Michael McDowell took the lead from pole-sitter Daniel Suárez on lap 6 of the Verizon 200 and, for the most part, never looked back. Starting from fourth on the grid, he was second by the end of the first lap and then made the pass on Suárez coming out of the final corner on lap 6.
With only one caution thrown in the 85-lap race – on lap 2 – McDowell capitalized on the track position and some crafty driving to get the win and secure his second NASCAR Cup Series playoff appearance.
“These guys gave me everything today,” McDowell said. “I don’t know if it was dominant, but it felt dominant to me.”
Verizon 200 results
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Shane van Gisbergen (91), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Brodie Kostecki (33), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Mike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Jenson Button (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Andy Lally (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Josh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Kamui Kobayashi (67), 23XI Racing Toyota
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin goes long for Stage 2 win
Denny Hamlin rode a bold pit strategy – that is not pitting at all – to win Stage 2 ahead of Michael McDowell and Daniel Suárez. McDowell got ahead of Suárez as they caught Hamlin and a similarly off-strategy Brad Keselowski in the final sequence of corners.
The eventual race lead appeared to be Suárez’s to lose thanks to a bold move earlier in the stage. Suárez gained about five car lengths on McDowell with an aggressive pit entry as both stopped on lap 17. That helped get him off pit road ahead of McDowell and eventually in the race lead after the first round of green-flag stops cycled through.
A.J. Allmendinger’s frustrating weekend continued on lap 30 when he and Ryan Blaney made contact exiting the final turn, spinning Allmendinger around. “He will absolutely get destroyed if I get back to him,” Allmendinger said of Blaney on team radio
McDowell pips Suárez for Stage 1 win
Michael McDowell won the 15-lap opening stage on the Indy road course, improving from his fourth-place grid spot. McDowell took the lead from pole-sitter Daniel Suárez coming out of turn 14 on lap 6 following a restart for an incident involving Justin Haley and Joey Logano.
Haley brought out the first caution of the day with a hard smack of the tire barrier entering the Hulman straight on lap 2 after contact from Logano. That enabled William Byron – who had to start at the back and serve a drive-through penalty on the start – to catch the rest of the field. Logano went around again entering turn 1 on the ensuing restart.
Verizon 200 starting grid
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Shane van Gisbergen (91), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kamui Kobayashi (67), 23XI Racing Toyota
Andy Lally (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Jenson Button (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Josh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Mike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brodie Kostecki (33), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Verizon 200 TV/Streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday11:35 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.: Practice (NBC Sports app)12:35 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Qualifying (NBC Sports app)
Sunday2:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Verizon 200 (NBC, NBC Sports app)
Verizon 200 details
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (14-turn, 2.43-mile clockwise hybrid racing facility)Length: 82 laps for just under 200 milesLast year's winner: Tyler Reddick (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Top drivers and best bets for the Verizon 200
Road racing requires quite a different skill set than the ovals that make up the majority of the schedule and as such, just four drivers who excel at it enter the weekend at better than 10-to-1 odds according to BetMGM.
Best odds to winMartin Truex Jr. +500Tyler Reddick +525Chase Elliott +700Shane van Gisbergen +850
Truex has five road course wins in his 17 seasons, including one earlier this season at Sonoma. Reddick has won three times on road courses in the past two seasons, including this event a year ago. Elliott rattled off seven road course wins from 2018-2021, and van Gisbergen won in his debut at the Chicago street race earlier this season.
Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on the odds and suggests good mid-tier value can be found in 2021 Indy road course winner A.J. Allmendinger (+1400) and Chris Buescher (+2000) who has won the last two races on the trot.
William Byron barred from qualifying
NASCAR parked William Byron's No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Saturday's qualifying session after it failed inspection three times. The issue was with the right front fender. In addition to starting at the back of the field for the race, Byron's crew chief Tyler Jones is out for the weekend and Byron will have to serve a drive-through.
Noah Gragson out at LMC
Five days after NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club both suspended Noah Gragson indefinitely, the team released the driver of the No. 42 Chevrolet. Last week Gragson liked a meme on Instagram mocking the 2020 death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
Accomplished endurance car veteran Mike Rockenfeller will drive the No. 42 car this weekend and next weekend at Watkins Glen — another road course.
Shane van Gisbergen leads list of road course ringers
Last month van Gisbergen became the first driver in 60 years to win his debut Cup Series event when he was victorious in the Chicago street race and he's back in the third Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet entry.
Van Gisbergen's fellow Supercar competitor Brodie Kostecki will drive in a one-off role for a third Richard Childress Racing entry (the No. 33). F1 2009 world champion Jenson Button will make his third Cup start in the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford. Andy Lally will make his 43rd Cup Series start in the No. 51 Rick Ware entry. Kamui Kobayshi, who started 75 F1 races from 2009-2014, will drive a third 23XI Racing entry (the No. 67) in his Cup debut.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble
With Buescher’s back-to-back wins over the past two weeks, at least one driver who has not won in 2023 will be among the playoff field. Here’s what the playoff bubble looks like:
Driver – points ahead of/behind cut lineKevin Harvick – +180Brad Keselowski – +168Bubba Wallace – +58Ty Gibbs – +3—Michael McDowell – -3Daniel Suárez – -5A.J. Allmendinger – -24Alex Bowman – -44
Verizon 200 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAustin Cindric (2), Team Penske FordAustin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing ChevroletKevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing FordKyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletBrad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing FordCorey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports ChevroletKyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing ChevroletChase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletAric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing FordDenny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaRyan Blaney (12), Team Penske FordChase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing FordJenson Button (15), Rick Ware Racing FordA.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing ChevroletChris Buescher (17), RFK Racing FordMartin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaChristopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaHarrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing FordJoey Logano (22), Team Penske FordBubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing ToyotaWilliam Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletJustin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing ChevroletBrodie Kostecki (33), Richard Childress Racing ChevroletMichael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports FordTodd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports FordRyan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing FordMike Rockenfeller (42), Legacy Motor Club ChevroletErik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club ChevroletTyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing ToyotaRicky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing ChevroletAlex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletAndy Lally (51), Rick Ware Racing FordTy Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing ToyotaKamui Kobayashi (67), 23XI Racing ToyotaTy Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports ChevroletJosh Bilicki (78), Live Fast Motorsports FordShane van Gisbergen (91), Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDaniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Weather for the Verizon 200
The forecast calls for warm temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s and a more than likely chance of rain on Saturday and Sunday. Thunderstorms are forecast for Saturday's Cup series qualifying and IndyCar race, while there's a 66% chance of rain for Sunday's Cup race.