VIDEO: Michael McDowell talks Chicago top-10, street courses, bubble battle

CHICAGO — Michael McDowell’s top-10 finish, with two fifth-place stage finishes, at the Chicago Street Course put him 10 points out of the playoffs.

McDowell earned 42 points, the most he has earned in a single race in 2023. Combined with Daniel Suarez’s struggles and outrunning eventual bubble driver Ty Gibbs, McDowell moved from 27 points out of the playoffs to just 10.

With eight races to go until the playoffs, McDowell has three road courses, two drafting tracks and Pocono, where he finished sixth in 2023.

He discussed what he needs to cut down the 10-point gap and how the street course felt compared to other street courses he has experience with.