Top Dog: Michael McDowell
If you are a fan of the Rocky franchise, remember the beginning of Rocky III where the “Italian Stallion” Rocky Balboa seems invincible, winning match after match while standing atop the pinnacle of boxing?
Then, here comes Clubber Lang, the hard-hitting brute who slipped under the radar to ultimately defeat Balboa for the title.
So much has been made of Shane van Gisbergen‘s Balboa-like tear, and rightfully so, but it hides what was nearly a Clubber Lang moment from the Chicago Street Race a week ago.
That challenger was Michael McDowell, who caught van Gisbergen off guard from the drop of the green flag in Chicago, leading the first 31 laps before a faulty throttle cable sent his hopes of an upset up in smoke.
Flash forward to Sunday’s (July 13) race at Sonoma Raceway, a track that McDowell has been close to mastering before. Once again, despite some valiant attempts, he came up short of a knockout blow, finishing the race in fourth.
Adamantly disappointed in his 15th-place qualifying run, McDowell went to work, nearly cracking the top 10 before pitting to flip stage one. That charge eventually got McDowell into the top 10 in the second stage, when he flipped the stage once again to finish the stage in 13th.
The first caution for cause flew on lap 62, and while nearly everyone stayed out, McDowell’s crew chief Travis Peterson called McDowell to pit road. Believing they could make it to the end of the race, it was a gamble by the No. 71 team in hopes of things breaking their way to score a victory.
When the field began making green flag pit stops nearly 20 laps later, McDowell assumed the lead momentarily before he gave way to the fresher tires of van Gisbergen. Another caution on lap 96 allowed McDowell to put new tires on and balance himself with the rest of the field.
Three more cautions gave McDowell the opportunity to pounce on restarts, working his way up to fourth before settling there to score his second top five on road courses this season.
A driver who wears his heart on his sleeve, McDowell and Co. have been adamant that a win has to come soon if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. And though a fourth-place run is a stout result, it likely isn’t consolation to what could have been in Chicago.
Notable Underdog Runs
The top 10 rundown was quiet in the underdog department, with McDowell being the lone representative of the bunch.
Justin Haley tagged in as the next highest finisher, racking up a 15th-place performance.
It was a relatively quiet day for the Winamac, Ind., native, who tallied stage finishes of 16th and 18th while fighting in the hornet’s nest mid-pack.
Some off-roading action and contact with Noah Gragson with 11 laps remaining added some extra drama, but cautions fell Haley’s way in the closing portion of the race, leading to his first top 15 since Texas Motor Speedway in May.
And while van Gisbergen dominated nearly every category, Haley received a bonus point for scoring the fastest lap of the race.
If you’re a basketball fan, you likely remember the run dubbed “Linsanity,” named after the shocking tear brought on by undrafted NBA player Jeremy Lin, who took the NBA by storm in early 2012 by scoring 25 points per game with the New York Knicks over a nine-game stretch.
Well, welcome to “Dillonsanity,” where Ty Dillon continues to be the talk of the inaugural In-Season Challenge, entering as the lowest seed and now standing as one of the final four drivers left in the bracket.
Looking to keep his bracket-busting streak alive, Dillon struggled with rear lateral grip in the first stage, a common complaint across the field. However, he stayed out while most drivers pitted before the end of stage one, finishing sixth to score five stage points. Dillon mirrored stage one with another sixth-place stage result in stage two by staying out once again.
Despite the stage points, Dillon floundered just inside the top 30 for most of the event, continuing to struggle with the rear security of his car.
However, the string of cautions in the closing laps allowed Dillon to emerge through the chaos and inch closer to his bracket opponent Alex Bowman. A final caution with seven laps remaining set the two up near each other, signaling the need for a clutch moment.
A clutch moment it was … for Dillon, who passed Bowman and drove to 17th by the finish to punch his ticket to the semi-finals. And with that, the Cinderella story runs on.
Despite the chaos of the bracket, Dillon is on a “Linsanity” run of his own, scoring three consecutive top 20s for the first time since 2022.
Dillon’s next opponent? None other than a fellow Cinderella himself, John Hunter Nemechek. In an all-Legacy Motor Club match-up, Nemechek defeated his teammate Erik Jones to move on to the challenge’s final four. It was a lackluster showdown between the two, as both were involved in incidents, leading to Nemechek squeezing out the victory with a 28th-place finish to Jones’ 29th-place result.
AJ Allmendinger appeared to be the prime candidate to challenge van Gisbergen for the win, qualifying fifth and displaying plenty of speed in practice. The veteran was also pleased with the balance of his car, presenting a dangerous scenario to the field in the form of one of the sport’s best road racers.
Allmendinger ran inside the top 10 for the majority of the first half, struggling with rear grip on the long run. Yet, his speed was still evident, and some of his lap times were even matching the eventual race winner van Gisbergen.
Unfortunately, his fortunes went south in stage two, when Allmendinger spun in turn 2 and fell to the rear of the field. Despite still putting up impressive lap times, the lost track position was never recovered, and the Los Gatos, Calif., native could only recover to 18th.
Underdog Power Rankings
1. Allmendinger (–): Another road course, another missed opportunity for Allmendinger, whose chances to either win or point his way into the playoffs are beginning to be swept out to sea with each passing week. Yet, outside of McDowell’s top five, his underdog peers didn’t mount enough of a challenge to dethrone him from the top spot. He will look to hold serve at Dover Motor Speedway, where he finished 13th last season.
2. McDowell (NR): Sonoma was “California Love” for McDowell compared to his underdog compatriots. Though he too came up short of a needed win, it was a nice bounce back from a gut-wrenching retirement from the Chicago street course a week ago. Miles the Monster has haunted McDowell at Dover, where he only has three top 20s in 24 starts, albeit several of those starts coming with significantly underfunded teams.
3. Dillon (NR): With the Cinderella run he’s been on in the In-Season Challenge, it’s impossible to ignore the sheer will Dillon has displayed the past few weeks. Dover may present a tall order to keep the dream going, where the 33-year-old has only finished in the top 20 twice. But if we’ve learned one thing recently, it’s to never count him out.
4. Haley (NR): Given McDowell’s recent speed and the raw talent of Carson Hocevar, Haley has made little noise at Spire Motorsports this season. His first top 15 in over two months is a solid step forward, however, and he could carry some confidence into Dover, where he finished 11th in 2022.
5. Jones (-3): Back-to-back finishes outside the top 20 and elimination from the In-Season Challenge have Jones ready to leave road courses behind for a while, but he still holds steady at 18th in the points standings. He missed last year’s race at Dover due to injury, but finished 16th and 10th in his two previous starts at the mile-long track.
Honorable Mentions: Hocevar, Nemechek, Zane Smith
Small Team Scheme of the Week
Advancing to the semi-finals of the In-Season Challenge by a hair, Nemechek also takes home top scheme honors with a beautiful Mobil 1 livery.
An alternate of previous schemes we have seen run across the Toyota fleet, a modernized burst of color on the door complimented a nose that gives me shades of the Mobil 1 cars from the Tony Stewart days. If LMC is looking for a permanent scheme for the brand’s appearances, this one deserves to stay long-term.
Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.