The upcoming Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course is a highly anticipated one for many reasons. It is the third and possibly the final year that NASCAR will be racing on the circuit. Both fans and drivers will want to take the experience all in, just in case they don’t get to return. On the other hand, everyone wants to know if Shane van Gisbergen can be beaten on a road course.
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The Australian Supercars champion trumped the field at Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last month by reaching Victory Lane over 16 seconds ahead of the runner-up. While he is still struggling to ace the races on ovals, his expertise on road courses helps him keep pace with the elite crowd in the Cup field. But there is at least one driver who thinks SVG isn’t Mr. Invincible on road courses — Michael McDowell.
The No. 71 Spire Motorsports driver was asked by Bob Pockrass in an interview how he was going to beat van Gisbergen in Chicago. He delivered an answer that brimmed with confidence and strategy.
“I think he has had some standout races. There’s no doubt he is an amazing talent. But he is beatable. He is not unbeatable,” McDowell said.
I asked Michael McDowell how he was going to beat Shane van Gisbergen this weekend at Chicago considering how well SVG ran at Mexico City. McDowell feels he should have something for SVG (and felt he did at Mexico City as well). @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/qUu4HRc3Pz
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 3, 2025
He went on to credit his massive victory margin in Mexico to the fortunate timing of the caution. McDowell strongly believes that Ty Gibbs and he would have given van Gisbergen a run for his money had luck favored them a tiny bit.
He added, “I restarted 18th on that last restart and drove up into the top five. I think had I started next to him, he would have had a challenge.”
McDowell’s assessment of SVG’s 2024 performance in Chicago
When Pockrass addressed van Gisbergen as the favorite to win on Sunday, McDowell stressed that it wasn’t necessarily so. McDowell reasoned, “He wasn’t that great last year.” So, how exactly did the Supercars champion perform at Chicago in 2024?
On Saturday, he raced in the Xfinity Series and beat Kyle Larson to the checkered flag while driving the No. 97 Chevy of Kaulig Racing. On Sunday, he won Stage 1 and looked set to secure his second Cup victory in Chicago. But 25 laps in, Chase Briscoe wrecked into him and ended his day prematurely.
This reality doesn’t exactly align with McDowell’s take. Perhaps the Spire Motorsports driver was trying to mess with van Gisbergen’s mind by underplaying his expertise.
Anyhow, the upcoming weekend is bound to carry impressive fireworks from all the road course heroes on the field.
