Posted on by Staff Report

The race-winning Team Penske No. 22 Ford of Joey Logano has passed post-race inspection at Michigan International Speedway with no issues.

The No. 22 Ford was found to be compliant with the 2019 NASCAR Rule Book after Monday’s rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400. NASCAR officials said that the only post-race issue was one lug nut not safely secured on the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 41 Ford of fourth-finishing Daniel Suarez, an infraction that should result in a fine only for crew chief Billy Scott.

With the post-race teardown complete, the race results are official.

RELATED: Logano prevails at Michigan | Race results

The post-race process is part of a new, more timely approach to inspection for all three NASCAR national series. Competition officials announced in February that thorough post-race inspections would take place shortly after the checkered flag at the track instead of midweek at the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina.

Those inspections come with a stiffer deterrence structure that includes disqualification for significant rules infractions — “a total culture change,” according to Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer. In the past, race-winning teams found in violation of the rules were penalized with post-race fines, points deductions and/or suspensions, but victories were allowed to stand.

Competition officials introduced the quicker post-race inspection timetable in an effort to make the results official on race day, aiming for a 90-minute target time frame to complete their scrutineering. The new post-race inspection process was also designed to deal with potential violations more promptly, avoiding any midweek news that might cloud the previous week’s results or the build-up to the following week’s event.

NASCAR will still inspect cars and parts at the R&D Center as needed, but the more comprehensive at-track inspection will take priority.

According to NASCAR statistical archives, the last time a premier series driver was disqualified occurred in 1973, when early retiree Buddy Baker was demoted to last place in the National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last time an apparent race winner in NASCAR’s top division was disqualified came on April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson (N.C.) Speedway was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank on his No. 85 Chevrolet.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

Given the statistics, you might think Joey Logano ran away with Monday’s rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Yes, Logano led 163 of 203 laps at the 2-mile track in the Irish Hills. He had the fastest car in qualifying on Saturday and the fastest car in the 15th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event of the season.

But after a late caution for Erik Jones’ spin into the infield grass below Turn 2, Logano needed overtime to seal the win. He needed a superb restart on Lap 202 to gain an edge. And he needed a determined drive over the last two laps, aided by spotter T.J. Majors, to hold off charging Kurt Busch by .147 at the finish.

RELATED: Race results | Logano tips cap to fans

Logano wasn’t about to reveal how he got such a good launch on the decisive restart.

“I can’t tell you everything I learned,” quipped the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, who won for the second time this season, the third time at Michigan — all from the pole — and the 23rd time in his career. “You race this whole race, you keep building that notebook up.

“What a great execution day from our race car, obviously very fast. Our pit crew was amazing. T.J. Majors spotted his butt off up there. The race fans sticking around till Monday — you guys are the best. We love coming up to Michigan. Nothing like bringing a Ford to Victory Lane in their home turf, Roger Penske cars as well. This is a big win for us.”

Thanks to Logano’s victory, Ford Motor Company retained the Michigan Heritage Trophy that goes to the manufacturer of the winning car. Ford drivers have won the last three races at the 2-mile track.

Despite sustaining right-rear damage to his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet during a brush with the outside wall on Lap 42, Busch ran in or near the top five for the vast majority of the race. He was third for the final restart and quickly steered to the inside of Martin Truex Jr.’s Toyota to grab the second position.

Busch, however, couldn’t catch Logano on the final lap.

“I had a blast,” Busch said. “Tightest I ever put my belts at the end of a race. We got enough stage points today, we said, ‘Hell with it, we don’t need to get anything but the win.’  We got second today.”

Before the final caution, Busch was running behind Martin Truex Jr., locked in a tight draft. The two cars were gaining on Logano, but the yellow flag interrupted their progress.

“Logano’s car was tough,” Busch said. “I really wanted it to go green at the end with Truex. I was going to push him straight through the 22 (Logano). My best shot at it.

“We’ll get it. It gives us reason to smile and be happy. We ran up front, were strong in our manufacturer’s back yard, but got second today.”

Truex held the third spot, followed by Daniel Suarez and Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski ran sixth ahead of Kevin Harvick, who rallied from early issues with a vibration that cost him a lap but lost too much ground on a four-tire call on his final green-flag pit stop.

Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman completed the top 10.

Though Logano led 163 laps, the race wasn’t a cruise for the Team Penske driver. In one hotly contested section of the race, Logano passed Harvick on Lap 148, surrendered the top spot back to Harvick on Lap 149 and regained it on Lap 150.

But a two-tire call from Logano’s crew chief, Todd Gordon, on a Lap 175 pit stop gained more than five seconds on Harvick, who had taken four tires one lap earlier. Even with the late caution, Harvick couldn’t regain the lost track position on the final two-lap shootout.

Logano led 109 of the first 113 laps and prevailed in Stage 1. A solid fuel strategy carried Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to a Stage 2 win. But Dillon was knocked from contention by contact, first with William Byron’s No. 24 Chevy, and then the outside retaining wall. He finished 26th.

MORE: Stage recaps

Clint Bowyer’s bid to repeat his Michigan victory from last June ended after just 130 laps after his Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Ford crashed in Turn 2. He placed 35th in the 36-car field.

The race was delayed 27 hours from its initial schedule to a Monday, 5 p.m. ET start time by rain.

The Monster Energy Series’ next race is the Toyota/Save Mart 350, scheduled Sunday, June 23 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM) at Sonoma Raceway.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give you the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | How to find NBCSN

Tuesday, June 11
3 p.m., Glory Road: Dirt Roots (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
5 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Presents Davey Lives On (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
8 p.m., Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m.: NASCAR Live

Wednesday, June 12
5 p.m., NASCAR America: “Motormouths,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
Noon: NASCAR Coast to Coast

Thursday, June 13
5 p.m., NASCAR America: “The Motorsports Hour,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NAPA Auto Parts 150, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Decades, “The 1990s,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Decades, “The 1990s,” NBCSN/NBC Sports App

Saturday, June 15
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series first practice at Iowa Speedway, FS2/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series final practice at Iowa Speedway, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App) CANCELED
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Gander Outdoors Truck Series, FS1/FOX Sports App
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store, FS1/FOX Sports App POSTPONED TILL SUNDAY

Sunday, June 16
Noon, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store, FS1/FOX Sports App
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying at Iowa Speedway, FS2/FOX Sports App (Canada: TSN App)
5 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: Xfinity, FS1/FOX Sports App
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Iowa, FS1/FOX Sports App (Canada; TSN5)

On MRN
Noon, NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series M&M’s 200 Presented by Casey’s General Store
5 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Iowa 250

Posted on by Staff Report

Austin Dillon beat Kevin Harvick to the start-finish line by a few car lengths to take the Stage 2 win in Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Dillon took advantage of the leaders running short on fuel to come away with his first stage win of the season.

Harvick, meanwhile, finished second to rebound from a loose-wheel issue in Stage 1. Harvick got back on the lead lap when he was the beneficiary after a Lap 69 caution flag for debris from the No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Ford of Kyle Weatherman. Then he moved up the charts as the top seven cars, including Stage 1 winner Joey Logano, had to pit for fuel with less than 10 laps to go.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Martin Truex Jr., in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, was third, followed by Kurt Busch in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet and Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to round out the top five.

Things didn’t go as well for some Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet got into the left-rear of Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet, and Bowman talked of handling problems on the radio afterward. Elliott was one of the lead cars that had to pit for fuel later. Bowman, meanwhile, finished ninth.

Earlier, there were more pit-road problems for Jimmie Johnson, who was hit from behind by Matt Tifft in the No. 36 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing 10
2 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 7
5 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Daniel Hemric Richard Childress Racing 4
8 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 2
10 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing 1

Stage 1

After briefly losing the lead to Aric Almirola with six laps to go, polesitter Joey Logano regained it in lapped traffic and went on to win Stage 1 in the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Monday at Michigan International Speedway.

As as result, Logano has a series-high six stage wins this season, and he continued to show speed at the 2-mile track in his Team Penske No. 22 Ford.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Alex Bowman, in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, was second, followed by Erik Jones in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in third, Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford and Kurt Busch in the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

There was a competition caution on Lap 20 following rainy conditions overnight in Michigan. On the ensuing pit stops, the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson made contact with the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota of Matt DiBenedetto.

Damage to Johnson’s right-front corner caused him to come back down pit road twice for repairs and he fell to the back of the pack. DiBenedetto, meanwhile, had damage to his left-rear corner and had to come back down pit road once.

With seven laps to go in the stage, Kevin Harvick came down pit road because of a loose left-front wheel. Harvick was 33rd after the first stage.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 9
3 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 6
6 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 5
7 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing 4
8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing 2
10 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 1

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Can’t wait until exactly 5 p.m. ET for your racing fix? We’ve got you covered.

NASCAR.com will be live from Michigan International Speedway at 4 p.m. ET today in advance of the FireKeepers Casino 400 (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which was delayed from Sunday due to rain.

BOOKMARK: Watch the show here

Host Chase Wilhelm will walk you through the garage and onto pit road, checking out the sights and scenes from Michigan just before the green flag drops.

We’ll also be live on our official Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts.

RELATED: Full race lineup

 

Posted on by Staff Report

Persistent rain forced the postponement of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race to a Monday start at Michigan International Speedway.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 is now set for Monday at 5 p.m. ET, airing on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weather updates

NASCAR officials made the decision to reschedule the 200-lap, 400-mile event following an attempt to get the race started after a one-hour delay Sunday afternoon. The 36-car field completed several pace laps in hopes of reaching a 3:02 ET green flag, but another rain shower forced the cars back to pit road.

Track-drying briefly resumed, but inclement weather continued to halt the process. The track was almost dry by 4:15 p.m. when another rain cell struck. NASCAR officials made the decision at 4:30 p.m. ET to postpone Sunday’s scheduled at-track activity.

Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace and Corey LaJoie passed the time during the rain delay by throwing a football, eventually lobbing it into the grandstand and playing catch with fans who braved the rain.

When the race gets started, Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford after securing the Busch Pole Award in Saturday qualifying. Aric Almirola, in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, will join Logano on the front row for the season’s 15th race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Clint Bowyer, the defending winner of the race, will line up fifth as Ford drivers make up eight of the top 10 starting spots.

Contributing: NASCAR Wire Service

Posted on by Staff Report

Weather again delayed the start of the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

Rain in the area led to a revised green-flag time of 3:02 p.m. ET being missed. Cars got on the track, but rain picked up during pace laps to prevent the start, which originally was slated for 2 p.m. ET. Cars were brought down pit road at approximately 3:08 p.m. ET.

The race was postponed until Monday at 5 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

When the race gets started, Joey Logano will lead the field to the green flag in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford. Aric Almirola, in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, will join Logano on the front row for the season’s 15th race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

RELATED: Full lineup for Michigan | Weather updates

Clint Bowyer, the defending winner of the race, will line up fifth as Ford drivers make up eight of the top 10 starting spots.

NASCAR had a sizable contingent of track-drying equipment on hand to prepare the 2-mile oval: 13 Air Titans, 10 jet dryers, one track blower, two track vacuums and one Elgin sweeper.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 will be the first time the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series runs its new aero package at a track like Michigan International Speedway.

While Auto Club Speedway is similar to Michigan in terms of size and shape, the abrasive surface makes tire wear much more severe in Fontana than what we’ll see in Michigan.

As a result, there isn’t much from the series’ previous visit to Michigan that we can use today.

So in order to find value, I’m going to mainly focus on what’s happened on-track so far this weekend to pinpoint my bets for the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Joey Logano (7-1 at Westgate)

Track position has been huge this season with the current aero package, and nobody will have a better view to start the race than Logano.

Joey will start on pole and in clean air, plus he’ll have the best pit stall in order to keep that track position. This is a huge — and underrated — advantage at a race where teams will do everything they can on pit road to try and get their drivers up front.

While Logano didn’t dominate on the practice sheets, he’s a driver who focuses more on feel than speed in practice, so I’m not too concerned with the speed in the car under race conditions.

Aric Almirola (25-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

Almirola is easily my favorite futures bet for today’s race. He will join Logano on the front row to start, giving Almirola the advantage of clean air and a great pit stall as well.

But unlike Logano, Almirola has been an absolute rocket in practice so far this weekend. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver had the second-best 10-lap average, the best 15-lap average and the best 20-lap average in final practice.

At 25-1 we’re getting a driver for one of NASCAR’s top teams who starts up front and has been nothing but fast in race trim. Sign me up.

Daniel Suarez (30-1 at DraftKings)

Many of the boxes that Almirola checks off also apply to Suarez for today’s race. While not starting on the front row, Almirola’s SHR teammate will start in the top 10 (ninth) while having tons of speed in his race car throughout practice as well.

Suarez had the top 10-lap average and the second-best 15-lap average in Friday’s final practice, which is extremely encouraging for a driver in this price range.

As always, be sure to shop around for the best prices as there’s a good chance we can find better numbers as more books open NASCAR odds for today’s race.

Posted on by Staff Report

Hailie Deegan nudged her way to her second victory of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season Saturday night, bumping past teammate Derek Kraus in overtime at Colorado National Speedway.

Kraus grabbed the lead with a bold move off the restart for the two-lap dash to the finish, but Deegan regained it with a bump in the final turn, sending her Bill McAnally Racing teammate spinning. Deegan forged ahead to the checkered flag and was declared the winner after a brief officials’ review.

RELATED: Race results

The triumph in the NAPA Auto Parts 150 was the 17-year-old Deegan’s third in 19 career K&N West starts.

“That was probably the scrappiest race I’ve ever ran,” said Deegan, who led a race-high 66 of the 155 laps. “Everyone was beating and banging doors from the start.

” … We went out there, (and) we ran our hardest race. In the end, Derek ran me hard right there so I was gonna run him hard back. In the end that’s racing. … In the end, I got the win and that’s all that matters.”

RELATED: More on FansChoiceTV

Deegan initially snared the lead on Lap 89 and had opened up a sizable margin at the .375-mile track, but a spin by teammate Brittney Zamora forced the race five laps past the scheduled 150-lap distance.

Pole-starter Kody Vanderwal finished second, with Todd Souza, Zamora and Matt Levin completing the top five. Kraus led 43 laps and was credited with an eighth-place finish.

Kraus retains the lead in the K&N West standings, holding a 12-point margin over Deegan.

The full race will be broadcast Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app.

LOOKBACK: Photos of Las Vegas win

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Joey Logano will start from the Busch Pole in Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (5 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Does the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion merit a spot in your Fantasy Live lineup? We’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the game works | Tips to set your lineup

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race day at Michigan:
1. Joey Logano
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Kurt Busch
5. Paul Menard
Garage: Erik Jones

RELATED: Odds for Michigan | 10-lap averages | Podcast: Fantasy Fastlane

Analysis: Logano and Harvick are my cornerstones — based on past Michigan history and their overall solid performances in 2019. With the two of them in my lineup, I don’t want to overload on some of the higher scoring drivers in 2019 for fear that if things go wrong or drivers underform, I can only get one of them out. This is something to consider as we move deeper in the regular season. That means Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski take a seat. I wanted to use Chase Elliott here with his strong Michigan numbers, but the speed just doesn’t seem to be there this weekend. Martin Truex Jr. was another consideration for me, but I like a number of other summer tracks for him.

Bowyer is the defending race winner and has had strong speed all weekend long. He’s also been pretty steady for the past two-plus months. Busch has been strong on the 10-lap board this weekend, had the second-best 20-lap average (h/t@MikeJoy500) and has been solid at this 2-mile track before. Menard qualified well — sixth — and posted the fifth-best 10-lap average in opening practice. He finished fifth in this race last year and his overall Michigan numbers show its among his better tracks. I also have yet to use him, so I like the idea of him as a driver who can help me save a use elsewhere. Jones gets the garage spot on the strength of his top-three spot in both practices on the 10-lap board. I gave some extra consideration to Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney for this spot, but I just have a gut feeling on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver performing well at home.

For bonus picks, I’ve got Logano winning Stage 1 and then Harvick the rest of the way and Ford for the manufacturer pick.

Each week in this space, we’ll also highlight two Props Challenge items for players.

MORE: Need Props help? The Action Network has you covered | Play the Props Challenge today

1. O/U 28.5 stage points for Team Penske. I’m taking the over. I expect Logano to nab top-three finishes in each stage meaning that Keselowski and Blaney need to score 5-7 stage points apiece to make this work. That’s something both drivers have done plenty of times in the past and something that they are more than capable of doing in the Irish Hills.

2. Which Hendrick Motorsports driver will finish higher: William Byron or Jimmie Johnson? Johnson had the better 10-lap averages in both practices and qualified slightly better. This duo has finished higher than the other seven times apiece, so this is pretty even and a close call. I like the second-year driver Byron to finish just higher than the seven-time champion on Monday.