Michael McDowell Recovers To Second At Sonoma After Off-Track Excursion
3 months agoMichael McDowell made a surprise charge to finish second on Sunday, giving him his best finish both at Sonoma and this year. His finish was improbable, as he was caught up in a crash in the grass with Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson, but McDowell's strategy was on point, while many other contenders made their final pit stops too early, forcing Chris Buescher to slow down to save fuel and causing Martin Truex Jr. to run out of fuel on the last lap, which elevated McDowell from fourth to second in the last five laps. However, his playoff chances are significantly worse than they were last year because the Indianapolis Road Course race he dominated last year was replaced by the oval, and the Watkins Glen race is now in the playoffs, which leaves Chicago and Daytona as his only realistic possibilities for regular-season wins, and those are both unlikely.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference