Posted on by Staff Report

Three Joe Gibbs Racing cars will drop to the rear of the field at the start of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM) because of inspection issues at Michigan International Speedway.

RELATED: Race leaderboard

The No. 18 Toyota of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch, the No. 11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin and the No. 20 Toyota of Erik Jones all failed pre-race inspection because of unapproved splitters.

All three cars will drop to the back of the 39-car field during pace laps. Busch was scheduled to start third, Jones eighth and Hamlin 10th.

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Combine alum Breanna O’Leary was full of emotions prior to her Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series showing on pit road in Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway.

O’Leary graduated from the Pit Crew Combine in 2016, working her way up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. She currently serves as a tire changer for the No. 45 Toyota for J.P. Motorsports.

RELATED: College athletes put to the test in 2018 Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Combine

On Sunday in the Irish Hills, O’Leary was on pit road in NASCAR’s premier series changing tires for the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team and driver B.J. McLeod.

“I’m excited, definitely nervous,” O’Leary told NASCAR.com. “I’m just trying to keep myself level-headed. I’m mostly trying to tell myself it’s just another race. It’s just another pit stop.”

O’Leary, a 26-year-old Austin, Texas native, played softball at Alcorn State University. Before joining the NASCAR D4D program, O’Leary was working to earn her master’s degree in athletic administration and coaching at Alcorn State. O’Leary would have never guessed just how substantial of a turn her life would take when the opportunity in the sport was initially presented.

“At the time, I was actually a graduate assistant for our strength and conditioning coach at Alcorn,” O’Leary said. “They set it up through him. He was like, ‘I want you to do it.’ I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I just knew they were coming and it was something to be competitive in, so I went for it.”

Now, O’Leary is an inspiration to others from all different walks of life and backgrounds who would like to follow a similar NASCAR path — all because she wasn’t afraid to take a risk.

“Probably never in my life I thought I would be here right now,” O’Leary said. “Being a tire changer, especially at this level, I would have never dreamt it. I would have never thought it.”

When asked what her mindset is going to be on Sunday in preparation for one of the biggest moment in her young NASCAR journey, O’Leary sounded like a seasoned veteran.

“I’m going to treat (the race) like any other race day, just for my nerves and try not to hype it up too much. Remind myself I’m here to do a job. Typically, before a stop, I’ll just count in my head ‘1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5’ so I’m not thinking or anything.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Enjoy!

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Drama unfolded between Alex Bowman and Elliott Sadler in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Sadler and Bowman made contact on the frontstretch coming to Lap 74, causing Sadler to brush the wall. The caution was then displayed on the same lap after Austin Cindric spun in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Sadler made his displeasure with Bowman known under the caution period, hitting the left side of Bowman’s No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

RELATED: Dillon lands Xfinity win at Michigan | Race results

The incident resulted in a left-front tire rub for Bowman and sent both him and Sadler to the pits for repairs.

Bowman finished 21st in the LTi Printing 250, while Sadler brought the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in 30th.

Standing outside of his car on pit road after the race, Bowman didn’t mince words regarding Sadler and the incident.

“A third of the way down the straightaway where he just decided to pull up,” Bowman said. “At this point, what am I supposed to do? It’s his race track and I’m just driving on it and lift? I’m not going to lift for a guy who wouldn’t lift for me. I don’t know why he drove down the corner after he messed up and hit us under caution. That was pretty dumb.

“I don’t know. He gets pretty fired up. I like Elliott, but in my opinion, that was pretty dumb.”

Both Bowman and Sadler took to social media after the event, indicating that they had communicated in an effort to smooth out their differences.

JR Motorsports and GMS Racing both have a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, as Bowman filled in for Spencer Gallagher in the No. 23 after Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott subbed in for Charlotte and Pocono. Bowman’s next race with the GMS Racing Xfinity team will be at Kentucky Speedway on July 13.

Taking some post-race time on pit road to reflect on his side of the incident, Bowman defended his actions on the race track.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Bowman added. “There was nothing that I really could have done differently. It’s not like I cleared myself on him and wrecked him. He cleared himself on me and wasn’t clear.

“…It sucks. It caused a tire rub and it was pretty unnecessary. I hate it for all the guys at GMS. Obviously we had a really strong car, but somebody’s temper, I guess, just took us out of the day.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Austin Dillon powered past Kaz Grala on Lap 72 of Saturday’s LTI Printing 250 at Michigan International Speedway and held the lead the rest of the way to win his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race since Aug. 19, 2016 at Bristol. 

Dillon kept Richard Childress Racing teammate Daniel Hemric behind him after a restart on Lap 89 of a scheduled 125, but the race ended under caution two laps later when rain pelted the asphalt. The event started three hours late after a window opened in the inclement weather.

RELATED: Race results | Full schedule for Michigan 

The victory was Dillon’s first at the two-mile track and the ninth of his career. RCR hadn’t won in the series since Michael McDowell took the checkered flag at Road America in 2016, a week after Dillon claimed his victory at Bristol.

“It’s always amazing to get to Victory Lane,” Dillon said. “In the Xfinity Series for RCR, we’ve been working real hard to get our cars back where they need to be. This feels good … 

“Me and (crew chief) Nick (Harrison) have gotten to run off a couple of wins together a couple of years back, and we felt like, if they put us back together that we could go do it again. We’re a pretty good duo, it seems like. It’s nice to be back with him and that group.”

Hemric rolled home second, a career-best finish on an oval track, but his satisfaction with the 1-2 result by his organization was tempered by the nagging feeling he had failed to execute when it counted.

“If I had done my job or drug the brake and or done something maybe to form the bottom lane up better, maybe I could have passed Dillon,” Hemric said. “Obviously, I was lined up next to, in my opinion, one of the best restarters in our sport, and Austin does a great job of that and had a lot of help on top.”

Cole Custer ran third, followed by Ryan Reed and Paul Menard. Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Truex completed the top 10.

WATCH: Sadler, Bowman tangle at Michigan

For the second straight week, the Xfinity Series cars ran a high-downforce restrictor-plate package that kept the cars in closer quarters, though the outside lane established a clear advantage. But there was plenty of action in a race that featured nine cautions in 91 laps.

Christopher Bell recovered from a hard hit against the outside wall on Lap 17 and a subsequent spin on Lap 67. He rallied to finish 11th in a No. 20 Toyota despite serious damage to the right-rear quarter and bumper cover.

Series leader Elliott Sadler wasn’t as lucky. His No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet scraped the outside wall on Lap 73 after contact with Alex Bowman’s Camaro. Sadler finished 30th, the last driver on the lead lap, and saw his lead in the standings shrink to 41 points over Custer in second and 49 over Hemric in third.

Posted on by

Jessica Ruffin’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Joey Logano
2: Brad Keselowski
3: Clint Bowyer
4: Aric Almirola
5: Erik Jones
Garage: Kyle Larson

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Michigan | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

Analysis: With only one driver (Clint Bowyer) running 10 consecutive laps in opening practice and final practice being canceled due to weather, Fantasy Live players are a bit limited on their resources this weekend.

Kevin Harvick, once again, is a strong play. I personally don’t want to burn a usage with one of these drivers when there are several strong alternative options. But if you have the usage and want to play him, he’ll be stout. I would save Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch plays, as Harvick seems to be the strongest of the three. I also plan on stacking my bonus picks with the No. 4.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano have both been solid this weekend, with top-10 practice speeds and promising qualifying positions. Their past history plays into my decision, too. Both drivers finished in the top five at similar Auto Club Speedway in March, and Keselowski paced the field for 105 laps in the series’ last trip to the Irish Hills. Logano has finished in the top 10 for nine of the past 10 races at Michigan, winning two of those events (2016 and 2013).

Clint Bowyer’s past Michigan history initially made me hesitant to play the No. 14 Sunday, but after practice and qualifying, he looks to be a solid choice. He was up there with Harivck, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson on the second practice’s 10-lap average chart and showed speed in both practices. A 12th-place starting position isn’t bad, either. His Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola holds an even stronger qualifying spot (sixth) and is a good option for me because I haven’t played the No. 10 often this season and am nearing the end of my usages with pole-sitter Kurt Busch (my initial pick). With its high speeds, Michigan’s the spot for cars that have shown speed all season long and Almirola’s consistency, coupled with his starting spot, makes me like him for this weekend.

Erik Jones hasn’t been as quick as I would have hoped this weekend, but I still have faith in the No. 20 Sunday; he showed some speed in final practice and has a strong starting position. The Michigan native also finished third in the most recent race at Michigan and recorded a seventh-place result at the similar two-mile Auto Club. I was between Jones and Chase Elliott for this pick and went with the No. 20 because of his stronger qualifying position and faster laps in final practice.

Last, but not least: Kyle Larson. The No. 42 was an absolute must-start heading into race weekend, as he’s won the last three straight at Michigan. And he still could win four in a row this weekend. But his 26th-place qualifying effort was a bit of a head-scratcher, prompting the Chip Ganassi Racing driver to say the car had been “pretty far off” all day on Friday. Saturday’s second-place ranking on the speed chart and third-place on 10-lap averages make me think the team did figure something out. But just in case, he’s in my garage.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LANSING, Mich. — Even as the group first walked inside the door to the massive Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant — wearing clear plastic eyeglasses, sporting tape over any metal pieces on their clothing — it was immediately clear the awe and excitement this particular “tour” was generating; and it went both ways. 

The many hard-working plant assembly workers were obviously delighted to host Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet drivers Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman and their crew chiefs earlier this week in advance of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Full schedule for Michigan | Best moments in the Irish Hills

And the drivers were equally as intrigued by what awaited them inside the building — part of 3.4-million square feet of hyper-organized assembly space for the street-version of their Camaro ZL1 Cup cars.

“This is a lot bigger than what I was expecting,” Larson said smiling. “I guess I didn’t really know what to expect but I was really surprised at how smoothly everything looks like it’s run, and all the technology that goes into here to build one car is pretty spectacular.

“There’s stuff from floor to ceiling moving, bicycles riding around with parts, people in here and everything’s running so smooth.”

This was a sort of behind-the-curtains look at an automotive “Oz” for the drivers and a much-appreciated red carpet access for all the proud workers, eager to show off their wares and offer encouragement for “their” NASCAR racers.

One stop on the assembly line where the chassis was “married” to the fully constructed underbody amazingly lasted no longer than a minute and a half. Each station in the building was so refined and efficient it amounted to roughly a minute per job from dashboard installation to the check ride at the end. Complete build — very start to fine finish — for a car is 48 hours.

Yet as mechanically interesting as this opportunity was, it was definitely a reminder of the strong human connection the sport has maintained and benefitted from. Especially here, where it all begins.

One woman working at a station near the windshield assembly proudly pointed to a computer screen flashing a huge color screenshot of Bowman’s famed No. 88 Chevrolet.

Everywhere the drivers walked through the building — navigating a carefully routed walkway alongside and underneath amazing assembly machines — it was very obvious how much the hundreds of workers loved the sport and these competitors.

One man installing dashboards wore a vintage No. 24 shirt honoring NASCAR Hall of Fame’s newly elected and longtime Chevy driver Jeff Gordon. Alongside another work station a large piece of cardboard read, “If you’re not first, you’re last” — referencing the popular racing movie, “Talladega Nights, The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

MORE: Sizzling paint schemes | Larson could join elite company

There were bright red “42” hats, a nod to Larson’s Chip Ganassi Racing car number. And the Cup rookie Bubba Wallace generated a long line of “selfie” seekers, eager for a chance to meet their favorite driver.

Wallace, who drives Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Meijer Camaro ZL1, was as interested in the process as the people manning the process were in him. 

“I think about we’re in 2018 and we’ve already got robots and assembly machines, so what’s it going to be like in the next 10-20 years? What are we going to see?” he said smiling as he looked all around. “It’s really … really cool to be here today and see how the Camaros are built from start to finish.”

Alex Bowman echoed the sentiment. His family owns a body shop in Arizona and the afternoon definitely hit home for him in many ways.

“I think it’s just cool to see how everything is all scienced-out and efficient, how quickly everything goes together,” said Bowman, who drives the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet. “I grew up in a body shop and worked on cars my whole life, really mechanically inclined. So I know how long things take to fix at a body shop so to see a whole car get built here so quickly is really cool.

“Everything comes ready-to-go and in the right order, and it’s cool how the dashes come in all ready and then the drivetrains. … It’s pretty incredible.”

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Before his arrival at Michigan International Speedway for a weekend of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing in the Irish Hills, Brad Keselowski was busy raising money for a good cause.

With NASCAR Salutes in full swing to honor United States military servicemembers past and present, Keselowski and his Checkered Flag Foundation have focused on helping veterans and their families since inception in 2010. On Thursday, Keselowski held his second annual fundraising event at The Huntsman Hunt Club in Dryden, Michigan, benefiting the construction of a brand new Fisher House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Keselowski was also accompanied by fellow Ford Performance drivers, including Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola.

Since 1990, the Fisher House Foundation has provided comfort homes for families of veterans receiving treatments, at no cost to the families. There are 76 Fisher Houses located on 24 military installations and at 32 VA medical centers across the nation, but there hasn’t been one established in the state of Michigan.

That was something Keselowski, a Rochester Hills, Michigan, native, wanted to change through his foundation.

“It was an incredible event,” said Keselowski. “To be able to hang out with some veterans, but also have a lot of fun, raise some funding and do a site visit for the brand new Fisher House being built in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We want to see one come to the state. There isn’t one in the state, which seems absolutely crazy. It just seems so natural. Hopefully we can get them the funding they need to get going.”

Now Keselowski shifts his attention doing something his has never done at his home 2-mile track in the Monster Energy Series — win. Keselowski won back-t0-back Michigan races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2009-10, but victory in the Great Lakes State in NASCAR’s premier series still eludes him.

RELATED: Keselowski’s career stats

Keselowski earned his first Michigan pole last August, and he’ll flank Kevin Harvick on the front row for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Keselowski noted that winning at Michigan would rival even a victory in NASCAR’s biggest event of the year.

“Winning at your home track for a race car driver is like winning the Daytona 500,” Keselowski said. “It would be a huge, huge win. It would be the biggest win of my career if we were able to win.

“A home track means a lot to any race car driver. It is your friends and family and there is a lot of (prestige) that comes with it. It makes the losses sting more and the wins sweeter. The fact we have been so close and not achieved it is very top of mind every time I come here.”

MORE: Will this be the summer of Keselowski?

In 17 career starts, Keselowski has five top fives, eight top 10s and an average finish of 12.8. So far in 2018, the No. 2 Team Penske driver has yet to earn victory, but sits fifth in the regular-season points standings with four top fives and eight top-10 finishes.

“Am I surprised to have not won a race, I don’t know if surprised is the right word,” Keselowski said. “I try not to take success for granted and try to appreciate it as it comes. You never know where life is going to take you.

“Surprised isn’t the right word. I would say disappointed is a better word. I want to win, I want to win a lot of races. I feel like we have a pretty strong team.”

For Keselowski, earning his first win of the season on home turf would be a perfect way to wipe away the disappointment.

MORE: Keselowski meets family of fallen Marine

Posted on by Staff Report

Rainfall prompted NASCAR to delay and eventually cancel Saturday’s Xfinity Series qualifying session at Michigan International Speedway. The lineup was set per the NASCAR rule book for this afternoon’s scheduled LTi Printing 250 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX).

Kyle Busch will start in the pole position in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Paul Menard, in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, will also start on the front row.

RELATED: Complete lineup for Xfinity race

Continued wet conditions also forced the cancellation of the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, which was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET. The preceding Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice was cut about six minutes short when the rain began to fall in the Irish Hills just before 10 a.m. ET.

The Toyota Tundra track-drying team has 14 units on hand in Michigan, plus nine jet dryers and three vacuums (two track vacuums and one Elgin Sweeper) to help with preparing the track for racing.

RELATED: Track weather live | Schedule updates

Posted on by Staff Report

Kevin Harvick topped Saturday’s opening practice at Michigan International Speedway with a fast lap of 200.719 mph in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. He’ll roll off the grid fourth for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event in the Irish Hills (2 p.m. ET, FOX).

The 50-minute practice was cut short with a little over six minutes remaining, as rain began to fall onto the track.

Three-time Michigan winner Kyle Larson was second-fastest in the session, his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet notching a 200.083 lap around the two-mile surface. Team Penske’s Joey Logano came up third (199.800 mph) in his No. 22 Ford, while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer ranked fourth on the speed charts in his No. 14 Ford (199.723 mph).

Michigan native Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a fast lap of 199.529 mph.

RELATED: Practice results | Busch wins Michigan pole

Pole-sitter Kurt Busch was ninth-quickest, his No. 41 SHR Ford laying down a 198.824-mph lap.