This past weekend, NASCAR held the Chicago Street Race in Grant Park for a third consecutive year. DePaul landed a partnership with Spire Motorsports and was featured on Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1.
“Partnering with Spire Motorsports for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race allows us to spotlight DePaul on a national stage while embracing a global event in our own backyard,” said DePaul Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy. “It’s the perfect example of how we’re using sports to elevate our visibility and create real-world learning experiences for our students.”
DePaul went full throttle with a partnership, but McDowell wasn’t able to go full throttle in the race.

He started in second place and led each of the opening 31 laps; he passed Shane van Gisbergen — the winner of the Cup Series — in the opening corner.
There was an issue with McDowell’s throttle cable that sent him to the service lane, and ultimately took him out of the running for the win.
“The throttle cable just broke,” McDowell said to NASCAR post-race. “I don’t know what caused it or how it got to that spot, but that’s what happened. I feel like we had control of the race the whole race.
“I was behind the pace car, and the throttle stuck wide-open. Luckily, I got to the switches fast enough before I ran into something, and then a cable broke after that. It’s just a shame. We had a great car,” McDowell said.
McDowell ended up finishing in 32nd place, 22 laps behind van Gisbergen.
“Epic weekend for us. I’m a lucky guy,” van Gisbergen said to the Associated Press.
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