Several shifts have reshaped the Cup Series lineup this season. Michael McDowell has taken the wheel for Spire Motorsports, Chase Briscoe now pilots the No. 19 car under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner, Riley Herbst has stepped into a seat at 23XI Racing, Connor Zilisch has made his debut, and Shane van Gisbergen is charting his path through a rookie Cup campaign.
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Among them, Briscoe has attracted considerable attention after capturing a victory at Pocono, joining SVG, who triumphed at the Mexico road course, as the only new winners this season. Despite the early success, Briscoe has candidly acknowledged the challenges that came with his transition from Stewart-Haas Racing to the Gibbs camp.
Briscoe admitted it took him until the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte to shake the habit of underdriving, a tendency rooted in prior seasons where his equipment left little margin for aggressive performance. He noted that adapting to faster, more capable machinery demanded unlearning old instincts and trusting what the car could deliver.
McDowell, however, offered a slightly different perspective. Now behind the wheel of the No. 71 Chevrolet, he emphasized that adaptation is less about the team and more about individual driving characteristics.
For him, it comes down to understanding the car’s limits, processing new information, and syncing with the crew. He suggested that the process unfolds gradually as drivers feel out the car’s behavior and adjust accordingly.
However, speaking to CBS Sports, McDowell observed, “I feel like that’s every year; I feel like there’s always a rule change, there’s always a tire change, there’s always something changing, where you’re constantly having to push yourself to find that limit. With the limited practice, sometimes that’s hard to do.”
He recalled his own brief stint with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2011 when he made six starts in top-tier Xfinity equipment. The leap from underfunded teams to a championship-caliber garage sharpened his understanding of execution, particularly during restarts and pit cycles.
According to McDowell, being in front-running equipment exposes drivers to critical race-winning scenarios, allowing them to refine their habits under pressure.
Since Michael McDowell has some experience going from lesser to better equipment, I asked him a bit about what Chase Briscoe talked about after winning Pocono last week about how he’s learned he can push his cars harder.
McDowell related it to when he went from… https://t.co/ZyUOH33c8s pic.twitter.com/YlvoH30Yvh
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) June 28, 2025
“I got the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. I think I had six races the first year, and my average start was fourth, and my average finish was third. So, granted, I didn’t get any wins in that year. But I just saw how big of a difference it quickly makes.”
However, he also added, “But I also realized, too, that the guys that are winning and the guys that make it happen on those last green, white checkers, that execute their road perfectly, that execute the resource perfectly. It’s still really, really tough to win, even with great cars. You’re able to get more confident and comfortable executing those because you’re in that situation more often.”
Ultimately, McDowell believes talent must meet opportunities for results to materialize. “Good race cars helps you be a better driver. I think if you’re a good race car driver and you get plopped into a good car, you’ll figure it out,” he said.
So far this season, McDowell has secured one top-five and two top-tens and currently holds 21st place in the driver standings.
