DePaul to serve as primary sponsor for Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1

CHICAGO (June 24, 2025) – DePaul University is excited to announce a partnership with Spire Motorsports for the 2025 NASCAR Chicago Street Race. DePaul will serve as the primary sponsor of Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1.

As part of the sponsorship, DePaul branding will be prominently featured on McDowell’s custom-designed No. 71 Chevy, his fire suit, pit road signage, and the Spire Motorsports crew shirts. Co-branded merchandise will also be available at the Chicago Street Race event and online.

National visibility through broadcast, digital and social media, and in-person audiences will create a powerful platform to feature the university to new audiences. The race is projected to draw more than 4 million viewers nationwide, building on the success of the inaugural 2023 event, which became the most-streamed NASCAR Cup Series race in NBC Sports history and the most-watched on NBC in six years. Locally, the event is expected to attract over 55,000 unique spectators from around the world, with more than half traveling to Chicago specifically to experience the race firsthand.

“At DePaul, we view athletics as the front porch of the university — a powerful entry point that invites the world to engage with our university,” said DePaul Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy. “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. Even more exciting, this collaboration will extend into our classrooms this fall, offering our students a hands-on look at the business and science behind professional racing. It’s the perfect example of how we’re using sports to elevate our visibility and create real-world learning experiences for our students.”

McDowell, a 17-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series with 518 starts, joined Spire Motorsports to pilot the No. 71 Chevrolet ZL1 ahead of the 2025 season. The Glendale, Ariz., native won the 2021 Daytona 500 and followed it up with a win in the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The father-of-five and road course ace has finished inside of the top-10 in both attempts at the Chicago Street Race, including a fifth-place result in 2024. So far this season, he has recorded one top-five, two top-10 and seven top-15 finishes, including a fifth-place showing at NASCAR’s most recent road-course race in the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

“I’m really looking forward to Chicago,” said McDowell. “We’re coming off some great momentum on road courses, and to have a cornerstone of the city like DePaul University on our car for the weekend is special. Chicago is a great city, and NASCAR has built a fantastic racetrack. It’s not every day you get to race through the streets. With the city as the backdrop, it’s a unique experience and a real opportunity for us to have success with a new partner like DePaul.”

This partnership will extend well beyond the race weekend. Later this fall, students in DePaul’s Physics and Sport Management programs will benefit from exclusive engagement opportunities with members of the Spire Motorsports team, gaining firsthand insights into the high-performance, data-driven landscape of professional racing.

This summer, in collaboration with NASCAR Chicago, DePaul’s School of Hospitality and Sports Business introduced a special topics course, HSB 198: A NASCAR Experience. As part of the curriculum, students will play an integral role in designing and executing the newly created College Tailgate at Turn 7—a fan engagement event tailored to college students during the race. Further anchoring this collaboration in the local community, the longstanding NASCAR internship program will continue to empower DePaul students and alumni, offering them leadership roles and on-the-ground experience during one of Chicago’s most prominent sporting events.

“This initiative reflects DePaul’s continued commitment to authentically embrace its identity as Chicago’s university,” said DePaul Chief Branding Officer Cristel Turner. “This collaboration brings DePaul into the cultural and civic spotlight through a bold, innovative partnership that connects us with new audiences to build brand interest and support enrollment growth. What truly sets DePaul apart is our teaching philosophy of layered learning that merges classroom education with real-world, project-based learning and service learning that unlock real-world opportunities for our students.”

DePaul students receive 20% off select race tickets for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. Learn more and purchase here.

Fans, students and alumni can tune in to see the No. 71 DePaul University Chevrolet ZL1 rally through the streets of Chicago July 6, at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) on TNT, MRN, SiriusXM, and MAX.

ABOUT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY…
DePaul University provides exceptional academics and real-world experiences to prepare students for a changing world. With more than 21,000 students across more than 300 academic programs, DePaul has two campus locations in Chicago. Students richly benefit from the city’s many opportunities. In turn, DePaul is one of the forces that shapes Chicago’s future. The university was founded in 1898 by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), a Roman Catholic religious community dedicated to following the ideals of St. Vincent de Paul. DePaul is among the nation’s top universities for diversity because of its long tradition of providing a high-quality education to students from a broad range of backgrounds. DePaul is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the Midwest and one of the largest Catholic universities in the nation. Visit DePaul.edu to learn more

ABOUT DEPAUL ATHLETICS…
DePaul’s 15 intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I, BIG EAST Conference. DePaul University began sponsoring athletics teams in the early 1900’s, with intercollegiate athletics coming to fruition in the 1920’s. Legendary coach Ray Meyer helped put DePaul on the map in the 1970’s as the men’s basketball program helped elevate the university to national prominence. Through a bold new vision for the future, DePaul Athletics looks to become the premier program in the BIG EAST Conference through a focus on winning championships with integrity, building champion students through education and intentional development, and serving as a visible ambassador for DePaul University and the Chicago community. DePaul Athletics has a storied tradition and is uniquely positioned to support the university’s mission and commitment to academic excellence, real world experience, community engagement, and systemic change. Further, the department is steadfast in its commitment to grow the university’s national exposure and enrollment through athletics. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com to learn more.

ABOUT SPIRE MOTORSPORTS…
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on May 30, 2025, when Rajah Caruth took the checkered flag in the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team also fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.

The Great American Getaway 400 – Pocono Raceway
Pocono, Pa. – June 22, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/TARKETT FORD MUSTANG
START: 19TH STAGE 1: 16TH STAGE 2: 7TH FINISH: 10TH POINTS: 15TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang Dark Horse team put together a strong, all-around effort in Sunday’s rain-delayed Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, earning a 10th-place finish after starting 19th. Following a delay of more than two hours due to weather, the green flag finally waved late Sunday afternoon. Cindric worked through a persistent free-handling condition but managed to close out Stage 1 in 16th as varying strategies played out across the field. He headed to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and restarted just outside the top 20. The No. 2 team continued to make gains throughout the evening as Cindric stayed out under several yellows to gain track position and restarted on the front row at one point before ultimately ending Stage 2 in seventh. After making a green-flag pit stop with just over 40 laps to go, Cindric raced his way back into the top 10 and took the checkered flag in 10th – his fourth top-10 finish of the season – as the Cup Series heads to Atlanta next, a strong track for entire Team Penske organization.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Yeah, really solid effort and honestly, a much needed blue-collar day. We’ve had a lot of speed over the last couple months. We just haven’t been able to put it all together and have a solid afternoon. I’m proud of the effort by everybody. Brian [Wilson] did a great job on strategy. I felt like I was able to capitalize on some important restarts and make some passes and get in position there. I think we’re maybe even a little better than that. But all in all, I can’t be too upset with the day – good points day.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WABASH FORD MUSTANG
START: 20TH STAGE 1: 12TH STAGE 2: 8TH FINISH: 3RD POINTS: 6TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Wabash Ford Mustang Dark Horse team faced early adversity Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway but battled back to secure their seventh top-five finish of the season in a third-place effort. Despite qualifying 20th, Blaney was forced to drop to the rear of the field due to the team replacing the starter prior to the 400-mile event, but the Wabash Ford powered its way through the field during the opening 30-lap stage to come away with a 12th-place finish in Stage 1. A caution on lap 55 saw varying strategies unfold in Stage 2, as crew chief Jonathan Hassler brought Blaney to pit road for fuel only under yellow, but a speeding penalty forced him to start at the tail end of the field for the ensuing restart. After getting four fresh tires on the second trip to pit road prior to the restart, Blaney worked his way back into the top-10 with three laps remaining in the stage before crossing the line eighth in Stage 2. With a majority of teams opting not to pit under the stage caution, Blaney took advantage of his track position to race his way into the top-five by lap 103 prior to the start of the final green flag pit cycle. After taking the lead on lap 122 during green flag stops, Blaney was eventually called to pit road with 37 laps to go but the caution came out while the Wabash Ford was on pit road, setting him up to take the final restart of the afternoon from the outside of row two with six-lap fresher tires than the leaders. Blaney settled into third in the running order as the final 30-lap run got underway but ultimately was unable to chase down the Nos. 19 and 11 in the closing laps in the third-place effort.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Really proud of the whole 12 guys from starting in the back, making good ground. Then me speeding set us back again and having to come back up there. Jonathan [Hassler] and the whole 12 team did a good job of kind of figuring out what to do from the start of the race and after my mistake. Yeah, just kind of stuck really there at the end, all three of us just kind of running the same pace. I appreciate Wabash, Ford Performance, Menards, BODYARMOR, DEX Imaging, and Advance Auto Parts. Really good day for us.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 12TH STAGE 1: 7TH STAGE 2: 11TH FINISH: 16TH POINTS: 10TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse turned in a 16th-place finish Sunday afternoon at Pocono. Following just over a two-hour rain delay, Logano fired off from 12th and took advantage of differing strategies throughout the field to come away with a seventh-place finish in the opening 30-lap stage. Logano worked his way back into the top-10 early on in Stage 2 as the balance began to settle in over the course of the run before the caution flag flew on lap 55 to reset the field. All of the leaders ahead of Logano decided to hit pit road, prompting crew chief Paul Wolfe to keep the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford on the track to assume the lead for the ensuing restart. Logano led the first five laps of the run before relinquishing the lead to the No. 48 before ultimately crossing the line 11th in Stage 2. Logano started the final stage from 10th, but a tight-handling condition in traffic mired Logano back to 16th during the start of the run. A caution in the middle of the green flag pit cycle with 36 laps remaining had Logano scored 20th at the time before picking up four spots in the final 30 laps as the race remained green the rest of the way.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Our Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang was pretty strong in clean air when we were able to get it but just struggled to gain ground with how tight we’d get in traffic all day. We did what we could strategy-wise to get us in that clean air but it just didn’t fall our way over the course of some of those longer runs.”

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its return to EchoPark Speedway on Saturday, June 28. Coverage from Atlanta of the Quaker State 400 begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero team overcame a challenging starting position in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, rallying to a 12th-place finish and collecting nine valuable Stage points along the way thanks to a runner-up effort in Stage 2.

Berry was forced to start at the rear of the field in 35th after a rear diffuser issue on Saturday sidelined the team for qualifying, requiring repairs to the No. 21 eero Mustang Dark Horse.

Following a weather delay of more than two hours on Sunday, the 400-mile event got underway. The opening 30-lap Stage ran caution-free, with Berry advancing to 19th by the end of the segment.

A pit stop during the Stage break dropped Berry to 36th for the restart, but he quickly began climbing through the field. By Lap 43, when a caution came out for a multi-car incident, Berry had already worked his way up to 27th. The eero team chose to stay out, cycling up to 17th.

Another caution on Lap 56 saw the team stick to the same strategy, keeping Berry on track and moving into the top three.

Berry eventually pitted under green from seventh on Lap 74. Just four laps later, a caution for debris shuffled pit strategy once more, and Berry restarted in sixth. He remained in the top five for the remainder of Stage 2, crossing the line second and earning nine Stage points.

In the final segment, Berry ran consistently inside the top 10 before settling into 12th at the finish, completing a strong comeback effort for the No. 21 team.

Next up, Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team head to the newly renamed EchoPark Speedway for Saturday night’s running of the Quaker State 400.

About eero
eero was founded to make wifi and networking the way they should be—fast, reliable, secure, and, most importantly, easy to use. After introducing the first home mesh wifi system with a high-quality design that blends into its environment and technology that intuitively works behind the scenes, eero became known for sweating every single detail and delivering award-winning hardware and software for homes, businesses, communities, and service providers. Founded and headquartered in San Francisco in 2014, eero is an Amazon company. For more information, visit eero.com.

About Wood Brothers Racing
Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 101 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.

No. 16 Celsius Camaro ZL1

Start: 33rd
Stage 1 Finish: 24th
Stage 2 Finish: 17th
Finish: 21st

The No. 16 battled handling at the beginning of the race. After several adjustments, the car was handling better, but Allmendinger lacked overall speed to be more competitive. On the last restart, Allmendinger was able to gain track position, improving the team’s overall finish.

No. 10 Sea Best Camaro ZL1

Start: 27th
Stage 1 Finish: 25th
Stage 2 Finish: 34th
Finish: 33rd

Ty Dillon and the No. 10 Sea Best Chevy team qualified for Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway in the 27th position, but due to unapproved adjustments on race morning, started the race from the tail end of the field. Early in the race, Dillon reported the handling of his Chevy was good, but a little too free for his liking. As the team made adjustments and improved the handling of the Sea Best Chevy, Dillon advanced into the top 25 early in Stage 2. Closing in on the end of Stage 2, Dillon was collected in an on-track incident when the No. 8 car spun. The team called Dillon to pit road to examine the damage and then to the garage for extensive repairs. Dillon returned to the track 19 laps down and finished the race in 33rd.
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.