Michael McDowell hits the brakes on Shane van Gisbergen hype: ‘He’s not Superman’

This season, the road course races were mostly dominated by one man. Michael McDowell isn’t ready to call him Superman, yet. Of course, we’re talking about Shane van Gisbergen. The New Zealander who has taken NASCAR by storm these last three seasons.

Since the three-time Supercars champion popped on the scene with his debut race and win at Chicago, it’s been a rollercoaster ride to the Cup Series full-time. That means drivers like Michael McDowell get overlooked a bit.

McDowell is always one to mention at the road courses. His open-wheel and sports car experience make him a formidable driver on those tracks. He won the Indy Road Course in 2023, the final year of the event for the Cup Series.

Next year, NASCAR goes to another new street course design. Chicago is, for now, in the past. San Diego and Coronado Air Force Base are up next. You could argue that, even without the track being finalized, SVG is the favorite.

As a competitor, Michael McDowell isn’t ready to give the trophy to van Gisbergen yet. In fact, he believes SVG’s time on top won’t last long.

“I have a different perspective on this,” McDowell told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “What he’s doing right now is incredible. But he’s not Superman.

“He’s doing everything just a little bit better because of his background. He brakes a little later and different going into a turn. His line through turns is a little different. He accelerates a little earlier exiting turns. It’s a matter of feet. But it’s turn after turn, lap after lap.

“He’s pushing all of us to be better. He’s pushing everyone to make some adjustments. And it will happen. It’s just a matter of time.”

McDowell pointed out that the Next Gen car fits Shane van Gisbergen’s skills more than any car before. It is very similar to the Supercars setup. But he’s also put a whooping on drivers in the Xfinity Series, too. Which is much more like the previous Cup cars.

So, what is it? Shane van Gisbergen has been a revelation in NASCAR. Everyone can see his telemetry data from every road course race. So, why hasn’t the gap closed?

While I understand Michael McDowell’s sentiment, it’s hard to take as fact. Then again, McDowell believed he had the car to compete with SVG multiple times this season. In Mexico, the caution came out at a good time for the 88 car.

Then, at Chicago, McDowell led laps over van Gisbergen. However, troubles with the car led to an early exit from the race. Is McDowell right in his assessment of SVG?