A steering rack change on the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet will send Michael McDowell to the rear of the field prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix. McDowell qualified seventh for the race.

Justin Haley and Carson Hocevar both wound up with DNFs while Michael McDowell is currently multiple laps down.

This Phoenix race has been sloppy in the first two stages. Chase Briscoe was involved in a HUGE wreck in Stage 2. Right after Michael McDowell brought out the caution for a flat right rear, the NASCAR field got wadded up in the back.

Michael McDowell has been racing in the NASCAR Cup Series since ... an organization he joined in 2025 that has two young drivers on its roster in Justin Haley (25) and Carson Hocevar (22). Hocevar, who has been known for his aggressive driving, made ...

Justin Haley seems to have lucked out that the Spire Motorsports cars are significantly faster than they were last season (and even faster than the Rick Ware cars he had last year), but it doesn't seem to have much to do with him as Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell have looked faster all year

Justin Haley has a reputation as a strong road racer because of a couple genuinely strong runs at Chicago in 2023 and the Charlotte roval in 2022 that don't seem to be representative of his usual performance.