Verizon 200 highlights: Michael McDowell wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series' August schedule continued Sunday with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, and we had you covered with all the action from start to finish!
NASCAR's top stars battled it out over three stages and 82 laps on the world's third-oldest permanent auto racetrack. It was the 24th race of the 2023 Cup Series season, and the star-studded 39-car field was led by Daniel Suárez to start.
But it was Michael McDowell who led the pack to finish, clinching a spot in the playoffs with his first win of the season.
You can find a full list of winners so far this year, as well as the season's remaining schedule here.
Here are the top moments!
Green
Suárez led the opening lap over Tyler Reddick, who was immediately challenged by McDowell for second.
Quick contact!
The green flag was short-lived, as the caution came out on just the second lap when Joey Logano pushed Justin Haley off the track entering the backstretch on the Turn 5 exit. Haley went into the tire barrier at nearly full speed.
More contact!
Logano was soon involved in his second incident in the race's first six laps when he locked it up entering Turn 1 and ran right into the back of Ryan Blaney.
This time, Logano took on the brunt of the impact, as he spun out in a heap of smoke.
First of his career!
What a time for Michael McDowell! The 38-year-old collected the first stage win of his career and the first stage win for Front Row Motorsports following an impressive opening display, picking up 10 points and one playoff point in the process.
Behind McDowell was Suárez, followed by Chase Elliott, Reddick and Kyle Larson.
Going for a spin
AJ Allmendinger went for a spin in the second stage on the exit of Turn 12 after some contact from Blaney.
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin picked up the win in Stage 2 despite missing the exit to Turn 6, which nearly changed everything. McDowell, Suárez, Brad Keselowski and Elliott rounded out the top five finishers in the second stage.
Excuse me!
Suárez was aggressive on the backstretch and decided to bump Elliott out of the way to overtake him on Lap 48.
Chaos
The number 99 car had some trouble in the pits though, as he pulled off for a quick fix.
Boom!
Contact remained abundant throughout the races final stages, as this bump from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. sent Kamui Kobayashi flying.
Clinched!
McDowell stayed the course after his Stage 1 victory, and despite falling behind in the second stage, he was able to mount a comeback, and clinch a playoff spot with a resounding win.
PRE-RACE
Setting the stage
Ahead of the action, FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass broke down what and who to watch out for in Sunday's race.
