Michael McDowell secured his place in the NASCAR playoffs with an impressive victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. McDowell, who missed out on the playoffs last year, displayed exceptional driving skills as he held off Chase Elliott, teammate Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, and Alex Bowman to clinch the win at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. This triumph marked McDowell’s second career win on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, with his first being the 2021 Daytona 500.
“It’s truly a dream come true,” said the 38-year-old driver. “We had an incredibly fast Ford Mustang, and we executed our strategy perfectly. I’m immensely grateful to still be competing in the Cup Series and to deliver a performance like this. It may not have been a complete domination, but it definitely felt that way to me.”
Starting the race in fourth position, McDowell led an impressive 54 out of the 82 laps, finishing less than a second ahead of Elliott. He also secured a victory in Stage 1. This win was crucial for McDowell, as he was in a fierce battle for the 13th spot in the playoffs.
With two races remaining in the regular season, there are three spots left. Currently, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Bubba Wallace hold positions 14-16, respectively. Suarez is 28 points behind Wallace in the race for the 16th spot, while Elliott trails by 80 points. Ty Gibbs sits between Suarez and Elliott, with a 49-point deficit.
Next week, NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen, New York, for another thrilling road course race.
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Michael McDowell poses with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Michael McDowell makes a pit stop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Chase Elliott drives through a turn during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
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This article was written by Ryan Gaydos, a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
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