Advance to Victory Lane: Will Ford make it 10 consecutive wins at Michigan?

Posted on August 18, 2024August 18, 2024 by Cameron Richardson

Editor’s note: Projection updated after Saturday’s on-track action and lineup set by rulebook:

Ford has won nine consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway, which is a big deal for the manufacturer with just three races left in the regular season and a handful of blue ovals seeking to grab one of the final four playoff spots.

Last season, Ford made up four of the top-10 finishers in the Irish Hills, with Chris Buescher snagging his second victory in a stretch that saw him win three of the last five races in the 2023 regular season. With Chris Buescher three points below the elimination line, can he go back-to-back at the 2-mile oval to guarantee a spot in the playoffs or will the top dogs dominate the show? Let’s take a deep dive into how Racing Insights sees Monday’s race playing out (11 a.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Kyle Larson is still the betting favorite for Monday’s race, and for fair reason — he’s won three events at Michigan and has finished no worse than seventh in his last four events at the track. After initially giving the slight edge to Larson’s on-track rival Denny Hamlin, who has finished no worse than sixth at the 2-mile oval since 2019 and owns two victories at the facility, Racing Insights moved Larson to the top spot after Saturday’s brief on-track action.

Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and William Byron make up the projected top five, with Byron replacing Christopher Bell in the fifth spot. Reddick, Blaney and Bell had separate issues in last year’s event. Reddick had issues on pit road, Bell spun and wrecked early despite finishing 13th and Blaney had an on-track tilt with Corey LaJoie.

Monday will be pivotal for Larson, Reddick and Chase Elliott as the three are separated by just six points for the regular-season title. With Daytona and the grueling pressure cooker in the Southern 500 looming to close the regular season, Michigan offers the most opportunity for drivers to have control of their destiny. Last season, Larson was the only one of the three to finish in the top 5 and on the lead lap after Reddick’s woes and Elliott wrecking out early.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

BRAD KESELOWSKI: The 2012 Cup Series champion is winless in 26 starts at Michigan, but RFK Racing as a whole will be the team to watch this weekend as Buescher looks to finally break through in 2024. On top of Buescher’s thrilling victory in 2023, Keselowski finished fourth.

MARTIN TRUEX JR.: After an engine failure early in the final stage at Richmond, Truex really needs a quality performance Monday to solidify his playoff position on points. He is a four-time runner-up at Michigan, including last year, but has yet to win at the 2-mile facility.

BUBBA WALLACE: Four top 10s in the last five races have put Wallace into the postseason picture by three points over both Ross Chastain and Chris Buescher. Bigger ovals have played into the No. 23 driver’s hands in his Cup career, and Michigan could be the place where Wallace snaps a 66-race winless drought. Eight drivers have snapped a winless streak of at least 41 races at Michigan.

TODD GILLILAND: Ford’s tendency to bring really fast cars to the manufacturer’s home track could mean a big weekend in store for Front Row Motorsports. With FRM now a Tier 1 organization under Ford and in a technical alliance with Team Penske, both the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 could have top-10 speed, or even race-winning speed on Monday.

ERIK JONES: Heading to his home state, Jones always seems to be an outside contender at Michigan. He owns two consecutive top 10s at the track, and a third could garner a massive boost of momentum before heading to Daytona and Darlington, where he’s won events at both.

MORE: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results.

FINISH	CAR NUMBER	DRIVER
1	5	Kyle Larson
2	11	Denny Hamlin
3	45	Tyler Reddick
4	12	Ryan Blaney
5	24	William Byron
6	19	Martin Truex Jr.
7	9	Chase Elliott
8	6	Brad Keselowski
9	23	Bubba Wallace
10	20	Christopher Bell
11	17	Chris Buescher
12	1	Ross Chastain
13	54	Ty Gibbs
14	22	Joey Logano
15	48	Alex Bowman
16	8	Kyle Busch
17	99	Daniel Suárez
18	43	Erik Jones
19	34	Michael McDowell
20	10	Noah Gragson
21	7	Corey LaJoie
22	2	Austin Cindric
23	4	Josh Berry
24	14	Chase Briscoe
25	3	Austin Dillon
26	77	Carson Hocevar
27	51	Justin Haley
28	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
29	38	Todd Gilliland
30	16	AJ Allmendinger
31	41	Ryan Preece
32	71	Zane Smith
33	42	John Hunter Nemechek
34	31	Daniel Hemric
35	21	Harrison Burton
36	15	Cody Ware

Posted on August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 by Zack Albert

The NASCAR Cup Series will return to Bowman Gray Stadium next year, revisiting a short track instrumental to its history for the season-opening Clash exhibition race.

The news was announced Saturday by Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president, chief venue & racing innovation officer, during pre-race ceremonies at the historic quarter-mile oval in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that his great-grandfather – NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. – helped promote with founding official Alvin Hawkins. Earlier this year, NASCAR took over management of the municipal stadium’s racing operations from the Hawkins family, starting a new chapter for NASCAR’s longest-running weekly track.

The non-points event is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 and will be broadcast live on FOX. The Clash had been held the last three seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a temporary quarter-mile track based on the design of Bowman Gray’s flat asphalt that rings its football field. The stadium was used as a proving ground for NASCAR’s Next Gen car at such a track, with a Goodyear tire test and feasibility study held in the months before the first running of The Clash in LA.

To commemorate the return to Bowman Gray, NASCAR Studios and FOX Sports Films are producing a one-hour documentary titled The Madhouse: NASCAR’s Return to Bowman Gray Stadium that will premiere on FS1. The film will explore the rich and rollicking history of the venue while weaving a narrative that focuses on preparations for The Clash in 2025. More details on the documentary, including when fans will be able to watch on FS1, will be released at a later date.

“We’re going back to The Madhouse in Bowman Gray Stadium,” Kennedy said. “Bringing our Cup Series back there for the first time since the 1970s, it’s going to be another historic event. I’d say in a lot of ways, this is going to be an opportunity to celebrate our roots, our history and celebrate our NASCAR regional series.”

Bowman Gray Stadium hosted Cup Series points events from 1958-71, and its list of winners is a collection of NASCAR Hall of Famers – Richard and Lee Petty, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, Glen Wood, and Rex White, among them. Several current Cup Series drivers – including Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace — have competed in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series East. Kennedy savored a memorable victory in that circuit with his family at the stadium in 2013.

Bowman Gray Stadium has long held a special place in the France family’s collective hearts. The track has held weekly NASCAR events since the 1949 season, the same year the NASCAR Cup Series launched as the Strictly Stock division. Former NASCAR president Bill France Jr. met his future wife, Betty Jane Zachary, at the stadium in 1957. NASCAR executives Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy were on hand back in 2013 to cheer Ben Kennedy’s triumph at the quarter-mile oval.

MORE: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

That same year, Ryan Preece won a race for the former NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at Bowman Gray. The driver of Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 41 Ford described the stadium’s atmosphere as “wild,” a nod to the energetic crowd that fills the horseshoe-shaped bleachers each week in the spring and summer for racing in four divisions, including the featured Modifieds. The track has earned the nickname “Madhouse,” as much for its enduring “Madhouse Scramble” lineup format as the rowdy setting.

“It’s the East Coast version of what they made at LA, so I’m all for it,” Preece said earlier this year at NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race. “I’m all for going to short tracks. I think it’s all about doing something different. As far as the fans being around there, all the way around the stadium, it’d be cool.”

The stadium is familiar with wintertime events in either NASCAR’s traditional preseason or offseason. For years, Bowman Gray hosted “Tobacco Bowl” modified and sportsman events near the New Year’s holiday.

The Clash was introduced in 1979 as a non-points invitational at Daytona International Speedway for the Cup Series’ pole winners from the previous season. The event has evolved through the years but served as host of the unofficial stock-car kickoff to Daytona’s Speedweeks up until the first Los Angeles event in 2022.

“This is the next evolution of The Clash for us,” Kennedy said. “One of the areas where we feel like there’s an opportunity for us to continue to switch it up and go to new markets and new venues is an exhibition race like The Clash.”

Posted on August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 by Holly Cain

Justin Allgaier used pit strategy and a fast No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to take the lead of Saturday’s Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway, with 16 laps of regulation remaining and then held off the field in two laps of overtime — before a caution came out to end the race.

Allgaier pitted for fuel seven laps later than the next six front-runners at the time, returned to the track and ultimately — methodically — picked each car off to claim the late lead. He took the white flag signaling one lap remaining and a few moments later one of the late-race leaders, Carson Kvapil, hit the wall in what became a chain reaction melee involving Chandler Smith and Kyle Sieg, whose car flipped end-over-end. Sieg was able to quickly climb out of his car and walk to the waiting medical crew.

Meanwhile, Allgaier took the yellow and checkered flags just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sheldon Creed, JGR’s John Hunter Nemechek, Our Motorsports’ Anthony Alfredo and JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Michigan

It’s the sixth consecutive top-10 finish in as many races for the 38-year-old Allgaier, who with the win — the 25th of his career — is now 10th on the Xfinity Series all-time win list moving ahead of his team owner, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A bright rainbow hung in the sky as the field sat on pit road just before the overtime restart as NASCAR track workers dried the famed 2-mile Michigan track after the second brief rain shower of the day.

Asked to rally again, Allgaier proved his muster, ultimately passing his teammate Sammy Smith on the restart and then holding off both JGR teammates Creed and defending race winner Nemechek for his second victory of the season.

“Just cannot say thank you enough to this team and all these guys standing right here,” Allgaier said. “It’s been an incredible week. We did not show up at [the last race in] Indianapolis like we wanted to and these guys have worked tirelessly through this break.

“It’s truly special, winning at Michigan.”

It was a record 11th runner-up finish for Creed — breaking a tie with current Cup Series driver and former Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett for most second-place finishes in the series without a win.

Trophy or not, it was a productive day for Creed, who started from pole position and also announced before the race that he signed a multi-year contract to drive for the new Haas Factory Team in Xfinity next season. He was among the seven race leaders, out front for 23 laps and his rally to runner-up was more impressive, considering he spun out while leading early in the race.

“This one might have frustrated me the most out of all of them so far,” Creed said. “I had a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra as fast as Xfinity internet today, and led the beginning, got spun there and rallied back.

“I was probably too conservative behind the 20 (Nemechek) trying to save fuel. I was a couple, few laps short on fuel there and the 7 (Allgaier) was in a little bit better spot, and once the 7 got around both of us, and the 88 (Kvapil), I know I needed to go. I probably set behind the 20 another two laps and then charged and was running the 7 down. Just had a really good car, but that caution for rain came at a bad time for us.”

MORE: Get notified for 2025 schedule release

Cup Series regular Noah Gragson, Matt DiBenedetto, Craftsman Truck Series championship contender Taylor Gray, Caesar Bacarella and AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top 10. It marks only the third top 10 of Bacarella’s career.

With five regular season races remaining, Sammy Smith moves into 12th place in the championship standings, holding the final playoff position by a single point over Ryan Sieg, who won Stage 1 and finished 13th on Saturday.

Cole Custer finished an uncharacteristic 30th place after his Ford suffered damage in a mid-race accident. The defending series champion continues to lead the regular season championship, but his advantage has been trimmed now to only 12 points over Michigan race winner Allgaier.

The Xfinity Series moves to the famed Daytona International Speedway for Friday’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Allgaier is the defending race winner.

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed without issue in the Xfinity Series garage, confirming Justin Allgaier as the winner.

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by Staff Report

Alan Gustafson is in his 20th season as a NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, and he’s about to mark another big, round milestone number this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Gustafson will call the shots in his 700th Cup Series start atop the pit box in Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (11 a.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 49-year-old Hendrick Motorsports veteran has 39 Cup Series wins to his credit, spread among two NASCAR Hall of Famers (Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin) and two drivers destined to join them there (Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott).

“It’s been a huge part of my life, obviously, and yeah, something that has transpired over a long period of time,” Gustafson said. “It’s been super memorable, gone through a lot of circumstances, different things — good, bad, it’s been good.”

Part of the good side of his resume has been his nine-year term as crew chief for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet team. All 19 of Elliott’s Cup wins have come with Gustafson’s guidance, and the two celebrated the Cup Series championship together in 2020.

Gustafson was tapped to work with Elliott when he went full-time as a Cup Series rookie in 2016. The 28-year-0ld driver tipped his cap to the influence that Gustafson has had on his career.

“I’m not sure there’s anybody that’s impacted it more, honestly,” Elliott said before Saturday’s practice session at Michigan. “Just has always believed in me and just has never wavered in that regard. Man, that goes a long way, especially with somebody who has seen as much as he’s seen and has lived this deal as long as he has, so I’m grateful for our relationship, I’m grateful for our friendship. We have a really good working relationship as it pertains to just week to week, knowing what we expect of each other. We’ve been doing it together for a long time, and I think that that goes a really long way.

“I’m proud to have him, and I wouldn’t trade this time that we’ve had together for anything because the amount of experience and the things I’ve learned from him is hard to put a price tag on that. Hope that we can keep trucking for years to come.”

Gustafson came up through the local and regional ranks, and he joined Hendrick Motorsports in the chassis shop before taking on roles as a shock specialist and eventually a lead engineer. His ascended to a crew chief job with Hendrick’s No. 5 team in 2005, the rookie season for both him and Busch.

MORE: At-track photos | What to Watch: Michigan

Gustafson has since worked with the Nos. 24 and 9 teams. He says now that he’d tell his rookie self to simply roll with the uncertainties that are bound to arise.

“Just to relax and focus on what you can control and don’t really worry about the rest,” Gustafson said. “I think, just starting out, there’s so much unknown, so you’re super nervous about that, and you want to do everything perfectly, which is just impossible. So I think I would just tell myself to focus on what you can control and take it as it comes.”

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by John Crane

BROOKLYN, Mich. — The looming NASCAR Cup Series contest at Michigan International Speedway not only acts as the third to last race before the regular season’s 2024 conclusion, it additionally marks another chapter in what has been an intense four-wide battle for the Regular Season Championship.

The current quartet — Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin — sits first through fourth, respectively, in the standings and is separated by 21 points heading into Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (11 a.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). And with 15 bonus points on the line for the regular-season victor, the battle is certainly worth investing in as a championship-contending driver.

“I feel good,” Elliott said regarding his current positioning and confidence over the regular season’s final stretch. “I think a lot of it, I mean, let’s be honest, it’s gonna be who gets through Daytona next week, and I think everybody knows that, but that’s not to say that you just write off the other two. I think it’s gonna require a really good run this weekend, it’s gonna require a really good run in Darlington. Personally wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t take a win to get it done, so we’ll see.

“But certainly, taking it a week at a time is kind of how I’m looking at it. Try to get through Michigan, try to give ourselves a shot to win here, and we’ll see about Daytona when it comes.”

The Larson-Reddick-Elliott trio is currently separated by six points, the closest-ever margin at this point of the regular season. And while Hamlin might not possess the same single-digit honor, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has had a knack for winning at tracks left on the regular-season schedule in Daytona International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.

MORE: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

Larson, Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate and the last driver to win at Michigan in a Chevrolet (2017), believes it’s anyone’s guess as to which driver can pull out all the stops and prevail over the others.

“At least two of the three tracks allow a lot of opportunity for us to be good and get some points,” Larson said, “but when you look at it, I mean, Denny’s really good at all these tracks, Tyler’s really good at all these tracks. Chase is really good at all these tracks. So I think it’s gonna come down to what team makes the least amount of mistakes over these next few races and can gain a lot of stage points, too. I think it’s really important.”

No driver, however, has gained as much ground as of late as Reddick, who has gained 59 points on first place over the last six Cup races.

To the No. 45 23XI driver, it’s all about maintaining balance between aggressiveness and gaining as many points as possible.

MORE: Michigan schedule | At-track photos

“We want to go out here and win races, but we don’t want to throw away a second or third-place finish, kind of like I did earlier in the year with racing against (Chris) Buescher,” Reddick said. ” … Just trying to keep that in mind. So I think it’s been good for me. In my past in NASCAR, I feel like when points have mattered and haven’t been buried in the standings and just only worried about wins, it’s been good for me as a driver. So it’s really cool that we’ve climbed out of the hole that we were in to start this year, and we’re now out there battling with those guys.”

And so the scene is set with the Irish Hills acting as the venue of choice. Elliott and Larson have each made double-digit starts at Michigan, with the No. 9 tallying 10 top 10s and the No. 5 driver amassing three Cup wins at the track. Reddick, meanwhile, has only raced in five Cup contests at the track and has yet to scoop up a top 10. Then, there’s the ever-steady Hamlin, who has two wins, 12 top fives and 18 top 10s in 33 Michigan starts, including six consecutive finishes inside the top five at the 2-mile oval. To say battle between contrasting track records at the track would be putting it mildly.

And a battle there certainly will be on Monday.

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Monday (11 a.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by Cameron Richardson

FireKeepers Casino 400

(⏰ Monday, 11 a.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Brooklyn, Michigan
Track length: 2 miles
Race purse: $7,902,750
Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 45 | 120 | 200
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Leaderboard: Where drivers stand after 51 laps at Michigan
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Chris Buescher, August 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

A start-and-stop Saturday practice only saw the Cup Series field put down a handful of laps around the 2-mile facility that was eventually canceled due to inclement weather. Currently in a tie with Chris Buescher for the final playoff spot, Ross Chastain put down the single-fastest lap in practice with a 192.303 mph circuit. Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, William Byron and Bubba Wallace were the five fastest in the shortened session.

With qualifying also canceled, the starting lineup for Monday’s race was set by the NASCAR Rule Book and Denny Hamlin will lead the field to green for a second consecutive weekend. Tyler Reddick will join him on the front row with Christopher Bell, Larson and Wallace all taking the green flag inside the top five. | Saturday recap

Big story line

RFK, Trackhouse, 23XI Racing fighting to get second cars into postseason

Three of the newest (or rebranded) factions in the Cup garage are all holding their breath in the final month of the regular season as they fight to secure both of their chartered cars into the 2024 playoffs. Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski and Daniel Suárez have all secured their spot in the 16-driver field but their tandem counterparts are still needing a win or strong closes over the next three races to have a shot at the Bill France Cup.

Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain are separated by just three points in positions 15th-17th on the playoff bubble. Wallace has gained a remarkable 54 points on the elimination line in the last four races to put himself into the top 16 while Buescher and Chastain are in a tug-of-war for 16th dead even on points (Buescher owns the tiebreaker based on highest finish this season).

A bit of mirroring their respective teammates, Michigan, Daytona and Darlington could all play into the favor of Wallace, Buescher and Chastain. This Monday is the one and only trek to the Irish Hills but was one of three wins for the No. 17 RFK Racing Driver last season that gave Buescher a push all the way into the Round of 8. Reddick won his way into the playoffs at Talladega in the spring and Wallace has always been strong at Daytona and will be one of the favorites entering next Saturday night. The same goes for Chastain, whose teammate Suárez won his way into the postseason in a thrilling three-wide finish at Atlanta way back in February. Chastain was battling for the Daytona 500 victory to begin the season before spinning down the infield grass on the final lap with Austin Cindric.

All three drivers could be in the mix as well for the grueling Southern 500 to cap the regular season. Buescher was in line to win the spring race at Darlington before contact with Reddick in the closing laps forced both to pit road and opened the door for Keselowski to snap a 100+ race winless streak to clinch a playoff berth. Wallace finished seventh, while Chastain finished 11th. Buescher, Wallace and Chastain all placed inside the top seven in last year’s Labor Day weekend showdown.

History tells us…

The eventual winner hasn’t dominated recently. If the recent events at Michigan mean anything, Monday will be all about the long game to grab a pivotal checkered flag. Last year’s race, spanning two days due to inclement weather, was full of twists and turns as three Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets crashed out and contenders Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell had their own woes that took them out of the mix. It led to a thrilling duel win for the win between Truex and Buescher, with Buescher winning while leading just 52 laps.

In 2021 and 2022, Ryan Blaney only led eight laps before his victory while one of Kevin Harvick’s final Cup Series wins came with only leading 38 laps. The polesitter has only won at Michigan once in the last 10 races.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

DANIEL SUÁREZ. Michigan may not come to mind as a place where Suárez could be a contender but the driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet has been in the mix in the two Next Gen events at the 2-mile oval. Suárez was in the mix in the 2022 race before a tire failure in the final laps plummeted his finish outside the top 20 but bounced back the following year to finish inside the top 10 with his teammate Ross Chastain. Both Chastain and Suárez are tied for the third most laps led at Michigan over the last two races (45) only trailing last year’s 1-2 of Buescher (53) and Martin Truex Jr. (47).

At 60-1 odds, Suárez is in the midpack on the oddsboard but as Chastain is still fighting for his playoff life, both Trackhouse Chevrolets should be strong once again Monday. | Michigan odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Dillon penalized: NASCAR rules Austin Dillon’s Richmond win ineligible for playoffs | Read article
• RCR to appeal: Richard Childress Racing will appeal penalties handed to Dillon after Richmond | Read article
• Defining the line: Officials step in after last-lap overstep at Richmond | Read article
• Stay aware: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release | Sign up!
• Back to Cup: AJ Allmendinger returning to full-time Cup Series racing with Kaulig Racing in 2025 | Read article
• Logano penalized: No. 22 Team Penske driver fined $50,000 for action on pit road after Richmond | Watch video
• No extra pressure: Chris Buescher not sweating playoff situation before final three races of regular season | Read article
• Best of the best: The 10 most-watched races so far on NASCAR Classics on one-year anniversary of launch | Read article
• Power Rankings: Could Dillon win again before postseason? | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: Does Austin Dillon still have a path to the playoffs? | Read article
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Monday’s resumption | Read article
• Field of 16: How the playoff picture shakes out with three races left in regular season | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Ford looks for 10th straight Michigan victory | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Head into the video vault with vintage Michigan replays | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh designs primed for Michigan | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Joe Gibbs Racing drivers won the last five stages at Michigan but are winless there in the last 13 races.
• Eight drivers snapped a winless streak of at least 41 races at Michigan.
• Martin Truex Jr. has finished runner-up four times at Michigan.

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by John Crane

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Shockwaves from Austin Dillon’s overtime victory at Richmond Raceway last weekend — and the subsequent penalty that came to the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team — continued at Michigan International Speedway, where Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano both discussed the infraction, their opinions on the decision and the message it sends moving forward.

“I mean, every time that something happens, you’re going to go back to a previous event and say, OK, is that OK? Or is that not OK?” Joey Logano said. “There’s no doubt that lines were crossed. Right? That’s what they all came to conclusion with when they when they handed down the penalties, but that’s what you’re going to go off of for now on.”

“I am,” Denny Hamlin said when asked if he agreed with NASCAR’s decision. “In the moment, you wish — well, if you just take the win, then everything fixes itself than kind of having this split decision, but as I understand it, there is some iffy language in the rule book on if can you really go back and take a win at this point. I think in the future, you just send whoever it is to the back, and it all fixes itself. You don’t have to worry about playoff eligibility and stuff like that. Given how much time it took, it was probably the right call.”

Fireworks during last weekend’s Richmond bout were kindled by Dillon’s bumping maneuver coming out of Turn 4 on the final lap of overtime, which resulted in Hamlin finishing second and Logano 19th, respectively. The move, which subsequently sparked conversations online among fans, industry experts and drivers alike — eventually culminated with officials making the decision to let Dillon and the No. 3 camp keep the win but not have it count toward playoff eligibility. RCR has since planned to appeal the decision, and it will be heard on Wednesday at the NASCAR R&D Center.

Hamlin said he has not spoken to Dillon since the Richmond incident. However, while Richmond’s bruiser might have sparked frustration from Hamlin during the race, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver does not hold ill will.

“I just think – I don’t have anything negative to say about this with Austin (Dillon),” Hamlin said. “I really don’t have anything negative to say about his character. I really stuck up for him quite a bit earlier in this year, when he was going through some pretty tough finishes and things like that, and talking about how I really respected his character, and I still do. He just was put in a really tough spot, where you have to make a split-second decision, and he made one that was not in the, in my opinion, best interest of the sport. People make mistakes, and I believe everyone deserves second chances.”

RELATED: Michigan schedule | At-track photos

Logano, who was additionally fined $50,000 for post-race actions when he spun the tires of his No. 22 Team Penske Ford in anger near the No. 3 team’s Richmond pit box, understood the penalty issued to him. The two-time Cup Series champion additionally made mention of how tough of a position the situation was to call.

“Yeah. I mean, like, the penalty is the penalty,” Logano said. “And, you know, is it right that the win was taken away? Absolutely, or at least the stuff that goes along with it that matters. Did it make it right for me? No, I’m still sitting here last car on the lead lap after all that, so it’s still not right in my book. But what are they going to do, right? It kind of puts them in a tough spot. The only option is to go back to the last lap, or the loop going into Turn 3. You know, if you’re going to put the leader back in the leader spot. I don’t know if that’s their intentions or not. If that’s them, I don’t really know, but that’s … I will say they probably need to make the call quicker, right?”

And while last weekend’s aftereffects won’t be forgotten less than a week later, more clarity has since been found when deeming what is acceptable.

MORE: How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

“I believe so. I believe that hard racing is still OK,” Hamlin said. “I think if two cars are battling side-by-side and one of them hits the wall because of close racing that is going to be deemed OK. I think if you come from a long way back – you were not going to win the race until you decided to wreck someone, I think that is a clear line in the sand, but sometimes balls and strikes aren’t totally clear. There is one right on the edge, and you have to call it, but it is up to us to make the decision. Do we want to put ourselves in that position where it could be called one way or the other? I think that you just have to live with the result. I think if NASCAR polices it and intentional wrecks for the win going forward, there is going to be some close calls, but you put yourself in that spot, so you are going to live with the result and the ruling on it.”

Posted on August 17, 2024August 18, 2024 by Staff Report

Austin Dillon said Saturday that he has not spoken with Denny Hamlin or Joey Logano after his last-lap run-in with them last weekend at Richmond Raceway, saying that he was optimistic about the team’s appeal of penalties that stripped his victory of an automatic spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. That appeal, NASCAR officials confirmed, will be held Wednesday.

Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet sits 28th after 51 laps before resumption of Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (11 a.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) after rain washed away qualifying at Michigan International Speedway. He has three more opportunities to clinch a postseason berth in the trio of regular-season races remaining. A fourth opportunity rests in the hands of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

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“We’re going to go out there and give it all we got again,” Dillon told NBC Sports from the Cup Series garage at Michigan. “And with the current situation, we need to win. Hopefully, after our appeal, we get back in the playoffs, where we deserve to be, and just excited about what we’ve got going on at RCR.”

Dillon’s victory last weekend was marked by a chain reaction of contact in the final set of corners at Richmond Raceway, where Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet nudged as both Logano’s No. 22 Ford and Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota to get to the checkered flag first. After a thorough review, NASCAR officials issued penalties Wednesday that allowed the win to stand but did not let it count toward his playoff eligibility. Officials also suspended spotter Brandon Benesch for three races and docked Dillon and the No. 3 team 25 points in each of the corresponding standings.

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The Richard Childress-owned organization indicated that it would appeal the penalties, roughly an hour after the ruling was announced. Saturday, Dillon was careful not to tip the team’s hand regarding its strategy for the appeal, which will be heard at the NASCAR Research & Development Center.

“Truthfully, I think the best thing I can say right now is we’ve got an appeal process,” Dillon said. “I think this entire sport … I’ve got to be careful with what I give out right now for the appeal process because it’s going to be like a trial. It really is, and wish everybody could see it. Television would be cool to be in there. Because I haven’t really given my entire story of the game yet, and I feel like Denny did a really good job on his podcast giving his side of the story adamantly this week — couple extra podcasts than he normally does, and I also listened to his podcast when he talked about the appeal process and how tough it is. So I’m going to do my best to get RCR in the playoffs, where they need to be, where they deserve to be currently, and from there, I will give all the media and everybody else my exact feelings after that’s all said and done and over with.

“But man, I can’t say enough about NASCAR. They’ve given me everything I’ve got in this life, even my wife and kids. I met my wife at the race track, so I’m thankful for winning races. We’ve got a win this year, which feels really good, and yeah, we just keep going and seeing what comes in the next couple weeks.”

Hamlin and Logano offered their reactions to both Richmond and its aftermath earlier Saturday. Logano was included on last week’s penalty report, fined $50,000 for showing his anger on pit road, where he revved up and spun his tires in proximity to the No. 3 team and its celebration. Dillon addressed that action and Logano’s televised post-race remarks.

“I actually addressed the Denny part and some of my interviews earlier today. I didn’t get to address the Joey part, and I probably should have,” Dillon said. “For Joey, I’m sorry for the situation that he was in. It didn’t matter if it was Joey or anybody, I was going to do my best to get my team to Victory Lane. The situation on pit road after the race, a lot of things were said in the heat of the moment from him about my family and my belief in Christ even, so for me, I forgive him. For him getting frustrated, the pit-road part with the race car, was a lot. I don’t know where that … that was kind of out of line, and I think NASCAR took care of it. But I forgive him, you know, and I’m sure he’s still mad at me for what’s going on on the race track, but this is a game in the end, and you don’t hate the player, you hate the game. That was the situation that I was up against.

“I’ve learned a lot from Joey and Denny over the years. They don’t have any regrets in what they do on the race track, and I can’t either, and I don’t feel that way. I’m not going to say I regret anything because I didn’t. I went to sleep and felt really good about everything I had to do for me and my team, and I have gone to sleep some nights, staying up till three or four in the morning wondering what I could have done differently. In this situation, I don’t know what I could have done.”

Posted on August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 by Staff Report

Rain canceled NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, which puts Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin on the pole for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

However, the drivers had the opportunity to get in some valuable practice time ahead of the 400-mile race at the 2-mile oval in the Irish Hills. In a 40-minute session interrupted by rain, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain topped the leaderboard in practice at 192.303 mph.

Martin Truex Jr. (192.184 mph), Kyle Larson (192.179 mph), William Byron (192.118 mph) and Bubba Wallace (191.795 mph) rounded out the top five.

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Chase Elliott (191.724 mph), Alex Bowman (191.601 mph), Carson Hocevar (191.550 mph), Chris Buescher (191.469 mph) and AJ Allmendinger (191.393 mph) completed the top 10 to conclude practice.