When rumors surfaced that Hyak Motorsports could fold after 2026, the domino effect following Michael McDowell’s seat began. If Ricky Stenhouse Jr. needed a new ride, many saw McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet as the obvious destination. On the other hand, Kyle Busch also began looming as a possible replacement for McDowell. So, talk of McDowell potentially being replaced was already circulating. Now, ahead of Watkins Glen, McDowell stepped into media availability and unintentionally added another person’s name, while clarifying that he’s not yet done.

“He’s a great young man, and I don’t say that lightly,” the No.71 driver said, praising Tristan McKee at a media availability. “I’ll retire when he’s ready to go Cup racing, lord willing.”

Context matters. When McDowell joined Spire on a multi-year deal ahead of 2025, he delivered one of the strongest seasons of his career, a personal-best three top-five finishes. The seat felt secure. 2026 has been a different story, though.

Outside of a fifth-place run at COTA and a ninth at Phoenix, McDowell has been adrift. He has not finished better than 18th in any of his last seven starts. Heading into Watkins Glen, he sits 23rd in the standings and 53 points below the provisional playoff cut line.

The contrast with his Spire teammates makes that slide harder to ignore. Carson Hocevar, who locked in a long-term extension earlier this year, sits sixth in the points after winning at Talladega. Daniel Suarez, who arrived on a one-year deal with team options, has exceeded expectations and carries a career-best average finish. Both teammates would be in the Chase if the regular season ended today (Suarez sits 14th). McDowell would not.

For a team that has visibly invested in its future, with McKee progressing through ARCA, and the broader ASCENT development program in place, an underperforming veteran is exactly the kind of situation that generates roster speculation.

McKee’s own résumé has only sharpened that dynamic:

• Won the ARCA Menards Series race at Watkins Glen on debut, five days after turning 15
• Finished second at Phoenix Raceway and then 18th at Watkins Glen International due to a mechanical failure.
• Claimed victory at Hickory Motor Speedway with a three-wide pass
• Dominated from flag to flag at Rockingham Speedway, leading every lap
• Running full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East in 2026

In fact, back in August 2025, after McKee’s stunning ARCA debut win at Watkins Glen, McDowell had similarly joked.

“Obviously, I’m vested here at Spire and plan on being here a long time,” he said. “And we’ll have a part in picking my replacement, which it looks like my replacement’s been picked. The faster he (Mckee) gets through all these series, the faster I’m going to be out of the seat.”

So, while McDowell’s comments prove that he is not pretending otherwise, what they are not is a resignation. The hunger within the veteran is still very much alive, and Watkins Glen would be the perfect place to showcase.

McDowell can prove himself at The Glen

With all the hype surrounding the road course ace Shane Van Gisbergen at Watkins, it’s important to remember that it’s actually Michael McDowell who has quietly been the most consistent front-runner there in the Next Gen era. McDowell has logged 155 laps inside the top five at Watkins Glen since 2022, the most of any Driver in the Cup Series.

That’s even more than SVG, despite the New Zealander winning and finishing second in his two starts at the track, including last year’s dominant 11-second victory over Christopher Bell.

It’s worth noting that Michael McDowell has raced in all four Next Gen races at Watkins Glen, while Shane van Gisbergen has only made two starts there so far. That gap in appearances is the main reason why van Gisbergen sits behind him in the standings. What still makes McDowell’s numbers impressive is that every other driver behind him on the list has run in all four Watkins Glen races in the Next Gen era.

Qualifying has also been a big part of McDowell’s success at the track. He’s qualified inside the top 10 in each of the last four races, including third-place starting positions in both 2022 and 2023. He collected stage points in three of the four stages of those events.