“Is Michael Schumacher” – Fans Enthralled as Chase Elliott Has a New Rival Stealing His Throne

In a heart-pounding conclusion to the 25th and penultimate race of the NASCAR regular season, racing enthusiasts were treated to the spectacle of strategy and speed at Watkins Glen International. In an epic final showdown between Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, the former came out victorious. But one person that William will have to thank for his podium is Front Row Motorsport’s Michael McDowell, winner of the previous week’s road course race at Indianapolis.

Amidst the roaring engines and high-speed maneuvers, Michael got off to an extremely promising start with the determination to secure consecutive wins and led the initial stages of the race, but his luck quickly turned stale as fate aligned with an engine elsewhere. But that was not reason enough for fans to not notice the brilliance that Michael has been displaying at road courses.

As they went berserk over the skill that he showed at the Glen, some even thought he was getting the better of Chase Elliott in ruling the road courses.

Fans react to Michael McDowell’s Stage 1 dominance at Watkins Glen

With unmistakable determination, Michael’s Mustang burst into the track, asserting dominance by seizing the lead early on from Denny Hamlin on lap 4. Michael powered past challengers like William Byron and displayed impressive speed and technique to maintain his lead on 8 laps until the end of stage 1. Each twist and turn that he took seemed to be perfect, and the odds were beginning to align in his favor. Watching his tenacity, fans who couldn’t control their emotions took to Twitter to express their admiration for Michael’s road course mastery.

One fan, who was mightily impressed with what he saw, tweeted.

The young Chase Elliott has always been considered one of the best when it came to racing on road courses. And the 24-year-old’s achievements do speak for it. But for this one fan, it was Michael, who was the king of road courses now.

Watching the No. 34 Mustang go past Denny Hamlin at the tricky turn 2 must have definitely set hearts ablaze. That’s precisely what this one fan felt as he compared NASCAR’s Michael with another Michael who set fire to race tracks in Formula 1.

With Chase Elliott nowhere to be seen to challenge Michael McDowell, he went on to end the race’s first stage in pole position and looked poised for the win when a series of setbacks hit and shut the day down for him.

With penalties and electric problems marring a potential win, what’s next for Michael?

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By the end of the 1st stage, many fans were thoroughly enjoying the show and hopping on the train to celebrate Michael’s consecutive win.

But the winds turned against the expectations of fans as Michael ran over too many pit boxes on his stop at the end of Stage 1. The first blow of many to come, he was penalized heavily for this mistake and ended up losing his lead. As he climbed back from below, he was still able to beat Chase Elliott to enter the top 10, but he again faced a penalty, courtesy of a team member’s mistake. The final blow came when his Mustang faced engine issues and stopped him from completing the race.

Had Michael followed through on his stage 1 performance throughout the day, it was all but certain that he would have won, or at the very least, provided tough competition to William Byron. Stakeholders, such as NASCAR writer Gabe Perrin, who were pinning all their hopes on him winning a second road course race would have surely been left disappointed.

But the important aspect to notice in Michael’s fall from the top at Watkins Glen is that it wasn’t caused by any insane mistake of his own. Had it been a different day and had luck worked out in favor of him, he would’ve ended up winning the race. With that thought, it can be said that the opinions that fans voiced about Michael’s road course endeavors can’t be snubbed. Now, time will tell us if he will go on to replace Chase Elliott as the true king of the NASCAR road courses.

Michael McDowell has already secured his playoff spot and we will be watching the No. 34 Ford Mustang of Front Row Motorsports again next weekend at the Daytona International Speedway.

Read More: “Get the Fu*k Out”: Michael McDowell & Co Pleaded for Help From Rivals to Beat Chase Elliott