Michael McDowell gutted by crash after coming close to NASCAR Texas win
“We had an opportunity to win the race”.
Michael McDowell came close to winning the NASCAR Cup Series race in Texas, but ultimately crashed out of the event while running in third.
McDowell was leading the closing stages of the Wurth 400 in the #71 Spire Motorsport Chevrolet, having passed the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kyle Larson on lap 244.
But as the race neared its conclusion, McDowell came under pressure from the Penske's Joey Logano, who overtook him just four laps from the finish.
The pass unsettled the 40-year-old, who subsequently dropped behind the other Penske Ford of Blaney into third place.
A first podium since last year’s Sonoma event was still on the cards for McDowell, but he blew that away on the following lap when he lost control of his car at Turn 2 and slammed the barriers on the back straight.
He was eventually classified 26th.
McDowell felt gutted by his late-race incident, having had a shot at giving his new team Spire Motorsports its first Cup Series victory since Justin Haley’s triumph at the Daytona 400 in 2019.
“I just really hate it for everyone on this No. 71 Chevrolet," he said. "We were giving it everything, we had there to try to keep track position.
“Joey [Logano] got a run there, and I tried to block it. I went as far as I think you could probably go.
“When [Ryan] Blaney slid up in front of me, it just took the air off of it and I just lost the back of it. I still had the fight in me, but I probably should have conceded at that point.
“But I’m just proud of everyone at Spire Motorsports. I know that’s not the day we wanted, but we had an opportunity to win the race.
“I’m really proud of everyone at the Hendrick Motorsports engine shop – you guys saw those restarts, the motors were ripping. Just hate that we didn’t get it done, but we knew we had to go for it. We went for it and it didn't work out."
McDowell, who split with Front Row Motorsports after 2024 to join Spire Motorsports, sits 20th in the standings with a best finish of 11th.
