What to Watch: Michigan pivotal to playoff position before Daytona, Southern 500

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
—
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.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Leaderboard

“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.

MORE: At-track photos: Michigan

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.

MORE: Practice results | How to get notified for 2025 schedule release

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.

Posted on August 17, 2024August 17, 2024 by Team Release

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 17, 2024) — Haas Factory Team has signed drivers Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer to pilot its two NASCAR Xfinity Series entries beginning in 2025, with both racers joining the company under multiyear agreements.

Creed will drive the No. 00 Ford Mustang Dark Horse and Mayer will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Haas Factory Team has elected to use the No. 41 in the Xfinity Series in place of the No. 98 that it is inheriting from Stewart-Haas Racing to better align with its overall program. Haas Factory Team announced in July that it will use the No. 41 in the Cup Series with driver Cole Custer.

“We’ve developed a strong and consistent Xfinity Series program at Stewart-Haas that wins races and championships. In 2025, that program will operate as Haas Factory Team. The name is changing, but our commitment to winning remains the same,” said Joe Custer, president of Haas Factory Team.

“Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer have won championships on their way to the Xfinity Series and they’re both hungry to win races and compete for an Xfinity Series title. They bring significant experience and a shared desire to win. Having them a part of Haas Factory Team allows us to operate at a high level and collect trophies.”

Creed is the 2020 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion. The 26-year-old from Alpine, California, is an eight-time race winner in the Truck Series who has been competing full-time in the Xfinity Series since 2022. While still seeking his first Xfinity Series victory, Creed has earned 10 second-place finishes, the most recent of which came June 22 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. He qualified for the Xfinity Series Playoffs last year and finished seventh in the championship.

“I’ve won in every division I’ve raced in and I feel like I’ve earned my place in the Xfinity Series, but that’s not enough. I want to win in the Xfinity Series,” said Creed, who currently drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. “I watched what Cole Custer did last year on his way to the Xfinity Series championship and when I talked with him about the setup of the organization, everything he said resonated with me. I feel like Haas Factory Team is a place where I can succeed and where Sam and I can work together to win races and be championship contenders.”

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Latest Silly Season news

The 21-year-old Mayer is a six-time Xfinity Series race winner who advanced to the Championship 4 in 2023. A native of Franklin, Wisconsin, Mayer scored back-to-back ARCA Menards Series East championships in 2019-2020 before joining the Xfinity Series in 2021 with a 17-race schedule for JR Motorsports. He has competed full-time in the Xfinity Series for JRM since 2022.

“The Xfinity Series is a really great place to learn and grow and get yourself ready for the NASCAR Cup Series,” Mayer said. “Cup is my ultimate goal, and to really push myself to become the kind of driver who can succeed in Cup, I needed to get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, and hone my race skills so that when that Cup moment comes, I’m ready. The Haas team got Cole Custer ready for his moment and it’s a place that will help get me and Sheldon ready for our moments.”

Thirteen races remain for both Mayer and Creed in 2024, and each has their eyes set on the Xfinity Series Playoffs. Mayer is already locked into the 12-driver, seven-race title chase via his two victories this year — April 13 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and June 15 at Iowa Speedway in Newton. Creed has a 69-point cushion over the top-12 cutoff with six regular-season races still remaining before the playoffs begin Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

Posted on August 17, 2024 by Official NASCAR Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 17, 2024) – Today, NASCAR announced that it will partner with the national nonprofit We the Veterans and Military Families to support Vet the Vote, a national campaign aimed at recruiting veterans and military families to serve as nonpartisan poll workers across the country this fall.

“NASCAR is honored and humbled to count thousands of military veterans as NASCAR fans and we’re encouraging them to consider once again serving their country this election season as poll workers,” said Eric Nyquist, chief impact officer at NASCAR. “We are committed to doing our part to help address the critical shortage of poll workers in this country, so we’re proud to support Vet the Vote and its vital mission this fall.”

The Vet the Vote campaign was designed to address the historic shortage of poll workers across the country by inspiring veterans and military family members to leverage their sense of purpose and patriotism to serve as poll workers.

The 2022 elections saw more than 63,500 members of the military community raise their hands to register through the Vet the Vote program. Today, that number has more than doubled, with more than 140,000 registrations through Vet the Vote to date.

LEARN MORE: NASCAR IMPACT

“We are thrilled NASCAR is joining the Vet the Vote coalition to support recruiting veterans and military family members to be the next generation of election poll workers,” said Ellen Gustafson, Executive Director of We the Veterans and Military Families. “Vet the Vote has recruited over 140,000 veterans and military family members to serve again in their local jurisdictions since our inception in 2022. We’re proud to have a great American institution like NASCAR as a partner and look forward to collaborating with them in the future to support our elections.”

Beginning this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, the Vet the Vote campaign will engage NASCAR fans in the fan zone at select races and register veterans and military family members as poll workers leading up to the 2024 elections.

Typically, America needs approximately 900,000 poll workers to effectively run elections in all states and territories during a presidential election. In 2020, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on an aging volunteer base and upticks in threats of political violence significantly depressed volunteerism, especially among the 60+ year old traditional election volunteer cohort, leading to reduced number of polling stations, longer lines at the polls, increased stress on volunteers, and ultimately, more difficulty voting.

To address this critical issue, NASCAR will join 38 national businesses and organizations, including the NFL, Microsoft, and Walmart, in supporting the Vet the Vote program.

Through the work of NASCAR IMPACT, the league’s social responsibility platform launched in 2023, NASCAR has strengthened its support for veterans and active-duty service members through partnerships with veteran-serving organizations.

This year, NASCAR launched partnerships with American Corporate Partners, which provides one-on-one career mentorship for transitioning service members, and Sound Off – a technology-based non-profit that provides mental health support for veterans and other members of the military community.

Posted on August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 by Press Release

IRVINE, Calif. (Aug. 16, 2024) — Start your engines! Tillys, a California-native leading destination specialty retailer of casual apparel, footwear and accessories, is excited to announce the launch of their collaboration with National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) featuring designs exclusive to Tillys.

The Irvine, California, based retailer, known for their extensive assortment of iconic brands in the active and social lifestyle space, is exploring the world of auto racing with the No. 1 motorsport in America with their latest collab. Tillys, noting both the widespread interest in racing culture in the zeitgeist as well as the sartorial trends of racing jackets, sporty graphic tees and more as their inspiration for the collection, is excited to share these exclusive pieces with their customers.

Tillys believes that what you wear is how you feel and hopes to encourage their customers to discover their style so they can be themselves and truly shine. In celebration of the partnership, Tillys is hosting a sweepstakes for Tillys Rewards members to enter for a chance to win the entire Tillys x NASCAR® collection as well as a trip for two to NASCAR Racing Experience™, where race fans get behind the wheel of real NASCAR race cars for timed racing sessions. More information can be found at www.tillys.com/contests.

The limited-edition collection contains unisex styles including graphic tees, hoodies, sweatpants and a pit stop jacket with sizes ranging from S-XL as well as corresponding kid’s styles — perfect for sport and fashion fans alike.

The Tillys x NASCAR collection is now available exclusively at Tillys.com with prices ranging from $34.99 – $124.99. For more information, visit https://www.tillys.com/ or follow Tillys on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

Posted on August 16, 2024August 18, 2024 by Steve Luvender

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Michigan International Speedway.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

Steve Luvender: 578
Dustin Albino: -63
r/NASCAR Community: -64
Cameron Richardson: -108

Race 24 of 36: Michigan

Last week’s race at Richmond didn’t shake up our 36 for 36 standings much. Cameron Richardson’s pick of Noah Gragson landed him 17 points, while Dustin Albino and Steve Luvender earned 24 apiece from Josh Berry. The NASCAR subreddit earned the highest points total — 32 points — from Joey Logano, despite a last-lap spin courtesy of Austin Dillon.

Our panel now faces Michigan, the Cup Series’ lone stop on a high-speed two-mile D-shaped oval, while the playoffs draw near.

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 71, Zane Smith

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 4, Josh Berry (24 points)

Total season points: 515 (second place)

Dustin: With how brutal the first three months were for Smith’s rookie season, he could only salvage his rookie campaign so much after being buried in the championship standings. The No. 71 team has seemingly turned the corner in recent weeks, however, with five top-20 finishes — including a runner-up result at Nashville — over the last nine events. The 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champion has only competed in one national touring series race at Michigan, which resulted in his first truck victory. Here’s to thinking Smith will have another fond memory of MIS this weekend.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 17, Chris Buescher

Steve’s pick last week: No. 4, Josh Berry (24 points)

Total season points: 578 (first place)

Steve: Chris Buescher has five career race wins, and they’ve all taken place in a 49-day window between July 30 and September 17. Monday’s race at Michigan falls within the “Buescher Window” (trademarking that) and the pressure’s on to lock the No. 17 into the playoffs. Of course, Buescher won at Michigan last year as part of his freakishly good three-win August. The Buescher Window is real.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 17, Chris BuescherCameron’s pick last week: No. 10, Noah Gragson (17 points)

Total season points: 470 (fourth place)

Cameron: I am sticking to the plan for the long game. I still have 13 races to go even though I’m more than 100 points back of the lead, but a Chris Buescher pick for Michigan could get me back under that mark. Ford’s going for its 10th consecutive win at the 2-mile oval and Buescher is the defending winner. He’s been well overdue to break through in 2024 and with him and Ross Chastain being dead even for the final playoff spot, Monday would be the perfect day for Buescher to become the 13th driver into the Cup Series Playoffs.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 17, Chris Buescher

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 22, Joey Logano (32 points)
Total season points: 514 (third place)

The NASCAR subreddit voted defending race winner Chris Buescher as the pick for Monday. Here’s what some Redditors had to say in this week’s voting thread:

u/Blue8844: “I’m okay with burning this pick earlier than I would’ve thought. He needs a solid points day, hoping RFK can deliver.”

u/FridgusDomin8or: “Yes. Defending race winner, RFK is typically the Ford team to beat on the intermediates, and this track has been Ford’s stomping ground the last number of years.”

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “We take this guy now. We need a solid points day, and Buescher needs a solid points day. It’s a no-brainer to pick the guy who won last year”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Brandon White

Niece Motorsports development driver Matthew Gould is set to take a major step forward in his career at one of the United States’ most historic tracks.

When the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs begin at the Milwaukee Mile next Sunday for the LiUNA! 175, Niece will field a fourth No. 44 Chevrolet Silverado for Gould, who seeks to gain vital experience in his series debut.

Gould has spent the past several weeks gathering advice from his father Phil Gould, who is the crew chief on Niece’s No. 45. The environment within Niece’s shop has Matthew Gould in a comfortable state of mind ahead of an eventful weekend.

“It means everything,” Gould said. “I’m only 18 years old, but I feel like I’ve worked my whole life to get here. It’s really cool to do this with my family at Niece Motorsports, and it’s been cool to work on the truck with my dad. It’s going to be weird racing against him, but I’m really excited for a new opportunity.”

The path for Gould to reach this point in his career began at age 4, when he started racing go-karts on a makeshift track in Clint Bowyer’s backyard; Phil Gould at the time worked for Bowyer.

Matthew has many fond memories of his time racing on Bowyer’s track and how that fostered his love for motorsports. He even competed against Phil on several occasions, one of which ended with Matthew wrecking his dad.

As he got older, Matthew Gould began refining his dirt-racing skills at North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway before eventually moving up to Late Model Stocks. He’s accumulated laps in a Late Model Stock at several different tracks in the southeast, earning wins at Orange County Speedway, Florence Motor Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway.

Matthew Gould actively competes in Late Model Stocks and currently has three victories across three tracks. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)

There are plenty of fundamentals about car control Gould has taken from racing Late Model Stocks, but he said the abrasive surfaces of short tracks in the southeast instill other essential qualities like tire management and patience.

“You just learn discipline,” Gould said. “Hickory is very rough and worn out, so you have to take what the car gives you. The Late Models around here have a lot of horsepower and don’t really weigh much, so they dance around the race track. You’re really driving a street car that’s set up for racing.”

Gould hopes the experience obtained at Hickory and other short tracks pays dividends at the Milwaukee Mile, where he previously raced in the ARCA Menards Series in 2022. Despite finishing a lap down to winner Sammy Smith, Matthew managed to bring home a top-10 finish that day in a Niece car.

Driving an ARCA car at the Milwaukee Mile taught Gould many lessons about aerodynamics and the importance of clean air, along with primarily using the bottom line for passing. He expects all those same factors to be prevalent throughout the Truck Series race next Sunday.

Matthew Gould looks to apply experience from Late Model Stocks and the ARCA Menards Series into his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut. (Photo: Luke Hales/ARCA Racing)

Despite this, Gould anticipates a different environment compared to his ARCA start, especially since 10 of his competitors are in a separate battle for the Truck Series championship. He also wants to be courteous around his dad’s team, which is going for the owner’s title.

Gould’s preparation for the Milwaukee Mile has involved spending plenty of time in the simulator alongside teammate Kaden Honeycutt and Truck Series veteran Grant Enfinger. Their insights have been invaluable to Gould, but his primary goals are to earn respect amongst the other drivers and keep his No. 44 truck in one piece.

“I want to run all the laps and finish,” he said. “If I hold myself to an expectation, nine times out of 10 I won’t meet it. That’s because I hold myself to too high an expectation, so I want to keep it clean. The way the Truck Series goes, if you do that, you’ll at least finish in the top 20.”

There are no current plans in place for Gould to make another Truck Series start this year, but a strong performance at the Milwaukee Mile could be a crucial first step toward his reaching more career milestones in NASCAR.

Posted on August 16, 2024August 18, 2024 by Seth Sharp

Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, Ken Martin, director of historical content for the sanctioning body, will offer his suggestions on which historical races fans should watch from the NASCAR Classics library in preparation for each upcoming race weekend.

Martin has worked exclusively for NASCAR since 2008 but has been involved with the sport since 1982, overseeing various projects. He has worked in the broadcast booth for hundreds of races, assisting the broadcast team with different tasks. This includes calculating the “points as they run” for the historic 1992 finale, the Hooters 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The following suggestions are Ken’s picks to watch before this Monday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1978 Gabriel 400:

It seemed like nothing could go wrong for Cale Yarborough and his No. 11 Junior Johnson-owned team.

They won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 1976 and 1977. After the first 14 races of the 1978 season, Yarborough led the series standings by 37 points over Benny Parsons.

The halfway point of the season was a stop in Michigan, a track where Yarborough had plenty of success. He won the inaugural race at the track in 1969 and won additional races there in 1970 and 1977.

He was nearly a lock for a top-10 finish at the track. Over his first 14 races at the track, he compiled 11 finishes of 10th or better, with nine of them being in the top five.

Yarborough qualified third for the race, behind David Pearson and Parsons.

It seemed like Yarborough’s luck at Michigan was about to run out, as he had to duck into the pits for tires. This put him a lap down and it looked like that would be his chance at another victory until the caution flag came out just after the halfway point for an incident between Blackie Wangerin and Al Hobert.

This reset the field and gave Yarborough a second chance. If he wanted to be the first to the checkered flag, he would have to power past a group of strong cars. The strongest of the day seemed to be the DiGard Racing Chevrolet of Darrell Waltrip.

Waltrip, driving the No. 88 car, led 88 of the first 129 laps before his engine let go, sending him to a 28th-place finish.

Yarborough found his way back to the front of the field, checking out on Pearson, Parsons and the rest of the field, en route to a 13-second victory.

His comeback win extended his points lead to 47 points over Parsons, in a season that saw Yarborough eventually capture a record third straight series championship.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1986 Miller American 400:

“Daddy, start your engine!”

The Petty family couldn’t have dreamed up a better Father’s Day in 1986, as Richard Petty was on the brink of history.

Petty was set to make his record-setting 1,000th NASCAR Cup Series start and Michigan International Speedway and NASCAR pulled out all the stops to ensure it was a pre-race memory that would last forever.

“King Richard’s” three daughters gave the command for their Dad and their Dad only to start his engine, roughly 20 seconds before the rest of the field followed suit. The crowd roared as the No. 43 car came to life for the 1,000th time.

Ken Squier also interviewed Petty while making the preliminary pace laps before the race. He qualified 15th for the race, a few rows ahead of his son, Kyle.

Tim Richmond set the fastest lap during qualifying, but the driver to watch was Dawsonville, Georgia’s Bill Elliott, who started eighth.

Elliott was in the middle of a torrid stretch at the track. The second race at Michigan saw him start second and finish third. Elliott’s two races there in 1984 included two pole positions, one victory and a third-place finish. 1985 was more of the same for Elliott, as he won both races from the top spot.

The only surprise was that Elliott had yet to win a race in 1986 after winning 11 of the 28 races in 1985.

Richmond’s teammate Geoff Bodine and an injured Harry Gant dominated the race, leading 111 of its 200 laps, but it was Elliott whose car came on strongest at the end.

Elliott took his car to the point for the first time on the 150th lap, leading 22 laps before giving up the lead to Gant.

He went on to lead the final five laps on his way to his first victory of the season and his third-straight victory there.

Elliott returned to the track in August and put his No. 9 car in Victory Lane yet again, giving him four straight victories and five of the last six. His final victory at the track came in 1989, giving him seven victories over the 11 races held at the track between 1984 and 1989.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

1991 Champion Spark Plug 400:

Jarrett and Allison.

Two names synonymous with NASCAR history and visiting victory lane.

Ned Jarrett won 50 races in just 352 starts between 1953 and 1966, capturing the championship in both 1961 and 1965.

Bobby Allison’s career abruptly came to a halt midway through the 1988 season after a crash at Pocono, just a handful of races after winning the Daytona 500. He won 84 races between 1961 and 1988, won the title in 1983 and finished second in the final season standings five times.

His brother Donnie also made the final start of his career in 1988, winning 10 races in 242 starts.

It was no surprise that these two legacies produced a new generation of talent that could be found at the front of the field every Sunday afternoon.

Bobby’s son Davey finished second to him in the 1988 Daytona 500 and was quickly carving up a name for himself. He had won two races in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, managing to turn up the heat even hotter in 1991.

He captured victories at Charlotte, Sonoma and Michigan, as he arrived at Michigan for the second time sitting fourth in the season standings.

Dale Jarrett, the son of Ned, didn’t have as smooth of an entry into the NASCAR Cup Series. He raced for a handful of owners between 1984 and 1989, while still winning races in the Xfinity Series. Jarrett was named the driver of the No. 21 car for the Wood Brothers Racing team in 1990 after their usual driver Neil Bonnett was injured in a crash.

Jarrett drove the final 24 races of the 1990 season for the team, finishing fourth at Atlanta.

The 1991 season saw more success and growth for the Hickory, North Carolina driver. He arrived at Michigan in 15th in the season standings, thanks to a career-best stretch of three straight top-10 finishes.

Allison looked poised to visit Victory Lane at the track for the season sweep, but that was until Jarrett entered the picture.

The two drivers had an incredible back-and-forth battle for the victory over the final laps of the race, as the two took the white flag side-by-side.

The two drivers continued in tow with each other as Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, and Jarrett’s Dad Ned called the final moments of the race.

Jarrett and Allison stayed equal with each other and touched out of the fourth turn, as Jarrett beat Allison to the line by inches in quite possibly the most popular victory in some time.

Ned’s reaction in the television booth as a proud Father induced goosebumps, as he raved about how clean his son raced for his first victory.

It was also the first victory for the No. 21 team since Kyle Petty won at Charlotte in 1987.

Allison visited Victory Lane to congratulate Jarrett and praised him in his post-race interview with how clean he drove him.