Indianapolis – A look at the winners and losers from Sunday’s Cup race in Indianapolis.
The winners
Michael McDowell – He scored his second victory in the cup, and this was no accident. He led 54 of 82 laps, including the final 30. He stayed ahead of Chase Elliott, the winningest active road course driver. McDowell did a lot to help build Front Row Motorsports and paired with rookie crew chief Travis Peterson It is such an example.
Chase Elliott – His second-place finish wasn’t the win he needed in the playoffs, but he tied for his best finish of the season. He has two more chances to make the playoffs. Fun fact: Elliott has finished second both times McDowell has won the Cup (2021 Daytona 500 and Sunday’s race at Indy).
Alex Bowman – Fifth place ended a streak of 13 races without a top 10 finish.
Shane van Gisbergen – He didn’t feel well before the race and had some problems with his car finishing 10th in his second career Cup start. While he may not return to another NASCAR race this season due to his Supercars schedule, fans should see a lot more of him next year in various NASCAR series as he moves to the United States.
losers
AJ Allmendinger – Going within 24 points of the last playoff game, he had just had a miserable weekend. He was frustrated after the 26 qualifiers and things were not going well in the race. He finished 26th and had 87 points from the last playoff game.
Kyle Bush – An engine problem slowed his car and resulted in a 37th-place finish in a row. He has finished 36th or worse in three of the last five races.