Shane van Gisbergen has cut out a reputation in NASCAR, widely regarded as a road course ace and a driver few can match on left-and-right-turn tracks. Even Connor Zilisch, a rising road course talent himself, admitted last year he was relieved to be racing full-time in the Xfinity Series once SVG moved to Cup in 2025. Michael McDowell, however, isn’t ready to crown the Kiwi as the undisputed king of road courses.
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In a recent media session, McDowell challenged the notion of SVG’s untouchable status, saying, “I just don’t think he’s that far ahead. Yeah, I know everybody else does, but I don’t. Because in Cup racing you’re talking about a tenth of the second, it’s the difference between first and fifth. And so, I just feel like it’s small. Everything’s just details and execution. He does a phenomenal job of all those things.”
McDowell then took a subtle swipe at those who approach road courses, already conceding defeat against SVG. “A lot of people come into these races beat. I don’t get it. I don’t understand it; can’t. How could you come to the race track feeling like you’re already beat? So, yeah, I just don’t take that mindset,” he stated.
Michael McDowell said something interesting when answering a followup question about why Shane van Gisbergen has been so dominant despite everyone having his SMT data: He doesn’t think SVG’s advantage over the rest of the field is that big.
“A lot of people come into these races… pic.twitter.com/SimTlAMcsT
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) August 10, 2025
It’s not the first time the Spire Motorsports driver has spoken on the subject. Before the Chicago race, where McDowell arrived fresh off a strong run in Mexico, finishing P5, the track where SVG won his first race of the season by a 16-second margin, McDowell credited that gap to the well-timed caution.
While praising SVG’s best performances and road course skills, he insisted the Trackhouse driver is beatable. McDowell maintained that both he and Ty Gibbs could have challenged SVG in Mexico with a bit more luck.
He recalled restarting 18th in the final restart and charging into the top five, confident that starting alongside SVG would have allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the No. 88 driver.
In Chicago, McDowell was again outpaced, finishing 32nd while SVG took the win. At Sonoma Raceway, the Kiwi earned his third victory, with McDowell settling for fourth. Across 51 road course starts, McDowell holds a 19.7 average finish, while SVG boasts an 8.9 average in 10 Cup Series road course appearances.
