it’s not the final one from type of what I learn that possibly there’s a chance for it to return again sooner or later,” McDowell stated of the Chicago Road Race. “I loved it. I believed NASCAR did a fantastic job. The town did a fantastic job as a enjoyable road course. It was technical, it was robust nevertheless it was manageable. It’s enjoyable that we have been capable of pull it off.”
McDowell has turn into fairly the highway course specialist as his prolonged Cup profession has progressed. When requested if NASCAR ought to maintain the present schedule of six highway or road races per season, McDowell smiled and disagreed jokingly.
“18 highway programs I believe is the best quantity,” he stated. “Perhaps 20 can be an excessive amount of. That’s pushing it, however I really feel like that 16 to 18 quantity might be the best match for us.”
Will or not it’s ‘Goodbye Windy Metropolis’ and ‘Howdy Pacific Ocean?’
If the Chicago road race is moved briefly, and even completely, to San Diego, as has been extensively reported in current weeks, McDowell will miss Chicago but in addition embraces the problem of racing in a brand new venue.
“It’d be superior,” McDowell stated. “I imply, clearly I’m biased. Road programs are lots of enjoyable and going to new cities and new alternatives to strive new issues.
“I haven’t seen a course structure or potential of a structure (for the proposed San Diego road race), so I don’t know what that might appear like. However I really feel like we’re getting extra expertise of understanding what makes a course raceable for us and our vehicles. And so I stay up for the problem, for positive.”
