Top Dog: Michael McDowell
To be candid, covering the underdogs is exciting. Generally, underdog stories are not heavily covered on broadcasts, with the exception of the occasional breakthrough performances. Yet, when you delve into their weekends, you can find an extra appreciation for their accomplishments.
Sometimes, those weekends are more valuable than others (or empty), especially when the nature of a race or track swings the tide heavily against the underdogs.
Look no further than Dover Motor Speedway. There’s a reason that Miles the Monster stands as its mascot, and underdogs have typically been a favorite portion of Miles’ feasting. Once again, that was the case at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (July 20).
Michael McDowell led a roster of underdogs that were absent from the top 10, with McDowell leading the pack in 13th.
Rain put a damper on much of the weekend, including the cancellation of both NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying, but it was a welcome sight for McDowell’s starting position. The Spire Motorsports driver rolled off the grid in seventh by virtue of his fourth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway and the No. 71 team’s position in the owners’ standings.
McDowell stayed inside the top 10 up to the competition caution on lap 35, but a string of cars followed close behind looking to pounce. One by one, they chipped away at the veteran driver, who slid to 15th by the end of stage one.
McDowell neutralized his standing in the second stage, improving by one spot to 14th. With reports of rain on the way in the final stage, McDowell’s team attempted to win the rain game and run long during green flag stops. However, the rain didn’t appear in time, and McDowell was forced to pit.
The Phoenix, Ariz. sat in 13th when precipitation arrived a second time, and despite varying strategies and wrecks once the race resumed, held steady in that spot to score his career-best result at Dover.
At one point, there was certainly a chance that the 40-year-old could point his way into the playoffs in his first season with Spire. Those hopes are beginning to evaporate, parting the way for the need to win. However, given his strength at the Chicago street course, a top five at Sonoma, and a respectable showing at Dover, McDowell could be piecing together some much needed momentum for the last road course of the regular season at Watkins Glen International (August 10).
Notable Underdog Runs
While Carson Hocevar will more than likely have to answer more questions on his weekly Twitch stream about what plagued him this time with a 35th-place disappointment, Spire had an overall efficient day. Justin Haley joined McDowell in the top 20 with a 17th-place finish, backing up a top 15 at Sonoma.
After slipping from his 20th-place starting spot, Haley slowly progressed throughout the race. He finished 24th in stage one before following it up with a 23rd-place stage two result.
Trapped a lap down when rain hit the track, Haley received the free pass on lap 393 when Christopher Bell spun. Ironically, he was the free pass beneficiary of another Bell spin on lap 260. Returning to the lead lap, as well as a following caution allowed Haley to drive up to 17th, his second top 20 at The Monster Mile.
Perhaps, this may be the main event of this weekend’s column: the In-Season Challenge rampage of Ty Dillon.
First, he took down Denny Hamlin in the first round. Next, Brad Keselowski fell victim to Dillon’s surge. Then, Alex Bowman was moved by Dillon on the last lap at Sonoma to propel the Kaulig Racing driver into the semi-finals of the challenge.
His opponent this week was John Hunter Nemechek, a fellow bracket buster who hasn’t quite had the consistency of Dillon in recent weeks. To say the least, the match-up was far from elite, yet entertaining.
Dillon took the point after stage one, sitting in 21st while Nemechek was mired in 28th. However, the pendulum swung the other way in stage two, as loose-handling conditions plagued Dillon, allowing Nemechek to surpass him in 24th while Dillon was 25th.
Despite both drivers falling a lap down, they stayed within reach of each other, with Nemechek holding the advantage most of the way. When the rains descended with 14 laps remaining, Nemechek sat in 24th with Dillon one spot behind him. However, the story was just beginning.
Once the race resumed, Dillon passed Nemechek before the yellow flew for Bell’s spin. Another accident in overtime saw Dillon sitting in the free pass position, returning him to the lead lap while Nemechek was stuck a lap down.
Two green flag laps later, and Dillon’s improbable run continued, as he finished 20th to top Nemechek and advance to the final round of the tournament.
Criticism has been drawn for the amount of heavy hitters who went out early, and those arguments have some validity. However, it also creates intriguing storylines such as this, and it will be Dillon versus Ty Gibbs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a million dollars and bragging rights.
Though it may seem like a David versus Goliath match-up given Gibbs’s Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, don’t close the book on this Cinderella story, something Dillon has already proven shouldn’t be done. The Kaulig Racing driver owns two top 15s and four top 20s in five starts at The Brickyard. Meanwhile, Gibbs finished 23rd in his only start there, and while he has every capability to improve upon that, the advantage may not be as one-sided as perceived.
Underdog Power Rankings
1. McDowell (+1): A rock solid performance compared to his underdog peers, McDowell’s 13th-place finish helps build momentum for the weeks ahead . A win is increasingly the only realistic option for McDowell’s playoff hopes, but perhaps a visit to the site of one of his wins will do the trick when the series returns to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Granted, McDowell won on the road course layout, but Indianapolis has wild card potential depending on the race’s character.
2. Dillon (+1): No, Dillon hasn’t been spectacular compared to several performances from other underdogs this season, but recently, he’s been one of the most consistent. Correspondingly, he will fight for a million dollars next week for the In-Season Challenge crown. And as mentioned above, Dillon’s Indianapolis past doesn’t put him at much of a disadvantage as may be supposed compared to his opponent, Gibbs.
3. Haley (+1): Another quietly solid performance by Haley backs up a top 15 at Sonoma, and Haley suddenly is beginning to regain some footing in what has been a rocky season given the preseason expectations for this team. He could keep the top 20 string going, as his lone start on Indianapolis’ rectangular track produced a 20th-place result with Rick Ware Racing a year ago.
4. Nemechek (NR): There isn’t much to gloat about from Nemechek’s Dover performance, as he finished 21st and subsequently lost his semi-final match-up to Dillon in the In-Season Challenge. However, the misfortunes of the underdogs around him were a factor in propelling him back into the rankings. He finished 29th at Indianapolis a year ago, but does own a 15th-place showing dating back to 2020 with Front Row Motorsports.
5. Zane Smith (NR): Restarting the race didn’t pan out well for Smith, who was on his way to a respectable result before a late crash relegated him to 22nd. Smith will join several others in making their second start on the Indianapolis oval layout, where he finished 27th a year ago.
Honorable Mentions: AJ Allmendinger, Hocevar
Small Team Scheme of the Week
It was a relatively quiet weekend for paint schemes as well with most drivers sporting familiar looks this season. So how about some love for a primary scheme?
Primary schemes typically fall beside the wayside because of their frequency, but that shouldn’t take anything away from the design. Case in point, Haley’s No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, featuring the familiar blue and yellow colors that compliment a black base.
It’s sporty, yet simple in design, making it stand out this week.
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.