DePaul Univeristy will partner with Michael McDowell and Spire Motorsports for the NASCAR Cup Series event at the Chicago Street Course, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The institution will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 71 Chevrolet, driven by Michael McDowell, in the Grant Park 165 — the third annual NASCAR Cup Series event on the streets of Chicago.
As part of the sponsorship, DePaul will have its branding prominently featured on the Spire Motorsports entry, while also being on display on McDowell’s firesuit and the team’s pit road signage and crew shirts.
“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 DeWayne Peevy, Vice President and Director of Athletics for DePaul. “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.”
Michael McDowell has accumulated more than 500 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series between 2007 and 2025, and joined Spire Motorsports at the beginning of the season to pilot the team’s No. 71 Chevrolet.
The newest five-star recruit.
@Mc_Driver will sport the @DePaulAthletics colors on the streets of Chicago!?: https://t.co/M8g2SBuCnK pic.twitter.com/uNtRWd7Vk0
— Spire Motorsports (@SpireMotorsport) June 24, 2025
The Avondale, Arizona-native won the 2021 DAYTONA 500 with Front Row Motorsports, and collected his second career victory in the Summer of 2023 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
McDowell has recorded top-10 finishes in both events at the Chicago Street Course, including a top-five for Front Row Motorsports last July. So far this season, McDowell has a single top-five, which came at the road course of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
“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 Sports 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.
“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.”
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.
“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.”
The Grant Park 165 will take place on Sunday, July 6 at 2:00 pm ET on TNT Sports, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max.
