Michael McDowell forced to pit from lead due to mechanical issues at NASCAR Chicago Street Race

When Michael McDowell has the right car for it, he can be straight up dangerous. His road course racing skills are on par with AJ Allmendinger and others in the series. When asked about his chances against SVG, McDowell said that the Trackhouse driver wasn’t “unbeatable.” He definitely wasn’t intimidated by the Kiwi.

Early on in the race today, McDowell backed up that confidence. He fought for the lead on the first restart and took it from SVG. Then he did it again on a couple of other restarts. McDowell went on to win the first stage, and everything was lining up for him. Then his throttle pedal cable broke.

Michael McDowell ends his run for Chicago win

When Michael McDowell first hit pit road with the issue, it looked like he could flip things around again. The team believed they had figured things out. Then, after the next restart, McDowell came down pit road again, reporting the same issue.

When it comes to brakes and throttle, you don’t mess around as a driver. On a track like Chicago, drivers are going from 140+ MPH to as slow as 35 to 40 MPH. With a stuck throttle or no brakes, drivers can find themselves slamming into a wall headfirst.

This race has now opened up for Shane van Gisbergen. He is in control from here on out. The 2023 Chicago winner has a real chance to win his second race of the season and third of his early career in the Cup Series.

Today was a real opportunity for Michael McDowell. Now, the attention goes to Sonoma next week. If he can bring that speed to the track in California, maybe we see McDowell back out front and giving it to SVG and the other road course ringers a week from now.