Shane van Gisbergen is currently outperforming the opposition in every way possible given his impressive wins on road courses. The entire garage was surprised by his most recent dominance at Watkins Glen International, where he went from 26th to victory in just 20 laps. But perhaps the biggest sign of SVG’s growing dominance came from Michael McDowell himself. The veteran openly acknowledged that, even at his best, he lacked the speed to compete with the Kiwi superstar, even though he finished an amazing second. Here’s what he had to say:

Michael McDowell realized SVG was on another level

“There were moments where I thought maybe we can hang with SVG and it felt like he was just pacing himself off me. He’d take back off. But you know, in that second stage there we got a little bit off strategy and then we recovered well, which Travis did a great job of getting the track position when we needed it, just not quite enough to run him down. Like I said, it’s just tough, man.”

Michael McDowell’s brutally honest admission summed up how several drivers felt at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. In the hopes of challenging Shane van Gisbergen, NASCAR’s undisputed road-course specialist, everyone entered the race. Most left realizing they were racing for second.

In fact, early in the race, McDowell appeared to be one of the few real dangers. In the early stages, his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet demonstrated outstanding speed, and if strategy worked in his favor, it briefly seemed as though he would actually put pressure on SVG. And that’s exactly what crew chief Travis Peterson attempted midway through the race.

 

In order to get a tire edge for the last stage, Peterson kept Michael McDowell out on older tires prior to the end of Stage 2, while the majority of leaders opted to pit and flip the stage. On paper, it seemed like a wise risk to take track position and possibly put late pressure on Van Gisbergen.

But at first, it totally backfired. As the race came to a close, McDowell found himself buried deeper in traffic than anticipated, dropped outside of the top 10, and failed to earn stage points. The tactic had produced great opportunity, but also great risk. Luckily, for the No. 71 team, the race later swung back in their favor.

Similar to Van Gisbergen, McDowell ultimately decided to pit during the last green-flag cycle while a number of leaders attempted to increase fuel efficiency. He was able to rush back through the field and finish in second place thanks to the new tires. All that being said, the difference to SVG was still enormous.

While Michael McDowell’s recovery drive was impressive on its own, Van Gisbergen still pulled away by more than seven seconds at the finish. And according to McDowell’s post-event remarks, he was aware of what everyone else in the garage was thinking as well: SVG currently appears unbeatable on road courses. No matter what the other drivers do.

Growing pressure at Spire

“It’s not a win by any means, but it’s what we needed on this 71 team,” Michael McDowell said. “We’ve been having a rough few weeks, so it’s good to get some points, momentum and confidence back.”

Looking at the grand scheme of things, honestly, Michael McDowell desperately needed a day like Sunday at Watkins Glen International. After weeks of despair, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team finally had something positive to build around with the runner-up performance, which earned the veteran 36 points—his second-best total of the 2026 season.

McDowell had finished 18th or lower seven times in a row since Las Vegas back in March, which caused the team to gradually decline in the standings. However, despite the positive outcome, the whole situation is still unsettling. McDowell actually lost five more points to the playoff cutline thanks to Shane van Gisbergen locking up another victory. Despite moving up two spots to 21st place in the rankings, he is currently 58 points below the line.

Additionally, the pressure is starting to seem very genuine for a driver who is getting close to 42 years old. McDowell has stated time and time again that he intends to race for a number of more seasons. The problem is that his overall numbers continue trending in the wrong direction. He last won in the Brickyard in 2023, which was over three years ago. Since then, every season has exhibited statistical regression.

McDowell nevertheless managed to lead more than 250 laps, six poles, and seven top-10 finishes in 2024. Those figures significantly decreased by 2025. That becomes even more glaring considering how quickly Spire Motorsports is evolving around him.

After winning his first Cup, Carson Hocevar already appears to be the team’s future star, and Daniel Suarez has shown promise in his first season campaign. Right now, McDowell is clearly the weakest-performing full-time driver inside the Spire camp. And if results don’t improve over the second half of 2026, questions surrounding the future of the No. 71 seat are only going to grow louder.

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