McDowell hoped Sunday’s race would be his chance to win his first race of the season. He’s had a tough start to the year and needs a win to make it to the playoffs.
At the new 1.99-mile road course, his car was fast during practice and qualifying. He started the race in 12th place and did well in the first stage.
But later, during Stage 2, McDowell got caught up in a crash with other drivers. This made him go to the pit for repairs, which set him back in the race.
Even though he fell behind, McDowell slowly caught up to the leaders. When Martin Truex Jr. ran out of fuel at the start of the last lap, McDowell saw a chance to win, but Kyle Larson won the race.
McDowell was proud of his team’s effort and the speed of his car, but he was disappointed to finish second. He knows he needs a win to make it to the playoffs.
“I feel like we had the speed, which it hurts. It hurts to finish second,” he said. “We desperately need a win to make the playoffs, but I’m proud of the effort and proud of the speed we had. Just a little bit short.”
He believed that he needed some help in the last laps to have a chance to catch Larson. “I was pushing pretty hard. I don’t know how much more I could have got,” he said. “I needed (Larson) to battle with (Truex) a little bit more… Our long run was our strength. It’s just a shame.”
