Truex sits fourth in the regular-season points standings, but Harvick’s victory knocks Truex out of the playoff grid with three races remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin.
Truex trails Ryan Blaney by 19 points heading into next weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway (Sunday, Aug. 14, 3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Blaney sits second in the regular-season standings, trailing Chase Elliott for the regular-season title by 119 points.
Sitting below the cut line is a major concern for Truex. Only one spot remains in the playoff grid based on points, and another new winner would eliminate that position. The regular-season champion is guaranteed a playoff berth, however. If Elliott squanders his points lead to Blaney, Blaney could theoretically win the title and qualify for the playoffs without a victory.
Truex, the 2017 Cup Series champion, has qualified for the Championship 4 in five of the past seven seasons, finishing runner-up in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The good news for Truex is his past success at each of the next two tracks on the Cup schedule.
Truex is a three-time winner at Richmond and led 80 laps there in the spring. After that is Watkins Glen International, where Truex hasn’t finished worse than third in each of the past four races.
The No. 19 team will need to score maximum points — or win — throughout the remaining events on the schedule to ensure a last-minute berth into the 2022 playoffs.
Bubba Wallace won the pole, led 22 laps and tied his season-best finish with a runner-up result Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
It was a career weekend for Wallace, yet there was no celebration from the driver of the No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota following the FireKeepers Casino 400.
With 35 laps to go, Wallace restarted on the inside of the front row alongside Kevin Harvick, who eyed snapping a 65-race winless streak from the outside lane. Harvick got the edge and left Wallace to battle with Kyle Larson and Joey Logano for second place.
Wallace eventually worked past both of them, but it was too late. Harvick took the checkered flag by 2.903 seconds over Wallace, who wasn’t able to chip away at Harvick’s lengthy lead quick enough to battle for his second career win.
By the time he got to pit road, Wallace was left “replaying everything I could have done” differently, he told NBC Sports.
“I thought I could hang with the 4 (Harvick) and just got to racing the 5 and the 22,” Wallace said of his battles with Larson and Logano. “And the 22 did a good job of getting another Ford contract, helping a Ford win. Just all in all, an incredible weekend. Appreciate my team. Wish we could’ve gotten Toyota in Victory Lane. Wish we could’ve got McDonald’s back in Victory Lane.
“She was fast all week, man. Just … I’ll wear this one on my heart for a while. I failed everybody.”
Wallace said he wishes he would have either cleared Larson sooner or taken the top behind Harvick on the restart in hindsight.
“Could’ve taken the top, push the 4 and then I could’ve been (in Larson’s position) in that scenario, right?” Wallace said. “Just hate it. Hate it for our team. Sucks.”
Crew chief Bootie Barker and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin — who wheeled his No. 11 Toyota to a third-place finish behind Wallace — both commended Wallace on his drive and performance throughout the weekend. Saturday’s pole qualifying run was Wallace’s first in NASCAR’s premier level and first ever for 23XI Racing as a team.
Sunday’s runner-up finish also marks Wallace’s third top-five finish in the past four races, highlighting a career-best streak of four-straight top 10s. But Wallace wasn’t in the mood to celebrate those accomplishments on pit road Sunday evening.
“I mean it is a hell of a job for our team, so there’s a lot of positives in this,” Wallace said. “But I’m a person that looks at the negatives more than the positives. I need to change that, but I want to win so bad and this was the best opportunity.”
Wallace also finished second in the season-opening Daytona 500 in February, following his first career victory in a rain-shortened race at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2021.
With Wallace in need of a win to challenge for a playoff position, Daytona marks the regular-season finale on Aug. 27.
On a blustery Sunday in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Kevin Harvick saved his season.
Grabbing the lead and pulling away after a restart on Lap 166 of 200 at Michigan International Speedway, Harvick won the FireKeepers Casino 400 by 2.903 seconds over pole winner Bubba Wallace and leap-frogged bubble-riding Martin Truex Jr. in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings.
Harvick’s victory ended a 65-race drought for the 46-year-old former series champion from Bakersfield, California. The win was his sixth at Michigan and his fifth in the last seven races at the 2-mile track.
Harvick now has 59 victories in the series, 10th-most all-time. With the win, the eighth straight at the track for Ford drivers, he is likely to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff. Harvick is the only driver to have earned a postseason spot every year since the current elimination format was introduced in 2014, the same year he won his series title.
“Everybody who doubted us doesn’t know us,” said Harvick, who led 38 laps on Sunday, 25 more than he had led in the previous 22 races combined. “They, obviously, know we thrive in these types of situations. And a lot of things went our way today, which we haven’t had all year long — have things go our way and have things fall our way.
“And then there at the end we pitted, didn’t go a lap down, and the caution came out, got control of the race. That’s the thing I struggled with the most today was traffic and the restarts and just having to make up ground. Once I got clear track, that baby was hunting.”
As Harvick indicated, the race broke his way. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford brought his car to pit road on Lap 158 for a green-flag stop. A lap later, NASCAR called the seventh caution of the afternoon when Ross Chastain’s Chevrolet and Christopher Bell’s Toyota collided in Turn 4.
Harvick remained on the lead lap and inherited the top spot when the contending cars ahead of him pitted under the yellow. With Wallace bottled up behind Joey Logano’s Ford after the Lap 166 restart, Harvick opened a gap of more than four seconds in clean air and cruised to his first win since Sept. 19, 2020 at Bristol.
Wallace was disconsolate as he replayed the final restart in his head.
“Just replaying everything I could have done,” said Wallace, who led twice for 22 laps. “Took the top there on the restart. Thought I could hang with the 4 (Harvick), and just got to racing the 5 (Kyle Larson) and the 22 (Logano). And 22 did a good job of getting another Ford contract, helping a Ford win.
“Just all in all an incredible weekend. Appreciate my team. Wished we could have got Toyota in the Victory Lane. Wish we got (sponsor) McDonald’s back in victory lane. She was fast all week, man. Just I’ll wear this one on my heart for a while. I failed everybody.”
Denny Hamlin finished third in arguably the fastest car in the race. On his final pit stop under caution on Lap 160, Hamlin incurred a penalty for too many men over the wall when his crew corralled a runaway tire from an adjacent pit stall.
Hamlin restarted 22nd and charged to third, 3.910 seconds behind the race winner.
Logano came home fourth, followed by Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney. Martin Truex Jr., Larson, Erik Jones, Alex Bowman and Ty Gibbs (subbing for injured Kurt Busch) completed the top 10.
The race was delayed just over an hour due to inclement weather. That didn’t deter the fans in the grandstands, the largest crowd at Michigan International Speedway since 2016. In addition, infield camping was sold out for the weekend for the first time since 2012.
Blaney now leads Truex by 19 points for the final Playoff berth, which will be determined on points if there are no additional unique winners in the next three races.
An early nine-car accident in Turn 2 eliminated two of the top five qualifiers — Kyle Busch and Austin Cindric. Moments after a restart on Lap 25, J.J. Yeley’s No. 15 Ford got loose, checked up and turned sideways in the middle of the pack.
In the ensuing melee, Cindric’s No. 2 Ford crashed nose-first into the outside wall and Busch’s No. 18 Toyota also sustained terminal damage. The cars of Yeley, Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and rookie Harrison Burton also were knocked out of the race.
“Just chaos ensued on the restart there, and I don’t know what started it, but the 10 (Almirola) got spun in front of me, and then I got wedged between him and the wall,” said Busch, who had elected to pit on Lap 22 under a competition caution called because of a rainstorm that delayed the start of the race.
“When you get back there, things happen on restarts, especially when you have guys that stayed out and don’t have tires versus those that have four tires. Was not really in a hurry and knew we were coming to stage points in another 40 laps or so and it was going to be a long run to get there — and then we all just crashed.”
NOTE: Post-race inspection concluded without issue, confirming the No. 4 Ford as the winner. The Nos. 9 and 11 cars were taken back to the R&D center for further evaluation.
Monday, August 8 9:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1994 Brickyard 400, FS2
12:30 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR America Motormouths, Peacock
7 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS1
10 p.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond, FS1
11 p.m., Best of Features 2022 Season, FS1
Tuesday, August 9
6 a.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
Wednesday, August 10 1:38 a.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
6 p.m., NASCAR America Motormouths, Peacock
Thursday, August 11
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, Peacock
9:31 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane: The Dadchelor Party, USA Network
Friday, August 12 12:34 a.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), USA Network
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Xfinity race from Richmond, FS1
Saturday, August 13 1:30 a.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
4 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing: 1986 Miller High Life 400, FS2
8 a.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1
9 a.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
10 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1998 Hardee’s 250, FS1
1:30 p.m., Austin Dillon’s Life in the Fast Lane (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Super Trofeo (re-air), USA Network
3 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing: Pilot Challenge (re-air), USA Network
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice/qualifying at Richmond Raceway, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series practice/qualifying at Richmond Raceway, USA Network, NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS Richmond, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Worldwide Express 250 from Richmond, FS1
On MRN:
5 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Pole Qualifying
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Worldwide Express 250
Sunday, August 14 7:30 a.m., Best of Radioactive: Richmond (re-air), FS1
8 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Worldwide Express 250 (re-air), FS1
12 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2 p.m., Countdown to Green, USA Network
2:50 p.m., IMSA Auto Racing, Peacock
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond, USA Network, NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series post-race show, USA Network
On MRN Radio:
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Federated Auto Parts 400
Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric and others were involved in a significant crash following a restart at Lap 25.
After a competition caution waved at Lap 20, JJ Yeley was among 11 cars that did not pit under the first yellow flag of the day. The ensuing restart saw Yeley’s No. 15 Ford check up after pushing up the track in Turn 1, leading to contact from behind by Michael McDowell and from the right by Aric Almirola.
That contact sent multiple cars spinning. Cindric was turned head-on into the outside wall after contact from Yeley and Ty Gibbs while Busch was eliminated after Almirola’s car pinned Busch’s into the outside wall in Turn 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland were also collected.
Cindric suffered the most notable hit in the incident, and though he was OK physically, the Team Penske rookie expressed his disappointment after exiting the infield care center with a 37th-place finish.
“All I saw was the 15 car sideways and just everything stacked up,” Cindric told NBC Sports. “I got tagged in the left rear, shoved me up the race track and then got turned head-on into the fence. Looks like the 15 just got loose, stacked everybody up and got run into the back of. Not Ty’s fault, just everyone’s stacking up, but obviously a pretty massive hit to the outside wall head on.
“Glad to be OK, it just feels like such a waste to do all this and run a couple of laps and finish last, so pretty unfortunate. Hate it for the guys, the team, Discount Tire and everybody.”
In 36th place, Busch finishes outside the top 10 for the eighth consecutive race, marking a career-worst stretch. Busch qualified third and was the fastest car in practice in 10-lap averages. The No. 18 team pitted under the prior caution and restarted outside the top 10.
“I just was trying to bide my time and knew we weren’t gonna necessarily need to be in a hurry there to get points for the end of that stage,” Busch told NBC Sports. “It was gonna be a 40-lap run and it was gonna be plenty of time to get up there with our car. We had a really fast Interstate Batteries Camry. I mean it was looking really good for the day and obviously not a good result.
“Just got squeezed between the 10 spinning and myself and the fence. Just don’t get it, man. Just can’t buy a break right now.”
Gilliland and McDowell were able to continue. Busch, Almirola, Burton, Cindric, Stenhouse and Yeley were forced to retire from the event. All drivers were checked and released from the infield care center.
The start of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway was delayed by inclement weather on Sunday afternoon.
The FireKeepers Casino 400 (USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) was scheduled to take the green flag at 3:01 p.m. ET before rain doused the 2-mile, D-shaped oval in Brooklyn, Michigan. NASCAR began pre-race ceremonies 4:05 p.m. ET and fired the engines. If weather interferes again and the event cannot be completed Sunday, the race would be official at the completion of Lap 100, signifying the halfway mark in the 200-lap event.
Toyota dominated Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, culminating in Bubba Wallace’s first career Busch Light Pole Award. The No. 23 Toyota for 23XI Racing led the field to the green flag alongside Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.
Ryan Blaney is the defending race winner at Michigan but rolled off from the 24th position on Sunday.
Toyota drivers dominated the leaderboard in both practice and qualifying for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA).
Because each driver got only 20 minutes of track time, questions still remain.
We do know tire falloff is low at Michigan. However, the question still exists as to how much the falloff is different for each driver, team or manufacturer.
Because we’ve seen manufacturer correlation before in tire wear, I think it’s prudent to stay within manufacturers at this point.
That’s why my best bet for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 comes in the top Toyota market.
All week I’ve been eying a way to get exposure to Bell, and the opportunity has finally come.
With only six Toyotas on track, if all were equal, each should be +500. That means DraftKings, where this line is available, is expecting Bell to be worse than average.
However, we know that’s not likely to be the case.
My new FLAGS ranking has Bell ranked third among all drivers, let alone the Toyotas, at 1.5-mile ovals this year. Yes, Michigan is a 2-mile oval, but even including the recent high-horsepower track of Pocono, Bell still pops.
Now, throw in qualifying, where Bell starts on the front row next to Toyota stablemate Bubba Wallace, and we have the makings of a driver who has shown speed at similar tracks and this weekend.
Yes, his practice times weren’t stellar. However, they made changes to get that car running extremely fast during qualifying, which should carry over to race speed.
My model gives Bell an 18.5% chance to finish as top Toyota, which is closer to +450 than +600.
The Bet: Christopher Bell top Toyota (+600) | Bet to: +500
When asked about expectations for Michigan a couple of weeks back at Pocono, Bubba Wallace’s eyes lit up. Without giving a straight answer, he was confident in what Toyota could accomplish at that track. His No. 23 team gathered data after a Goodyear tire test at the track in late May. That data showed true in practice, with Toyotas sweeping the top five spots, before Wallace eventually earned the first pole for himself and 23XI Racing in qualifying.
RISING: Aside from his win at New Hampshire last month, Christopher Bell has flown under the radar this season, despite sitting sixth in the championship standings. For the fifth time this season, the No. 20 car will start from the front row, and he felt confident about his car potentially competing for a win on Sunday. Practice and qualifying were a success for the No. 20 team.
In unfortunate circumstances, Ty Gibbs has made the No. 45 Toyota car his home for the last three weeks. And though he has top-20 finishes in both of his starts, Gibbs looked to be more comfortable at Michigan, running the fourth-quickest time in practice. And after being the first driver to miss the final round of qualifying, the 19-year-old showed his frustration with a slight jab to the pit wall.
FALLING: Expectations were high for Ryan Blaney entering the weekend; after all, he is the defending winner of the race. Historically, he’s run well at MIS. The one downside on Saturday was the No. 12 Ford was tight, narrowly avoiding the wall in qualifying. As crew chief Jonathan Hassler showed at Indianapolis, he’s willing to pull strategy to get Blaney towards the front.
Given Trackhouse Racing’s success this year, it’s a surprise when Ross Chastain isn’t in the top 10 in any session. In practice, the No. 1 car was 21st on the scoring chart and dropped to 22nd in qualifying. Though it’s possible the team finds speed overnight, save Chastain’s uses for one of the final three races of the regular season.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Denny Hamlin vs. Tyler Reddick Straight up, this is the toughest matchup of the week. Both drivers made it to the final round of qualifying, and though Reddick is riding a wave of momentum, the advantage goes to his future boss, Hamlin. This weekend has a Nashville feeling to it, and though Toyota didn’t win that race, it led 253 of 300 laps.
Ryan Blaney vs. William Byron This matchup last year would have been tough because Blaney and Byron finished 1-2 in the race. On Sunday, Byron starts 20th and Blaney 24th. Still, give the slight edge to Blaney, solely based on Byron’s inconsistency over the last four months, earning just one top 10 in the last 14 races.
Kevin Harvick vs. Joey Logano Combined, Harvick and Logano have won five of the past six races at Michigan. Ford itself is on a seven-race winning streak at MIS, the longest such streak since the track began hosting Cup races in 1969. Someway, somehow, the No. 4 team always finds a way to grind through adversity. This might be Harvick’s last best chance to win his way into the playoffs, so the upper hand lies there.
Daniel Suárez vs. Bubba Wallace One word: Toyota. If the No. 23 car can keep all four wheels on the car and execute on pit road, Wallace should be in contention to win the race. The No. 23 team is riding three consecutive top 10s into Michigan, the only multiple top-10 streak of Wallace’s career.
Taking control of the race in the final stage, Ty Gibbs sped to his NASCAR Xfinity Series-best fifth victory of the season in Saturday’s New Holland 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
The tenor of the race changed markedly near the end of the second stage when pole winner Noah Gragson opted to stay on the track and compete for the stage win on the high-speed 2-mile track.
Gibbs had pitted under caution on Lap 55 and inherited the lead when Gragson and others who had stayed out until the completion of the stage came to pit road during the stage break.
The race ran caution-free from the final restart Lap 68 to the finish on Lap 125, and Gibbs beat runner-up Justin Allgaier to the stripe by 1.160 seconds. Gragson worked his way up to third but trailed Gibbs by 2.472 seconds at the finish.
“I think this type of racing shows the strategy in the pit stops,” said Gibbs, who led twice for a race-high 54 laps, matching the number of his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “My guys did such a great job. I work out with them during the week, so I see how hard they work. They do a great job—every one of them.
“So I’m very thankful and glad to be part of the organization that motivates me like that week in and week out — not motivates, because that’s temporary — but being relentless, and I feel like that’s what they showed me.”
The victory was Gibbs’ first at Michigan and the ninth in 39 Xfinity Series starts for a remarkable winning percentage of 23.08.
Allgaier opted for the same strategy as Gibbs, but a slow green-flag pit stop on Lap 100 cost him a chance to compete for the win.
“I pitted to try and get clear of some lapped cars, and, unfortunately, we merged back on the race track right behind those same lapped cars, right before they made their pit stops,” Allgaier said. “So not only did we have to contend with getting by them, as soon as we got by them, they all pitted.
“Second place is tough, but my daughter’s birthday’s on Monday, so we’ll celebrate, even though it’s second.”
Gragson’s No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet arguably was the fastest car in the race, but strategy and the absence of cautions in the final stage doomed his prospects.
“We won the first stage and then had a caution with about five to go in the second stage and opted to stay out, won the second stage (by .035 seconds of AJ Allmendinger),” Gragson said. “Then just flipped.
“Restarted the third stage 12th, and that kind of hurt us there at the end, but overall good day for our Bass Pro Shops, Black Rifle Camaro. We were running him down—just needed more laps there at the end.”
Brandon Jones and Austin Hill finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Josh Berry, Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Landon Cassill completed the top 10.
The caution flag waved just twice for on-track incidents Saturday. The first came at Lap 41 when CJ McLaughlin contacted the outside wall and Matt Mills spun behind him, with the other waving at Lap 53 for an incident involving David Starr and Dillon Bassett in Turn 2. The latter crash set up the dash to the finish of Stage 2 and altered pit strategy for the race’s frontrunners.
Gibbs is also competing in the Cup Series race on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) in Kurt Busch’s No. 45 Toyota as Busch recovers from concussion-like symptoms. He will start 11th in the Cup race alongside Gragson, who will pilot the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet from 12th. Hill will make his Cup debut in the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing starting 31st.
NOTE: Inspection in the Xfinity Series garage is complete with no issues, confirming the No. 54 as the race winner.
FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway
(⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 USA Network, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan, the 23rd regular-season event of the 2022 campaign.
Race-day info 📝
Where: Brooklyn, Michigan Approximate start time: 3 p.m. ET (UNDERWAY AFTER DELAY) | Full weekend schedule TV/Radio: USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule The purse: $7,125,085 Forecast: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. ET, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles Stages: 45 | 120 | 200 Pit-road speed: 55 mph Caution car speed: 65 mph Michigan 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Where drivers will start
Pit stalls:Where drivers will pit
UPDATE: Kurt Busch out for third week
Key things to watch 🔑
Big story line
Ford is sputtering a bit lately and is on a winless streak that dates back to Joey Logano’s victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway — eight races ago. Heading to a track in the manufacturer’s backyard, one it has historically dominated, is the perfect week for them to pick up the pace. Still fighting for a guaranteed playoff berth, Kevin Harvick has five wins and nearly 700 laps led in his 41 races here. Defending race winner Ryan Blaney is also chasing that elusive win on a team where he is the only winless driver. These two drivers each have a strong case to win Sunday, and Ford has not lost a race here since 2017, on an impressive seven-race stretch. Will the Blue Oval continue the streak with the debut of the Next Gen cars?
Who’s hot? Who’s not?
Has the early season aggression finally caught up with Ross Chastain? His last two races ended in finishes of 27th or worse, including the controversial run-in with Denny Hamlin at Pocono Raceway. The reality is, drivers on the track just aren’t giving him many breaks. Nonetheless, the No. 1 car has been one of the most consistent this season based on raw speed. A big, 2-mile track like Michigan should provide Chastain and his Trackhouse Racing team with a bit more comfort this weekend as they aim to get back on track.
In the last three weeks, Bubba Wallace has been on fire. Wallace and the No. 23 Toyota team have registered three consecutive top-eight finishes, marking the first time Wallace has achieved the feat in his Cup Series career. After some bad runs and early misfortune, Wallace and company have found a groove down the final stretch of the regular season. But based on point standings, they will need to secure a win to get into the playoffs. With opportunities to reach Victory Lane dwindling down, look for them to be more aggressive this weekend at Michigan.
Driving under the radar
If you just tuned in for the first time last season, it can be easy to forget how capable Kevin Harvick is. Still searching for a result to end his 65-race winless streak, Harvick has rarely been the favorite entering a recent race weekend. But pump the brakes. The stats show that the No. 4 team is starting to find its form, with four top 10s in the last seven races and a bit of misfortune at Pocono and the Indy Road Course costing the group solid finishes there, as well. Michigan is arguably Harvick’s best race track. And it is also arguably his best chance to win during this final slate of regular-season action. Before Blaney’s 2021 win, Harvick won three straight and three of the last four. Don’t count him out just yet.
Qualifying
It was the Toyotas who stole the show during Saturday’s two-round qualifying session, led by Bubba Wallace who earned his first career Busch Light Pole Award. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch filed in behind, trailed by Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin in seventh and ninth to round out a strong top-10 showing. Ty Gibbs, making his first Cup Series start on a traditional oval, flashed excellent speed and will roll off 11th. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric put together the best showcase for the Blue Oval group, earning the fourth and fifth starting spots, respectively. Defending race winner Ryan Blaney will start 24th. | Full qualifying recap
Getty Images
Race-day staples ✅
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the latest colors for Michigan | Pick a favorite • Power Rankings: Logano leapfrogs his way up the ladder | Updated drivers rankings • NASCAR betting: BetMGM odds for Sunday’s race | Underdogs, value bets • Fantasy Fastlane: Ford looks to continue dominant streak on home turf | Top plays, sleepers • Bubble Watch: Which drivers are close to the cutline? | Read more
• Stacking Pennies: Denny Hamlin joins the podcast | Listen to full interview
Catch the pack 💨
Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Downtrend: No. 48 crew chief Greg Ives opens up about summer struggles | Read more
• Is it over?: Denny Hamlin chats about feud with Ross Chastain | Listen now
• Kyle Busch: Two-time champ opens up on family, more | Read more
• Keselowski’s committed: Driver-owner standing strong through RFK’s rebuild | Read more
• Cup Series debut: Austin Hill is set to drive the No. 33 for RCR at Michigan | Read more
• No appeal: Front Row Motorsports drops penalty appeal | Read more
• Sad news: Longtime driver Buddy Arrington dies at 84 | Read more
• Fire suits: Inside technological advancements and safety | Read more
• eNASCAR: Wilson wins All-Star Race on Chicago Street Course | Race recap
• ICYMI: Erik Jones will return to Petty GMS in 2023 | Read more
Get in on the action 💰
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
• BetMGM: Despite form, Reddick enters Sunday as an underdog | Read more
• The Action Network: The favorite bet to lock in for Sunday’s race | Read more
• More betting insight: Guide to betting the Suárez vs. Wallace matchup | Learn more • Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
Michigan moments 🚘
The automobile industry has strong ties to Michigan, so it is not surprising that NASCAR has a share of it.
• Do you remember?: Most memorable moments at Michigan | Relive them here
• Last year: Ryan Blaney holds off Kyle Larson, William Byron | Full race recap
• Race Rewind: Video highlights, key moments from 2021 race | Watch now
Fast facts ⏩
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• Kevin Harvick has won four of the last six races at Michigan. • JGR has eight Michigan wins but the last came in August 2015 with Matt Kenseth (11 races since). • Bubba Wallace is on a career-best three-race top-10 streak. • Ford leads all manufacturers at Michigan with 42 wins, 16 more than Chevrolet’s 26; Toyota has five. • Current points leader Chase Elliott has 10 top 10s at Michigan; his most at any track.
Say what? 🎙
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
• “We’re just approaching it the same we have all year. Our goal is to go there and win the race. If we can’t do that, then we need to get the best finish possible. I do have confidence going to Michigan based on how our cars have been trending on the bigger tracks lately. I feel like the Toyotas as a group have been getting a lot stronger lately, so we should have an opportunity. We just have to make the most of it.” — Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
• “Every race weekend for NASCAR is a big weekend, but especially Michigan as our home race, as our manufacturer, with our employees, our families, our executives. There’s a lot of pressure on us to win every race, but especially here at Michigan in front of all of those people. It’s important for our teams, too. They know it as well, so looking forward to having everybody there and putting on a good race.” — Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance Motorsports
• “You always want to run good when you go home and I think when we look at the remaining tracks, Michigan is one where we feel like we can win. So, multiple reasons it’s important to us. I feel like it’s going to be an opportunity for us to win and an opportunity to win at home as well. We want to take advantage of both of those things. Every time I go to Michigan, I just want to run well for friends, family, everybody there. Hopefully we’ll have a good showing.” — Erik Jones, driver of the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet
