See where your favorite driver will pit during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
RELATED: Starting lineup | Key story lines, news | At-track photos
| Pos | No. | Name | Sponsor | Best Tm | Best Speed | In Lap | Laps | Diff |
| 1 | 60 | Matt Hirschman | Pee Dee Motorsports | 17.258 | 104.299 | 23 | 26 | |
| 2 | 51 | Justin Bonsignore | Phoenix Communications Inc. | 17.266 | 104.251 | 47 | 54 | 0.008 |
| 3 | 32 | Tyler Rypkema | Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting | 17.352 | 103.734 | 44 | 45 | 0.094 |
| 4 | 64 | Austin Beers | Dell Electric/Lumiere Electrical/Andrew James Interiors | 17.379 | 103.573 | 32 | 40 | 0.121 |
| 5 | 54 | Tommy Catalano | FX Caprera | 17.385 | 103.538 | 38 | 42 | 0.127 |
| 6 | 7 | Doug Coby | Mayhew Tools | 17.394 | 103.484 | 36 | 47 | 0.136 |
| 7 | 16 | Ron Silk | Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes | 17.409 | 103.395 | 36 | 46 | 0.151 |
| 8 | 14 | Chuck Hossfeld | Advantage Trucks/Anastasi Trucking | 17.415 | 103.359 | 3 | 36 | 0.157 |
| 9 | 3 | Bryan Narducci* | Florida Connection | 17.427 | 103.288 | 38 | 50 | 0.169 |
| 10 | 25 | Mike Leaty | Northeast Industrial Technologies | 17.468 | 103.046 | 25 | 28 | 0.21 |
| 11 | 22 | Kyle Bonsignore | Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto | 17.482 | 102.963 | 34 | 43 | 0.224 |
| 12 | 77 | Max McLaughlin | Curb Records/Mowhawk Northeast | 17.515 | 102.769 | 36 | 38 | 0.257 |
| 13 | 46 | Anthony Nocella | Riverhead Building Supply | 17.524 | 102.716 | 29 | 29 | 0.266 |
| 14 | 19 | Anthony Sesely | Wanick Construction Inc. | 17.543 | 102.605 | 38 | 39 | 0.285 |
| 15 | 5 | Kyle Ebersole | Ebersole Excavating, Inc. | 17.594 | 102.308 | 38 | 47 | 0.336 |
| 16 | 4 | Tim Connolly* | Connolly Companies LLC | 17.803 | 101.107 | 5 | 58 | 0.545 |
| 17 | 18 | Ken Heagy | Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant | 17.84 | 100.897 | 32 | 35 | 0.582 |
| 18 | 9 | Tommy Wanick* | Wanick Construction Inc. | 17.994 | 100.033 | 37 | 40 | 0.736 |
| 19 | 01 | Melissa Fifield | Pine Knoll Auto Sales | 18.594 | 96.805 | 5 | 35 | 1.336 |
| 20 | 26 | Gary McDonald | Lakeland Ave Landscape Supply/L.I. Wood Heat | 19.532 | 92.156 | 10 | 15 | 2.274 |
Martin Truex Jr. said Saturday that he will return to Joe Gibbs Racing to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024.
Truex, the 2017 series champion, said he had signed a contract extension Friday night with JGR that will keep him in the No. 19 Toyota through the end of next season. The news came Saturday at Michigan International Speedway after Busch Pole Qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 (set to resume Monday at noon ET on USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
RELATED: Cup Series standings | Weekend schedule
“It felt like the right thing to do was to keep going,” Truex said. “The more I thought about it, the more I was like — ‘don’t be stupid, go race another year and see how it goes.'”
Truex is a three-time winner this season and currently heads the Cup Series points standings. Next year will mark his sixth season with Coach Joe Gibbs’ organization.
Truex has been candid about his difficulty in determining the future of his racing career. Last week at Richmond Raceway, the 43-year-old driver acknowledged that the decision was “not an easy one, I can promise you that,” but also foreshadowing that he would make his choice “pretty soon.”
In recent interviews, both Gibbs and David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) USA, said that they were not pressuring Truex in either direction, allowing him the time he needed to make his decision. Truex said of Gibbs’ reaction, “He’s thrilled. He’s a great guy to work for.”
Truex also admitted that he had been leaning in the direction of returning in the last handful of weeks, saying that nothing in his reasoning had surfaced to change his mind. He said the timing of signing an extension now had less to do with the approaching NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs than allowing the team and its sponsors time to prepare.
“I think it’s more so for the team, Coach and all of our partners, so we can just put that out of the way and go back and button up next year’s plans,” Truex said. “It’s pretty late in the season to be putting them in a spot where you keep them hanging. I think I did that as long as possible — not on purpose, but it is just how it worked out.”
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered through 2024! ✍️#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/GgtFO4tXvO
— Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr) August 5, 2023
Truex is a 34-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, and all but three of those have come with Joe Gibbs Racing or its affiliate teams. His consistency this year has combined with victories at Dover, Sonoma and New Hampshire to establish him as a front-runner for the regular-season championship and the overall crown.
In making his return, Truex said the commitment needed to compete at such a high level was something he planned to keep rolling.
“That is what takes so long to figure it out,” Truex said. “I’ve come to terms with all of that obviously, and I’m looking forward to continuing all of that. It is part of the job. It comes with the territory. You are not going to half-ass this job. I’m ready. I’m excited. We’ve got a great thing going. My team is amazing. They are doing great things. Love working with them, and happy to keep this going.”
Count his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates among those welcoming him back.
“After he came back last year, I figured that this year would be … not his farewell tour,” said JGR’s Christopher Bell, who won the Busch Light Pole for Sunday’s 400-miler. “You know, as good as he’s running, he’s got a couple more wins left in him, so I guess I was not expecting him to retire this year.”
Truex had spoken wistfully in recent weeks about the potential of riding into retirement on a winning note, possibly ending his career with a title-clinching triumph in the season finale on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway. This week’s contract extension, he says, takes that storybook scenario out of the mix — at least this year.
“Apparently not. Once you sign on the dotted line, you are committed,” Truex said. “A lot of people are looking for big things, and hopefully I will deliver.”
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Saving his best performance for the last round of qualifying, Christopher Bell sped to the pole position for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Bell covered the 2.0-mile distance in 37.232 seconds in Saturday’s money round, translating to a top speed of 193.382 mph — the fastest qualifying lap at any track since the 2020 Daytona 500.
RELATED: Qualifying results | Weekend schedule: Michigan
Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was 0.027 seconds faster than the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain (193.242 mph). Ty Gibbs, who ran the fastest lap of the day in the first round (37.225 seconds at 193.418 mph) will start third after a final-round lap at 193.024 mph.
The pole-winning performance was a welcome turnaround for Bell, who has finished 18th or worse in four of his last five races.
“This is obviously a very important manufacturers race track, but more than that, it’s a big boost for this 20 team,” said Bell, who earned his second Busch Light Pole Award of the season, his first at Michigan and the sixth of his career.
“We’ve been on the struggle bus a bit lately, and a lot of that’s my doing.”
Chris Buescher, last Sunday’s winner at Richmond raceway, qualified fourth, followed by Martin Truex Jr., putting three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the top five, as the Toyota drivers positioned themselves to try to break Ford’s eight-race winning streak in the Irish Hills.
MORE: Truex announces 2024 return to Joe Gibbs Racing
The top five qualifiers all came from Group B of the split field. Joey Logano, who led Group A in the first round, backed that up with a sixth-place qualifying effort in the final round. William Byron will start seventh, followed by Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.
Currently 40 points out of the final playoff position on points, Elliott still believes he’ll have to win one of the next four races to qualify for the postseason.
“My stance has been the same since I got back,” said Elliott, who missed six races because of injury and one under suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. “I think we need to win.
“So, and like I have said a thousand times since I have been back, I think gaining a lot of points and contending for wins is very much one in the same. It’s not coincidence that the guys that are high up in points have race wins.”
Kevin Harvick, winner of five of the last seven Cup Series races at Michigan, is set to start 22nd in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.
Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry, a late substitute for the suspended Noah Gragson, qualified 35th in the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet.
Truex fastest in Michigan practice as JGR goes 1-2
Martin Truex Jr. led a 1-2 sweep of the practice leaderboard for Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday, putting his No. 19 Toyota atop the speed charts at Michigan International Speedway.
Truex, the NASCAR Cup Series’ points leader, turned a best lap of 192.020 mph to set the pace at the 2-mile oval. He was just .007 seconds faster than JGR teammate Christopher Bell, who was second-fastest at 191.985 mph in the No. 20 Toyota.
MORE: Practice results | What to Watch: Michigan
William Byron clocked the third-fastest lap — 191.729 mph in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He was also fastest in the consecutive 10-lap averages category.
Ty Gibbs was fourth-fastest in another JGR entry, just ahead of Ross Chastain rounding out the top five.
Corey LaJoie had the only incident of the split 20-minute sessions, losing control of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet through Turns 3 and 4 and scraping the outside retaining wall during the second practice group. His car spun to the apron with slight right-rear damage.
Contributing: Staff reports
Legacy Motor Club announced Saturday that it suspended NASCAR Cup Series driver Noah Gragson for “actions that do not represent the values of our team.” NASCAR officials announced later Saturday that Gragson was indefinitely suspended for violating the member conduct section of the NASCAR Rule Book.
The organization said in a statement that Xfinity Series regular Josh Berry would substitute in the No. 42 Legacy MC Chevrolet this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.
RELATED: Weekend schedule | What to watch: Michigan
Gragson’s infraction falls under Section 4.4.D. of the NASCAR Rule Book, which concerns member conduct. NASCAR officials released a statement Saturday afternoon that reads: “NASCAR fully supports Legacy Motor Club’s decision to suspend Noah Gragson. Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension.”
Gragson, 25, is in his first full season in the Cup Series. He ranks 33rd in the series standings, and he missed a race earlier this year because of concussion-like symptoms.
Gragson issued a statement on social media shortly after Legacy Motor Club made its announcement.
I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media.
I understand the severity of this situation.
I love and appreciate everyone.
I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple. https://t.co/PCX6iMJxRF— Noah Gragson (@NoahGragson) August 5, 2023
Berry made his ninth Cup Series start this season in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (set to resume on Monday at noon ET on USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM). Berry, who will join Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 team in the Cup Series next year, has filled in for Hendrick Motorsports in eight races this year — five in the No. 9 Chevrolet for Chase Elliott, and three in the No. 48 Chevy for Alex Bowman.
“Just trying to get reacclimated to the Next Gen,” Berry told NBC Sports after his Cup Series qualifying lap Saturday. “I mean, I found out like, it feels like an hour ago that I was even doing this, so the biggest goal is to keep the car in one piece. I know Luke (Lambert, No. 42 crew chief) and a lot of these guys really well, so after our Xfinity race tonight, we’ll talk some more and then just tomorrow, just try to run all the laps and learn all we can for next year and get the best finish we can.”
Already clinched
The following five drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.
Can clinch via previous wins
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by a previous winner (Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher or Ricky Stenhouse Jr.):
— Christopher Bell: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Ross Chastain: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Ryan Blaney: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Joey Logano: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Tyler Reddick: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Chris Buescher: Would clinch regardless of finish.
— Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Would clinch regardless of finish.
The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell or Ty Gibbs:
— Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 25 points.
— Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 52 points.
— Ryan Blaney: Could only clinch with help.
— Joey Logano: Could only clinch with help.
— Tyler Reddick: Could only clinch with help.
— Chris Buescher: Could only clinch with help.
Can clinch via win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
— Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Chris Buescher, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
The following drivers could clinch with a win:
— Kevin Harvick: Would clinch with 44 points.
— Brad Keselowski: Could only clinch with help.
August marks the final month in the push to the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Just four races remain until the 16-driver grid is set to determine who will compete for the Bill France Trophy.
Entering Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, 12 drivers had locked themselves into the postseason with a victory, leaving four spots still up for grabs. As the field looks to resume the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Lap 74 on Monday (noon ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), a handful of big names still have yet to solidify their playoff position. See who currently sits just above the elimination line, just below and on the outside looking in with stats provided by Racing Insights.
RELATED: Cup standings | Racing Insights’ projected Michigan results
✅ DRIVERS ABOVE ELIMINATION LINE
BUBBA WALLACE
Points above: 54
Trending: OK Recently
Michigan outlook — Hit or Miss Recently: Wallace had a huge points day at Richmond despite falling off in the race’s closing laps for a 12th-place result. With nearly a race in hand above the elimination line heading into Sunday, the No. 23 team can put its focus on redeeming itself from a missed opportunity at Michigan last year. Wallace still finished runner-up in the 2022 race but arguably had the fastest car on the day until a late restart bolted Kevin Harvick to his first win of 2022 instead.
MICHAEL MCDOWELL
Points above: 18
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — Cold: On a completely opposite day from Wallace, McDowell went on a differing strategy than most of the field, and it backfired as he went a lap down to finish 22nd. Historically, Michigan doesn’t bode well either for the driver of the No. 34 as he hasn’t finished better than 20th in 16 career starts.
☣️ ON THE BUBBLE
TY GIBBS
Points below: 18
Trending: Hit or Miss
Michigan outlook — Warm Start: Replacing an injured Kurt Busch in the second half of the 2022 Cup season, Gibbs flashed his talent with a top-10 run at Michigan last season and has continued to climb his way closer and closer to the elimination line. He’ll have a good chance to jump ahead of McDowell for that 16th spot on Sunday.
AJ ALLMENDINGER
Points below: 22
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — It’s Been A While: Allmendinger all but turned Richmond into a throwaway as he forewent practice and qualifying to compete in the Xfinity Series race at Road America. While overcoming 22 points is definitely doable with four races to go, including two at road courses, Allmendinger hasn’t made a Cup start at Michigan since 2018.
DANIEL SUÁREZ
Points below: 34
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — Cold: The last three races have been anything but pleasant for the No. 99 team, with no finish better than 16th and two finishes of 33rd or worse in the last two contests. Suárez finished 25th at Michigan last year but does own a best finish of fourth in the Irish Hills (June 2019).
CHASE ELLIOTT
Points below: 40
Trending: OK Recently
Michigan outlook — Warm: Slowly but surely, Elliott continues to inch his way closer to the elimination line. Michigan has been a decent track for him recently, with four top 10s in the last five races at the 2-mile oval.
🚩 MUST-WIN SITUATION
ALEX BOWMAN
Points below: 42
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — Cold Until 2022: An 18th-place run at Richmond continues a dismal run for Bowman since returning from injury. He finished ninth at Michigan last season, but don’t expect Sunday to be the shot in the arm the No. 48 team needs to finally get back on the path toward the postseason.
AUSTIN CINDRIC
Points below: 64
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — Cold Start: A pair of road courses after Michigan will be Cindric’s last chance to shock the Cup field and make the postseason. He crashed out at Michigan in his first Cup start last year.
JUSTIN HALEY
Points below: 70
Trending: Cold
Michigan outlook — Cold: Haley currently owns three consecutive finishes of 17th or worse, and that trend may hold at Michigan as he finished 17th in the Irish Hills last year.
ARIC ALMIROLA
Points below: 86
Trending: Richmond Snapped Cold Streak
Michigan outlook — Cold: Almirola picked up a quality result at Richmond with an eighth-place finish on what was the banner day of the year so far for Stewart-Haas Racing. But the SHR camp has been abysmal on intermediate/2-mile ovals this season. Almirola currently has five finishes of 16th or worse in the last six races at Michigan.
RYAN PREECE
Points below: 88
Trending: Richmond Snapped Cold Streak
Michigan outlook — Cold: A top-five run at Richmond is a welcome turnaround for the No. 41 team in what has been a forgettable year to date. Michigan isn’t optimal for Preece to keep the momentum up, but he does own a career-best seventh-place finish at the track (Aug. 2019).
Everything you need to know for Monday’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Michigan, the 23rd points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Michigan 101
📍 Location: Brooklyn, Michigan
📐 Track length: 2 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race
💰 Cup Series race purse: $7,544,696
📏 Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
🔢 Stages: 45 | 120 | 200
—
🚪 Entry list: Cup Series drivers entered
📋 Starting lineup: Bell soars to P1
🚗 Pit stall assignments: Full pit grid for Sunday’s race
🏆 Most recent winner: Kevin Harvick, summer 2022
🌧 Weather delay: Race set to resume Monday
Key things to watch 🔑
Big story line
Will Kevin Harvick finally win in his final year in the Cup Series? Harvick entered Michigan International Speedway as the defending race winner and led all active Cup Series drivers with six wins at the 2-mile oval. With four races remaining in the regular season, Harvick has a 182-point cushion as the Stewart-Haas Racing driver sits comfortably in the playoff field. However, the 47-year-old certainly does not want to end his final year before transitioning to the FOX Sports broadcast booth without a win. Reaching Victory Lane in four of the last five Michigan races made him one of the early favorites to win this week. Riding a 34-race winless streak ahead of the 400-mile race in the Irish Hills, “The Closer” will hope history repeats itself as he snapped a 65-race winless streak at MIS in 2022. | Relive Harvick celebrating last year’s Michigan win
History tells us…
A Ford driver may end up in Victory Lane again. Chevrolet and Toyota have struggled to match Ford at Michigan International Speedway in recent memory. Ford leads the other manufacturers with 43 wins, which is 17 more than Chevy’s 26 wins and 38 more than Toyota’s five victories at MIS. The last eight Michigan races have seen a Ford driver in Victory Lane, with six of those wins coming with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. In the previous nine races at MIS, Ford led 1,005 of 1,655 laps. Although Ford only has three Cup Series wins this year, with the most recent victory coming last weekend at Richmond Raceway with RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, Michigan feels like a good track for the Blue Oval to get win No. 4 of 2023. | Preview Show: Can Ford extend Michigan dominance?
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
Brad Keselowski. Last Sunday at Richmond Raceway was a special day for RFK Racing as Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Ford found Victory Lane. However, it came at the expense of Keselowski, who made an awkward entry to his pit box which cost him track position and forced him to settle for a sixth-place finish. Keselowski wants to win at the Cup Series level in his own equipment as the RFK co-owner. However, he probably wants to win at his home track, Michigan International Speedway, just as badly. Keselowski entered the race with 13-1 odds of finally getting a big breakthrough win at home. In 25 career Cup Series starts at MIS, he has two poles, seven top fives and 13 top 10s. Given RFK’s recent momentum and Ford’s strong history at this track, do not be surprised if the No. 6 team takes the checkered flag, giving Ford its ninth straight Michigan win and back-to-back victories for RFK to clinch playoff spots for both entries. | RFK Racing’s resurgence takes next step with Richmond romp
Take a look at Michigan International Speedway’s Heritage Trophy, one of the most unique and coveted pieces of hardware in NASCAR.
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• At-track photos: Best shots from Michigan race weekend | Scroll through gallery
• Bubble Watch: Outlook for drivers closest to playoff elimination line | McDowell, Gibbs, Allmendinger and more
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Michigan | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin jumps to the top for the first time this year | Latest driver rankings
• Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie reacts to his new contract extension with Spire Motorsports | Listen to the podcast
💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub
Key stories and breaking news from the week leading up to the race.
• Richmond test: Reaction from the two-day test | Read more
• Pit road stats: Speedy stops propelling Ty Gibbs into playoff conversation | Read more
• Corey LaJoie: New multiyear extension with Spire Motorsports | Read more
• Hall of Fame: Class of 2024 revealed, Landmark Award | Read more
• Jimmie Johnson: Seven-time Cup Series champion nominated to Hall of Fame | Watch video
• Chad Knaus: Seven-time Cup Series championship-winning crew chief nominated to Hall of Fame | Watch video
• Donnie Allison: Allison will join brother Bobby Allison in the Hall of Fame | Watch video
• eNASCAR: Michael Guest wins in wild overtime finish at Pocono | Watch video
• Untold Stories: The birth of the No. 3 | Watch video
• Noah Gragson: Legacy Motor Club driver suspended indefinitely | Read more
• Martin Truex Jr.: Returning to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024 | Read more
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy and Fan Rewards.
• Fantasy Live: Participate in interactive gameplay from week to week | Choose your lineup
• Fan Rewards: New in 2023, get rewarded for your participation | Learn more
• NASCAR BetCenter: Don’t miss your chance to make picks each week | Visit the BetCenter
• Going the distance: 2023 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
Michigan International Speedway has posted a lot of historic moments throughout the years, so take a look at some history.
• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at Michigan | Relive them here
• Flashback: Kevin Harvick ends 65-race winless streak at Michigan | Watch video
Five hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• 10 of 19 drivers to win in 2022 have yet to win in 2023.
• Toyota only has one win in the last 20 Michigan races.
• Chevrolet only has two stage wins in the last eight races and only one stage win in the last six.
• Three-time Michigan winner Kyle Larson has finished in the top three in six of his last 10 races at Michigan.
• Ross Chastain only has two top-10 finishes in the last 10 races.
🔮 Advance to Victory Lane: Racing Insights projects the finishing order
Alex Yankowski doesn’t have any wins this summer, but his consistent finishes near the front have him climbing the standings at both Utica-Rome Speedway and the national NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series points.
Yankowski, who turned 19 last month, has four top fives and nine top 10s in the 3 Bastards Brewing Modifieds division at Utica-Rome, a newly NASCAR-sanctioned half-mile dirt oval in Vernon, New York.
The driver from Covington-Township, Pennsylvania races at Utica-Rome on Friday nights and Fonda Speedway on Saturdays. He’s also currently third in Fonda’s Amsterdam Truck Center Modifieds division.
While also traveling around to other special shows throughout New England and Canada, Yankowski has finished in the top 10 in all 16 of his NASCAR-sanctioned races this summer, and in the top five eight times, putting him seventh in the NAAPWS Division I points standings.
He’s the highest ranking Division I driver without a win this season.
“It’s going good. I think we’ve been pretty consistent,” Yankowski said. “We haven’t won a race yet at Utica, which is a little bit frustrating, but we’ve been consistent there, which I think is more important than winning one race. A string of good runs is definitely more important.”
Yankowski credited his consistency this season with “good prep” in the shop.
“The cars are good. Just good maintenance and good people working on them,” he added.
Racing is all-in-the-family for Yankowski, and it has been for several decades.
His grandfather used to travel from Pennsylvania to New York during the summers when he was young to work on a farm. One of his relatives at the time owned a car they raced at nearby tracks.
Years later, when his grandfather came home for the fall, he bought his own race car. That car has now been in Yankowski’s family for three generations, and they’ve built a replica.
Seeing that car is what made Yankowski want to race himself.
“It’s just always something I wanted to do,” he said. “I started in go-karts at 4. After that it’s just been one thing after another.”
Yankowski said racing now is “definitely a family deal.”
The sport wasn’t something that came easy to the 19-year-old, but it’s never been something he could quit.
“At first it was definitely frustrating, but it was always something I wanted to do and something I really wanted to work at to get better at,” he said. “And it definitely was and still is a grind to get better and just keep digging with it.”
This is Yankowski’s second season racing at Utica — he finished third in the track’s points standings in 2022 — and just the second time in his career he’s raced full-time at a NASCAR-sanctioned track.
Last year, the team saw flashes of speed, which gave Yankowski hope heading into 2023.
“I feel like when we work on a program hard we get a little bit better, and now we have speed consistently,” he said. “I think we’re just going to keep working at it to have some consistent speed and just get a little bit faster.”
While Yankowski is enjoying his climb up the rankings of several championship races, he is still looking for that elusive win this summer. Reaching Victory Lane was the goal coming into the season, and it stays the goal every time he straps into the car.
The key, he said, is to keep working and never get too comfortable.
“We’ve put ourselves in position to win a good amount of races this year, and cautions didn’t fall our way, or lapped traffic, wrecks, just something,” he said. “We need to keep putting ourselves in position to just execute. That’s the biggest thing is just execute.
“I care more about winning races than anything else. I knew last year we were fast at times, we just needed to be fast all the time. We’re at least consistent now. We just want to go in and win some races. We’ve been knocking on the door, so we’re going to keep working at it and hopefully we get there soon.”
Racing will return to Utica-Rome Speedway on Friday.
It’s August, which means the precipice of the postseason push and Cup Series teams going for it all to lock their way into the 16-driver field. Two road courses and a superspeedway will close out the regular season, but before that will be Monday’s resumption of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Noon ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Check out trends to watch, important info on Goodyear tires and interactive ways to follow all the action.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Michigan | Betting favorites for Sunday’s Cup race
FORD’S FORTE ⭐️
The blue ovals have captured just three checkered flags so far in 2023, with wins from Joey Logano (Atlanta-spring), Ryan Blaney (Coke 600) and Chris Buescher (Richmond-summer).
However, momentum could be leaning in favor of the manufacturer after winning last Sunday at Richmond while leading 201 of the 400 laps and heading to a track where Ford has won the last eight races.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has won five of those races in that span and is one of the favorites to win Sunday’s race as he seeks to score his first win in his final season and the first for SHR in 2023. This could be a tightly contested battle between three of Ford’s organizations. Bragging rights will be on the line in the Ford camp as to who the banner team is at this point of the season. Team Penske has won twice this year, but RFK Racing has emerged as a top team with Buescher locked into the postseason and Keselowski 151 points above the elimination line.
MORE: How the playoff picture looks heading into Sunday
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— Stewart-Haas Racing has won six of the last eight races at Michigan.
— Toyota has won only once in the last 20 Michigan races (Matt Kenseth, 2015).
— The last three Michigan races have an average green flag stretch of over 20 laps.
— Kevin Harvick (2022) is the only driver in the last 10 Michigan races to get their first win of the season.
(Via Racing Insights)
NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥
2012: Dale Jr. snaps winless streak at Michigan | WATCH
2017: Kyle Larson makes a daring move on final restart to win at Michigan | WATCH
2019: Harvick celebrates with son, Keelan, after winning at Michigan | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, August 5
— 12:35 p.m. ET: Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
— 1:20 p.m. ET: Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
Monday, August 7
— Noon ET: Resumption of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Michigan
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.
Goodyear brought back the same tire setup that has been used at Fontana, Las Vegas, Kansas, Nashville and Pocono earlier this season. Teams were issued one set for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional six sets for this week’s race.
NASCAR implemented safety updates to the Next Gen car.
Along the right-side door bars and extending toward the rear clip, teams are mandated to run a steel plate in addition to the chassis adjustments made for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The right-side door bar gussets and the removal of the front clip V-brace are changes that remain, in addition to the removal of other front-clip components, to create a softer and larger crush zone for frontal impacts.
Also included in the updates are front bumper strut softening (modifications to existing parts), the requirement of an empty front ballast box and a modified cross brace. NASCAR incurs the cost of all these updates.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
