Michael McDowell won on Indy road course last year. Can he do same on Brickyard oval?

INDIANAPOLIS — With the Brickyard 400 returning to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, Michael McDowell, driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet, is anxious to get back to victory lane at the famed Indiana track.

Being a past winner there offers a few unexpected perks.

“It's been fun this morning just driving in and seeing your big face on the side of the racetrack,” McDowell said Friday. “… It's cool to be able to come back and take it in a little bit, because the last time I was sitting in this media center there (in 2023) there was so much adrenaline, so much going on through your mind. It's hard to really take in the moment because so much (was) happening. So even just walking back up here, it was just great memories of that day and what it meant.

”You go through an entire season and you sometimes forget how special of an event this is until you get here and you see it and you look around and you walk through the garages. So yeah, it's been fun.”

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McDowell’s win came on Indy's 2.4-mile road course Grand Grix circuit last August. The Arizona native hopes to be able to add a Brickyard 400 victory to his resume during the 30th anniversary weekend.

“It would be awesome,” McDowell said. “I think that winning here is special. When you're talking about the road courses versus the oval, the oval is prestigious. The Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 are prestigious events. Not to say that the road course isn't prestigious because absolutely, anytime that you win at Indy, it's prestigious, but to do it on the traditional yard of bricks, going the right direction, I think it would probably one-up the road course victory. People asked me this week and last week about how I feel about us coming back to the oval. It's so hard to answer because if you asked me today, what would I rather do, I'd rather race the road course because I would say our probability of winning is probably higher. But as a fan and as somebody that appreciates the sport, I think we should be racing on the oval because of what it means and the history of it. That's the best way that I could describe it.”

McDowell has a reputation for running well on road courses. He has two Cup Series wins in his career in the 2021 Daytona 500 and at Indianapolis last season. Also, a win in 2024 will be important to secure a spot in the Playoffs with only five races remaining before eliminations of drivers and teams begin Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

He and his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team owned by Bob Jenkins are running well and are contenders to win wherever they go in 2024. Even though McDowell will be joining Spire MotorSports in 2025, he continues to race hard and has set his sights on being a Playoff contender before season's end.

Drivers face new challenge at Indy

The Gen 7 car that NASCAR teams presently race for the full 36-race season in the Cup Series will be a new challenge for drivers and teams at Indianapolis. The first practice session held on Friday, July 19, gave crew chiefs a first look at what to expect Sunday.

“Everything about this car is quicker in response as far as the car doesn't travel as much, the sidewalls not deflecting as much, and the steering; everything is more responsive and it's more nimble as far as that goes. But we have less downforce now than we did in most of those years that we were here. So yes, it does respond quicker but you're still taking a 4,000-pound heavy stock car that doesn't have a lot of down force," McDowell said.

“This is one of the tougher tracks for that. When you are in the car, you don't feel much banking at all here. It feels very flat and very fast getting into the corner. But what you said is right, this is a precision racetrack. When you make adjustments in the car, you are just trying to move 3 or 4 inches. You are not trying to move 3 or 4 feet. So here, I think it is going to be fun with this car because this car responds so well. So you should be able to race and dice it up a little bit more.”

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Michael McDowell won on Indy road course last year. Can he do same on Brickyard oval?