Michael McDowell reacts to heartbreaking throttle problem, maintains Chicago was No. 71 car’s race to win

Michael McDowell is ready to move forward after his No. 71 car had throttle issues during the Chicago Street Race. While speaking with Frontstretch, McDowell reacted to missing out on a chance to win his first race of the season.

“We just had a throttle cable that broke and not sure why,” Michael McDowell said after the race. “But it did and unfortunate. We had a fast DePaul Chevy. I felt like we had the race under control. We led every lap until we had the problem. It’s unfortunate, but I’m proud of everybody at Spire. We’ll figure out what happened and get ready for Sonoma, which is a great race track for me.”

McDowell then talked about how he could have competed with Shane van Gisbergen, who won the race on Sunday. “I was just pacing myself off of him. Anytime he’d get close, I’d open up the gap,” McDowell explained. I felt like we were in a good spot. Obviously, there’s still several stops to go and track changing and all that. You never know, but it was a race between him and I until it wasn’t.

Michael McDowell is ready to do big things at Sonoma

Due to the throttle issues, McDowell earned a P32 finish after leading for 31 laps. The good news is McDowell will have a chance to bounce back quickly, as the NASCAR drivers will compete at another road course (Sonoma) this weekend.

“You can learn and apply. I think your road course program, you’re constantly building and perfecting,” McDowell said. The track is different, for sure. The new surface there obviously not as bumpy, super smooth. Not everything applies. We got a good baseline. We know what we need to do as far as setup-wise goes for Sonoma. We were fast there last year and been in a good spot there.”

McDowell is right about being fast at Sonoma last year, as he finished second while driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports. And when McDowell competed in the Chicago Street Race in 2024, he finished fifth. He is looking to win his first Cup Series race since 2023, when he finished first at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.