Shane van Gisbergen turned Chicago into his personal playground, stamping his authority on the streets with a sweep of both top-tier NASCAR races. But while SVG stole the show, things might have played out differently had Michael McDowell’s car not come undone.
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McDowell, who started off second, jumped SVG at the drop of the green and powered into the lead by Turn 1. He commanded the field for the opening 31 laps of the Grant Park 165 and looked ready to give SVG a real run for his money. But during the third caution, disaster struck.
A throttle cable failure forced No. 71 to pit road, dropping McDowell from the front of the field straight into the clutches of the Damaged Vehicle Policy area. The crew scrambled to fix the stuck throttle, but the damage was already done. After losing 22 laps in the garage, he rejoined the race on Lap 57 and limped home in 32nd.
The 2021 Daytona 500 winner now finds himself 24th in the playoff standings, sitting 77 points outside the cut line with seven races to go in the regular season. A win would be the only good chance for him to punch his ticket to the postseason, and McDowell believes Chicago was his golden opportunity.
It was a gut punch for the two-time Cup Series race winner, who captured his most recent victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in 2023. In Chicago’s race, he not only led early but also secured Spire Motorsports’ first stage win by securing Stage 1.
Reflecting on the heartbreak, McDowell said, “Yeah, we just had a throttle cable that broke, and not sure why. But it did. We were unfortunate. We had a fast Paul Chevy. I mean, I felt we had the race under control, and we led every lap until we had the problem.
“So, it’s unfortunate, but proud of everybody. Spire will figure out what happened and get ready for Sonoma, which is a great racetrack for me. So, can’t undo it. It happened.”
“I felt like we had the race under control.” – @Mc_Driver on a throttle issue at Chicago after a great start.
Presenting partner: @MyPlaceHotels pic.twitter.com/wKV7cWjeZt
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 6, 2025
McDowell elaborated further, acknowledging that the mechanical failure likely robbed fans of what could have been a classic duel. “I think it would have been a battle, no doubt. I felt like any time I needed to open a gap on SVG, I could. We were just working on our strategy. We knew we were going to one-stop it, so I was taking care of the tires and doing all the things I could.”
“I was behind the pace car, and the throttle stuck wide-open. 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 car.”
McDowell will now regroup and set his sights on Sonoma, a track where he’s historically thrived. But for now, Chicago will sting — a missed chance that slipped through his fingers when it mattered most.
