Michael McDowell enters Chicago’s street course battle armed with reinvented machinery and quiet confidence. The Spire Motorsports driver revealed his No. 71 team abandoned previous setups for a radical new direction ahead of Sunday’s Grant Park 165.
This shift stems from recent road-course struggles and a breakthrough run in Mexico City. McDowell’s SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview outlined a meticulous rebuilding process mirroring his Indy-winning development.
Mexico Blueprint Drives McDowell’s No. 71 Setup Revolution
McDowell confirmed the team scrapped legacy data from his former No. 34 car after consistent shortcomings. Instead, engineers focused on lessons from June’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez race.
“Yeah, 71, you know, for us, is not really utilizing anything that we’ve known with the 34 the last few years there, because that just hasn’t been working,” McDowell stated. “We’re building more off of our COTA and Mexico City runs and just going in the direction we’ve been heading. So, the experience level, knowing the track, brake markers, visuals, all that obviously applies, but we’re definitely very different setup-wise than we have been the last few years.”
The 37-year-old emphasized the car now operates in a “completely different direction” setup-wise despite retaining track-specific knowledge like brake markers. “I feel good about it, not nervous at all, just based on how good we were at Mexico. And kind of like what we were just talking about, that building process, it’s the same thing we did with the 34,” McDowell revealed.
The approach mirrors his methodical development with the No. 34 car that eventually led to his 2021 Daytona 500 victory. “The road course program didn’t start off lights out. We just slowly built on it and got a little bit better each race until we were contending,” McDowell added.
That patience paid dividends at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course in 2021, where McDowell captured his first Cup Series victory. Now, he’s applying the same formula with Spire Motorsports, understanding that success requires incremental improvements rather than overnight transformations.
“We’re in that building stage now, getting it almost to where it needs to be. I think we’re pretty close, and this weekend will definitely be an opportunity for us to learn a little bit more before we go to Sonoma.” Chicago serves as a critical evaluation point before Sonoma’s playoff implications later in the season.
The timing couldn’t be better for McDowell and his team. With the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture beginning to take shape, road course performances become increasingly valuable. Chicago’s unique street course layout provides a perfect testing ground for the new setup philosophy.
McDowell Eyes SVG Challenge Amid Progress
This technical reset coincides with McDowell’s bold assessment of road-course dominator Shane van Gisbergen. He dismissed the notion that van Gisbergen is unbeatable despite the driver’s 16-second Mexico win.
“He has had some standout races. There’s no doubt he is an amazing talent. But he is beatable. He is not unbeatable,” McDowell told Bob Pockrass a couple of days ago. He attributed SVG’s Mexico margin to fortunate caution timing, insisting, “Had I started next to him, he would have had a challenge.”
I asked Michael McDowell how he was going to beat Shane van Gisbergen this weekend at Chicago considering how well SVG ran at Mexico City. McDowell feels he should have something for SVG (and felt he did at Mexico City as well). @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/qUu4HRc3Pz
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 3, 2025
McDowell also downplayed van Gisbergen’s 2024 Chicago performance: “He wasn’t that great last year.” The comment carries extra weight considering SVG won the pole for Saturday’s Xfinity The Loop 110 race and claimed the first starting spot, further proving his dominance at the Chicago street course and subtly challenging McDowell’s assessment.
Still, McDowell acknowledges Chicago’s stakes extend beyond individual competition. With NASCAR’s contract expiring, this could be the street course’s final run. His team’s quiet progress, prioritizing drivability over flash, aims to conquer the street course while it’s still available.
The Grant Park 165 represents more than just another race for McDowell. “Obviously, we won at Indy and felt pretty confident after that, and we were able to keep building and growing,” McDowell noted, drawing parallels to his championship-winning development process.
The process takes time, but patience has served him well throughout his career. For the No. 71 team, Chicago tests whether Mexico’s promise translates to legitimate contention when the checkered flag waves.