Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin is standing firm on stepping away from NASCAR Cup Series racing at the end of the 2027 season, he said Sunday after winning at Michigan International Speedway.

But the 63-time winner also noted some of his reasoning during the post-race show on Prime Video — while signaling potential plans for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2028.

MORE: Cup standings | Michigan results

At age 45, Hamlin has won three races in 2026, including each of the last two despite going to the rear early in both events. Pressed by NASCAR Hall of Famer and Sports on Prime analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. if Hamlin intends to step away after the 2027 season, Hamlin explained the wear and tear he battles between races.

“I don’t know. The weeks are a little tougher,” Hamlin said. “I feel as though there’s three things that happen: You lose your eyesight; you lose your reaction; and your body hurts. The body hurts are there. It’s there. During the week, I’m not recovering as quick. But the other two things are sharp. I want to go out like this. It’s a fantasy land to do it, but right now …”

Hamlin has stated he is more focused on statistics and wins at this point in his career. With Sunday’s Michigan win, he tied Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time wins list in Cup Series history. The next target in eighth is Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time champion who won 76 races.

“Think about it like this too,” Hamlin said.” If I can win one more and put myself in ninth alone, the next jump, I’m not gonna get there. So what am I doing?”

Even if Hamlin wins his first career Cup Series championship in 2026, Hamlin said he is committed through 2027 after signing a two-year contract extension with JGR last summer. What comes next may involve Brent Crews, the 18-year-old who currently competes as a rookie in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for JGR.

“At the end of next year … I told him just check with me in six months. Check with me in six months,” Hamlin said. “I don’t want to leave them in flux. They’ve got a great driver in Brent Crews that’s gonna be ready more than likely by the end of next year. It’d be hard — if [the end of this contract] was right now, it’d be really hard. But I find it hard to believe we’re gonna be at this level at this time next year.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell crashed violently while racing for second during the final stage of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

On Lap 148, moments after a restart, Elliott bobbled while battling Bell side-by-side, shooting high into the No. 20 Toyota. Both drivers contacted the wall at nearly 200 mph, with the back end of Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota erupting in flames. Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet slid back down the track and also struck an inside tire barrier.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Both drivers quickly exited their vehicles, indicating to safety workers that they were OK. Before loading into ambulances for a ride to the infield care center, Elliott walked up to Bell, and the two shared an embrace.

“It was totally my fault. I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out,” Elliott said after being evaluated and released from the care center. “I was trying to run the bottom, make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second, I was hoping, and stay side-by-side with him. I just got in there and got free. I thought I was going to spin and was kind of committing to spinning out. As soon as I was committed to spinning, it just hooked up and, unfortunately, sent Christopher into the wall really hard and me shortly thereafter.

“It was a huge hit. Huge hit for him, pretty big hit for me, too. I knew that when it happened that it was — when you’re watching the wall come that quick, it’s gonna be large. He’d already hit the wall hard too before I hit him, so those things happen fast, but I saw it happen. I knew it was big, so I just wanted to make sure he was alright and just tell him ‘I’m so sorry’ because it was not at all my intention for that to happen.”

Bell spent nearly an hour inside the care center and was later evaluated and released. He declined interview requests.

After Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s race, Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs said in a press conference that he thinks “it was his wrist and his ankle,” referring to Bell, and that “we’re just going to have to wait.”

Elliott won Stage 2 and led 67 laps, the most in the race to that point. He’s won twice this season — the only two victories for Hendrick in 2026 — and entered Michigan fourth in the Cup Series points standings. Bell entered seventh and earned runner-up finishes in each of the last two races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway.

chase elliott crashes at Michigan
Zack Albert | NASCAR Digital Media
Posted on by Staff Report

Points leader Tyler Reddick was involved in a multicar restart melee in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, sparked by Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek.

On a Lap 83 restart, Hocevar, who started fourth in the inside row, contacted Nemechek in front of him, turning the No. 42 Toyota across the track. Nemechek tagged Bubba Wallace, who then hit Ty Gibbs with the No. 54 Toyota, ricocheting into Reddick ahead of him.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Reddick suffered heavy damage to both ends of his vehicle and went to the garage to incur his first DNF of the season. Reddick had not finished worse than 15th until Sunday, and was credited with a 35th-place result. Austin Dillon also suffered major damage and was knocked from the race. He was credited with 36th.

Immediately after being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Dillon, who entered Sunday 24th in the series ranks, placed blame on Hocevar.

“I’ve seen one replay, but from what I saw, the 77 got into the 42 and turned him,” Dillon told Prime Video. “I hope at some point, [Hocevar] figures it out. I mean, I’m not going to show anything to him for a long time. I’m mad because we had a fast race car. We almost got through it. I saw the 11 coming down, and I gassed up to get by the 11, and the 45 was there. It’s unfortunate.”

WATCH: Dillon rips Hocevar after wreck | How nine cars were involved in wreck

The No. 45 23XI Racing driver entered Sunday’s race with a 97-point advantage over Hamlin and won Stage 1 in the Irish Hills. Reddick has led points after every race this season. He was also evaluated and released from the care center.

“Just all around bummer,” Reddick told Prime Video. “Wanted to come in here and have a really good points day, we had really, really good speed yesterday, and it showed again today … race I feel like we could have won, got away from us. But all year long, we’ve done a good job of staying out of messes like this, so unfortunate it happened.

In total, nine cars were involved: Dillon, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Wallace, Nemechek, Reddick, Gibbs and Hocevar. Hamlin ended up winning for the second week in a row, cutting down his deficit to just 51 markers behind Reddick.

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon for his second straight victory.

After winning the pole Saturday, Hamlin was forced to start from the rear after making unapproved adjustments. The victory is the 63rd of his career, tying the late Kyle Busch for ninth all-time in NASCAR Cup Series victories.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Erik Jones finished second in his best finish of 2026 ahead of Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Carson Hocevar. Rounding out the top 10 were Daniel Suárez, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe.

A hard crash between Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell brought Sunday’s Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway to a halt on Lap 150.

Elliott was racing to Bell’s left entering Turn 3 in a battle for second place on Lap 148 when his No. 9 Chevrolet started to slip loose. The car corrected suddenly and veered right into Bell, whose No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota careened into the retaining SAFER barrier and burst into flame.

Both drivers were able to exit their vehicles under their own power despite the impacts, greeting each other as they approached the ambulance ahead of their mandatory trips to the infield care center, where each driver was evaluated and released.

The contact with the SAFER barrier necessitated repairs as the steel barrier was crushed inward toward the outside concrete, bringing the race to a red-flag condition on Lap 150.

William Byron was the race leader at the time of the stoppage, with Daniel Suárez assuming second place, Ross Chastain third, Carson Hocevar fourth and Kyle Larson fifth.

The following restart at Lap 153 was short-lived as another multicar incident caused the 11th caution of the race, a new high mark for yellow flags in a Michigan race. Contact between Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. exiting Turn 4 led to a pileup involving Ryan Preece, Josh Berry, Austin Hill, Noah Gragson, Cody Ware and Ty Dillon.

Stage 2 recap

Chase Elliott scored the Stage 2 win in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway after a slew of mid-stage incidents (live on Prime Video).

Erik Jones was second when the stage ended on Lap 120, with Daniel Suárez third, Kyle Larson fourth and William Byron fifth. Christopher Bell, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Zane Smith completed the top 10.

A multicar crash at the front of the field took out multiple contenders midway through the second segment.

On a Lap 83 restart, Carson Hocevar tipped John Hunter Nemechek sideways just past the start/finish line at the back of the top 10 to trigger the sixth caution flag of the day. Nemechek was hit into Bubba Wallace, whose car veered into Ty Gibbs. Gibbs then collected series points leader Tyler Reddick, who spun across the track and backed into the inside wall at pit exit before being struck again by Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet.

Denny Hamlin, who qualified on pole position but started Sunday’s race from the rear, was also involved and spun at the end of the frontstretch but sustained no significant damage.

Hocevar restarted on the inside of Row 4, with the three cars ahead of him — Kyle Larson, Gibbs and Nemechek seemingly losing momentum as they approached the start/finish line.

Reddick entered with a 97-point lead over Denny Hamlin in the Cup Series points standings and has not finished worse than 15th all season. His 23XI Racing team attempted to repair the No. 45 Toyota on pit lane but ultimately went to the garage and was unable to complete repairs, handing Reddick his first DNF of the season in Race 15. Reddick will be credited with a 35th-place finish.

MORE: Stage 2 results | How nine cars collided in pileup

Brad Keselowski was then collected in another incident on the ensuing restart on Lap 90 for the seventh yellow flag of the race. His No. 6 RFK Racing Ford was clipped by Nemechek entering Turn 1 as Keselowski had to slow for other racers. Keselowski spun and crashed into the retaining SAFER barrier before he drove his car to the garage, ending his day with a 34th-place result.

Keselowski was also the first driver to incur trouble early in Stage 2 in Sunday’s Cup Series race. The 2012 series champion and Michigan native cut a left-rear tire on Lap 65, slowing his No. 6 Ford for the fourth caution period of the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Strategy reared its head under the yellow-flag period as a litany of teams opted for two-tire pit stops. Quick changes led to a frantic pit road, though. As then-leader Gibbs exited his stall after a two-tire change, he collided with Ryan Preece’s No. 60 Ford, leading to minor damage on both vehicles. Because of where the contact occurred, Preece was unable to pit and had to complete another lap before returning to pit road. Gibbs, meanwhile, maintained a top-five position for the Lap 70 restart.

The race continued for just another eight laps before trouble struck again when AJ Allmendinger spun exiting Turn 2. His No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet slid down to the apron of the back straightaway, leading to two flat right-side tires but no wall contact.

Stage 1 recap

Tyler Reddick soared to the Stage 1 victory in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway for his first stage win of the season.

Ty Gibbs finished second at the conclusion of Lap 45, with Carson Hocevar third, Chase Elliott fourth and Bubba Wallace fifth. Zane Smith, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Riley Herbst and Daniel Suárez completed the top 10.

MORE: Stage 1 results

Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 began with multiple incidents for rookie Connor Zilisch.

The 19-year-old driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet spun on Lap 2 through Turns 3 and 4, darting high on entry and losing control of his vehicle before sliding sideways and incurring left-rear damage. Erik Jones, who qualified 10th but started from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments, scrubbed the wall after going high to avoid Zilisch’s spinning Chevrolet.

On the ensuing restart, Zilisch found trouble again on Lap 9 when his No. 88 Chevrolet broke traction exiting Turn 2, drifting up the race track and spinning out, leading to a long slide nose-first into the inside wall, bringing his day to a very early end.

“We’re done,” Zilisch radioed. “Gosh, man! Oh my God.”

That impact brought Zilisch to his third consecutive DNF due to a crash and third straight last-place finish. A 10-time winner in NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition in 2025, Zilisch was collected in a collision with Austin Cindric on Lap 52 of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, then hit the wall after 71 laps in the May 31 contest at Nashville Superspeedway after a brake rotor exploded on his No. 88 car.

“I was really loose, but yeah, it’s just unfortunate. Another short race for us,” Zilisch told Prime Video after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “Thank you to WeatherTech for being a part of it. We’ll go try and get them at Pocono next week.”

NOTE: Inspection was completed in the Cup Series garage with no issues, confirming Hamlin as the Michigan winner. The Nos. 1, 5, 22 and 23 cars will be returning to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for engine dynamometer testing. 

Posted on by Staff Report

While the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has its first off weekend of 2026, the Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series will be in action up near the Great Lakes Region as NASCAR heads to Michigan International Speedway. Bookmark this page for everything you need throughout race weekend, including qualifying orders, practice speeds, race results and more.

RELATED: Full weekend schedule | TV listings

NASCAR Cup Series

Race day: Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Eight sets for the weekend (six new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice).

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Race day: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The categories listed below will be filled out with links as the information becomes available.

Tires: Five sets for the weekend (three new sets for the race, one set for qualifying, which transfers to the race, and one set for practice). 

Entry List
Qualifying Order
Practice Results
Practice Lap Averages
Practice Lap Times
Starting Lineup
Pit Stalls
Stage 1 Results
Stage 2 Results
Race Results

Posted on by Staff Report

Ready to watch NASCAR in 2026 and want NASCAR TV and streaming programming this week? Here is this week’s NASCAR broadcast schedule. All times listed are ET.

HOW TO WATCH

Key information: FOX, FS1, FS2 | Prime Video | TNT Sports | Max in-car cameras | NBC, USA | The CW

Stream NASCAR races: Get FOX Sports App | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing

Watch NASCAR 24/7: NASCAR Channel on Prime Video, Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and Xumo

More on The CW: Find your station

International: Watch NASCAR outside of the US

LISTINGS

Monday, June 8

6 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (re-air), FS2
11:30 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton, FS1

Tuesday, June 9

3 a.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
5:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Kevin Harvick Hall of Fame Interview Special (re-air), FS2
Noon, SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
9 p.m., Speed With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
10 p.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, June 10

2 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Michigan Recap, FS1
10 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Michigan Recap (re-air), FS2
11 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2

Thursday, June 11

6 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, FS1
6:30 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton, FS1

Friday, June 12

12:30 a.m., NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (re-air), FS2
2:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour: Michigan Recap (re-air), FS2
3:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour (re-air), FS2
4 a.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
3 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Pocono ARCA 150 at Pocono Raceway, FS1
5:30 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour (re-air), FS2
6:15 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Autodrome Granby, FloRacing
6:30 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS1
9:30 p.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS1
10 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Pocono ARCA 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2

Saturday, June 13

2:30 a.m., Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour (re-air), FS2
3 a.m., SPEED With Harvick & Buxton (re-air), FS2
10:30 a.m., NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Practice and Qualifying at Pocono Raceway, The CW App
1 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice and Qualifying at Pocono Raceway, Prime Video
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Countdown Live, The CW
4 p.m., NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA at Pocono Raceway, The CW
6:35 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at South Boston Speedway, FloRacing
7 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway, FloRacing
7 p.m., NASCAR Weekly Racing at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway, FloRacing
10 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Pocono ARCA 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2
TBD, NASCAR Weekly Racing at Riverhead Raceway, FloRacing
TBD, NASCAR Weekly Racing at Berlin Raceway, FloRacing
TBD, NASCAR Mods Twin 50s at Bowman Gray Stadium, FloRacing
TBD, NASCAR Weekly Racing at Jennerstown Speedway, FloRacing

Sunday, June 14

Midnight, Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour (re-air), FS2
8 a.m., NASCAR Youth Series at Hollow Road North, FloRacing
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR on Prime pre-race coverage, Prime Video
3 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA, Prime Video
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: NASCAR on Prime post-race coverage, Prime Video
8 p.m., ARCA Menards Series: Pocono ARCA 150 at Pocono Raceway (re-air), FS2

Editor’s Note: The 2026 NASCAR TV Schedule is updated weekly throughout the season.

Posted on by Zack Albert

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon said they had discussed their run-in last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, with Keselowski backing off his suggestion that Dillon had intentionally triggered the crash that ended his night early.

Keselowski discussed the incident Saturday before practice and qualifying for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Michigan International Speedway. The RFK Racing driver and co-owner will start Sunday’s race 26th as he vies for his first victory at his home-state track.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Weekend schedule: Michigan

In last Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400, Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford careened into the outside wall after contact from behind from Dillon’s No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, shortly after a restart on Lap 192 of 300. The two had an earlier altercation, when a jam-up to avoid Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car on pit entry eventually sent Dillon spinning after contact involving Keselowski and teammate Chris Buescher.

After the wreck that derailed Keselowski’s day, No. 6 spotter TJ Majors called the contact intentional over the team radio, and Keselowski bristled during his interview after a check at Nashville’s infield care center. But data from both cars showed that Dillon backed off the throttle to avoid the collision in what was a rapid-fire sequence.

“I looked through all the data and had some conversations with Austin,” Keselowski said Saturday at Michigan, “and there was a lot that happened in one really quick moment that, after having a chance to look at, made a lot more sense to me.”

Dillon said Buescher had texted him “right after the race” about the earlier contact, and Dillon reached out to Keselowski shortly thereafter.

“I mean, I think he understood after I explained things to him that it wasn’t intentional,” Dillon said after qualifying 21st for Sunday’s 400-miler. “Things just happened, and it was quick and fast, and the apron at Nashville is not fun, and everybody that touched a rear bumper last weekend got turned, so just unfortunate events.”

Dillon said he reached out to Majors as well. “I talked to TJ, too,” Dillon said. “He said, ‘After I took a day, I’m better.'”

MORE: At-track photos: Michigan

NASCAR affirmed midweek that no conduct penalties would stem from the incident, but the veteran Keselowski pressed for more deterrence from competition officials for pit-road entry infractions. Stenhouse’s No. 47 Chevrolet caused a logjam as it tried to stop for service, and the first incident involving Buescher, Keselowski and Dillon originated from that.

“There was a lot of things that happened,” Keselowski said. “I’ve had so much conversation with NASCAR as well, that as analytics has really entered the sport, drivers were being weighed really heavily on how well they get on or off pit road, and you can get on and off of pit road slightly faster by making some really aggressive and egregious moves, and that happened at Nashville, but it’s not the only place it’s happened, and it’s not with one driver, it’s with a number of drivers, and there are rules to prevent that from happening, and penalties that are supposed to be enforced that haven’t been happening, and so I think that’s a conversation that will probably evolve over the next few weeks.”

Posted on by Staff Report

In the last two trips to the Irish Hills region, Toyota claimed victories in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway with Tyler Reddick (2024) and Denny Hamlin (2025), the two drivers who currently sit atop the standings.

With the 2-mile track located near the Motor City, Chevrolet and Ford will look to stop Toyota’s dominance in their own backyard in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Starting lineup | Saturday recap

Will Toyota’s two-year Michigan run come to an end, or will Chevrolet get its first win at Michigan since 2017? Here’s a look at other drivers to keep an eye on and the full projected results for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

DRIVERS TO WATCH:

DENNY HAMLIN: Returning to the Irish Hills as the defending Cup race winner, Hamlin picked up where he left off last year by snagging the Busch Light Pole Award. However, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will have to come from the rear of the field with the team electing to fix damage to the car’s underbody caused by a flat left-rear tire during practice. Given that Hamlin overcame a violation for jumping the start of last Sunday’s race at Nashville Superspeedway from pole and drove his way back to the win, he might be able to pull off an encore comeback drive at the 2-mile Michigan track. The 45-year-old driver also has eight straight top 10s at Michigan, so the No. 11 Toyota will likely be a contender despite the setback and potentially give Toyota its third consecutive victory in the Irish Hills.

CARSON HOCEVAR: With Chevrolet seeking its first Michigan win since August 2017 with Kyle Larson, Hocevar might be one of the Chevrolet drivers capable of getting the job done. The Spire Motorsports driver, who grew up 85 miles away in Portage, Michigan, is looking to become the first Michigan-born driver to win at the 2-mile track in the Irish Hills. In two career Cup starts at Michigan, Hocevar has a best finish of 10th in 2024. However, this is the first time Hocevar has visited his home track as a Cup race winner after earning his first premier series victory earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway. Given his newfound place in the garage, rising stardom and an improved Spire program, Hocevar might pick up career win No. 2 after qualifying on the front row.

BRAD KESELOWSKI: Like Hocevar, Keselowski also wants to become the first Michigan-born driver to visit Victory Lane in the Irish Hills. Keselowski has come close to winning his home race on multiple occasions, finishing runner-up three times in his career. Despite a disappointing 26th-place qualifying effort, the driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford usually runs well at Michigan. Keselowski has finished inside the top 10 in his last three races in the Irish Hills. With teammate Chris Buescher the top Ford qualifier in 14th, there is clearly some speed to unlock in the RFK Fords, so maybe all hope is not lost for Keselowski to finally get his home-state breakthrough.

MORE: Michigan photos

FULL PROJECTED RESULTS FOR FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video)

FINISHCAR NUMBERDRIVER
111Denny Hamlin
254Ty Gibbs
35Kyle Larson
445Tyler Reddick
59Chase Elliott
617Chris Buescher
712Ryan Blaney
824William Byron
977Carson Hocevar
106Brad Keselowski
1120Christopher Bell
1223Bubba Wallace
137Daniel Suárez
1443Erik Jones
1519Chase Briscoe
1638Zane Smith
1722Joey Logano
1860Ryan Preece
193Austin Dillon
2048Alex Bowman
2197Shane van Gisbergen
2247Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
231Ross Chastain
242Austin Cindric
2571Michael McDowell
2616AJ Allmendinger
2721Josh Berry
2842John Hunter Nemechek
2935Riley Herbst
304Noah Gragson
3110Ty Dillon
3234Todd Gilliland
3341Cole Custer
3488Connor Zilisch
3533Austin Hill
3651Cody Ware
3744JJ Yeley
Posted on by Brandon White

OXFORD, Maine — The only accomplishment that eluded Jon McKennedy in the first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Oxford Plains Speedway since 1991 was the American Racer Tire Pole Award.

If not for an afternoon rain shower that washed out qualifying, McKennedy likely could have earned that Saturday, as well.

McKennedy’s No. 79 set an early commanding tone for the All States Materials Group 150 by sweeping the two practice sessions. Once he passed polesitter and Modified Tour points leader Stephen Kopcik, McKennedy enjoyed a dominant, quiet afternoon around Oxford Plains for his fourth series victory and second of 2026.

RELATED: Complete results from the All States Materials Group 150

The confidence McKennedy had in his car after practice proved to be well-founded, as he faced minimal opposition for the lead all evening. McKennedy credited the car’s stellar speed to the hard work exuded by everyone on his team.

“At the end of the day, I got a good group of guys behind me,” McKennedy said. “A lot of work and preparation went into this deal for this race, and the car was honestly awesome. I was content with the race just going [green]. All day, [the car] was a rocket ship. What can I say?”

Unlike most of the other drivers entered in the All States Materials Group 150, McKennedy has logged plenty of laps around Oxford Plains during his career.

McKennedy’s accolades at Oxford Plains include both Modified and Supermodified victories. That versatile background helped McKennedy settle into a rhythm, something that would be imperative if he wanted to gain vital ground in the Modified Tour standings.

Not only did McKennedy dominate, but everyone in front of him endured varying degrees of misfortune at Oxford Plains. Patrick Emerling faded from the top five late, while the top two in the standings in Kopcik and Austin Beers both had poor finishes, with Beers’ 11th being his first finish outside the top 10 since Richmond Raceway in 2024.

Also taking advantage of a rough day for the title contenders was Tyler Rypkema, who placed second in the iconic Ole Blue Modified for Boehler Racing Enterprises. Ole Blue was the only car in the field that was entered in the Modified Tour race at Oxford Plains in 1991, when it finished second with Doug Heveron.

Despite not feeling well at the start of the day, Rypkema persevered to earn his third top five of the 2026 Modified Tour campaign. The performance was a much-needed change of pace for Rypkema, whose streak of bad luck included damaging the fence in the most recent series event at Riverhead Raceway.

“We really needed that,” Rypkema said. “Had two really bad races in a row obviously, the wreck at Riverhead and getting into the wall at Seekonk [Speedway], essentially ended my night there on my own. As soon as we crossed the checkered flag, I’m like ‘thank god, we needed that’. Never seen this place before today, but it was a fun little track.”

Although Rypkema proved experience at Oxford Plains was not essential to finish strong Saturday evening, McKennedy made sure to use every bit of knowledge he had about the place. What transpired was McKennedy’s most efficient showing since leading 137 laps at Claremont Speedway during his championship campaign in 2022.

McKennedy is now firmly in contention for another Modified Tour title after his near-perfect day at Oxford Plains. By understanding all the characteristics that make Oxford Plains unique, McKennedy felt he was always one step ahead of his fellow competition, a trend he hopes to continue going forward.

“We had two-tenths on the field it seemed like,” McKennedy said. “We definitely had a little bit of an advantage. [Oxford Plains] is a very line-sensitive track. There’s no markings out there; it’s wide, and your perception is challenging here as far as lift points. Laps and experience here definitely helps, and it all paid off.”

Eric Goodale secured his second top five finish of 2026 with a third-place run in the All States Materials Group 150. Ronnie Williams picked up his first Modified Tour top five since 2021 by finishing fourth, with Paulie Hartwig III following him in fifth for a career-best run in the series.

In two weeks, the Modified Tour will return to action at White Mountain Motorsports Park. The green flag for the Thunder in the Mountains 200 waves at 8 p.m. ET on June 20 with FloRacing providing live flag-to-flag coverage.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Track: Michigan International Speedway
Location: Brooklyn, Mich.
Track length: 2 miles
When: 3 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $11,233,037
Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
Segments: 45 | 120 | 200
Sunday’s starting lineup | Cup Series pit stall assignments

Michigan’s Irish Hills create a highway to high speeds

Michigan International Speedway has long been the site of some of the highest speeds on the NASCAR schedule. That won’t change in this weekend’s FireKeepers Casino 400.

Drivers routinely topped 200 mph in Saturday’s practice session, averaging lap speeds upward of 190 mph. The 2-mile track’s long straights and sweeping banked corners create an emphasis on drafting, but its wide turns also offer plenty of lanes for drivers to maneuver out of dirty air.

MORE: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Toyota has been the manufacturer to beat every week this season, whether at superspeedways, intermediates, short tracks or road courses. But Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, hasn’t quite found what he’s looking for through seven Michigan starts. The daunting nature of what Michigan dares drivers to achieve is not lost on Bell, who is looking for his first Michigan win and first victory of 2026.

“You just have to hit it perfect at this track,” Bell said Saturday. “Like, it’s so fast, and it takes so much commitment that you can’t be loose, can’t be tight; you’ve got to have the car driving really well to have speed here. So yeah, I mean, the intermediate package has been really good for the Toyotas. Hopefully, I would expect it to translate here to Michigan, but you have to hit the balance. It doesn’t matter how good your cars are. If it’s not driving well, you’re not going to have pace.”

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion and a Michigan native, is also still seeking his first Michigan win after 28 starts. Michigan’s spot on the schedule may serve teams well as a precursor for the next two races, with the Irish Hills track preceding Pocono Raceway’s unique 2.5-mile triangular track, which offers some similarities to the D-shaped oval in Brooklyn, Michigan.

“I view Michigan and Pocono as kind of being the most similar tracks with the way they race, in the sense of the race tends to get strung out, strategy becomes really important, really easy to get involved in a crash because of just how edgy the cars are,” Keselowski said Saturday. “But of course, Michigan and Pocono are not the same tracks. Pocono has the three separate corners — Turn 1, really kind of a high-banked fast corner and Turns 2 and 3 really flat, and Turn 2 particularly really bumpy, and Turn 3 really easy to get in trouble as well.”

Two consecutive weeks with high-speed challenges start Sunday at Michigan, where drivers know they will need to balance bravery with strategy.

“I mean, this is one of those race tracks, man, that you have to be very smart,” said Daniel Suárez, winner of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. “I call it as it’s like a chess match, because [if] you have a run, you have to take it. You have to be very, very strategic and very smart on your moves. Being aggressive is important, but being smart is more important. So I love coming here. It’s not your typical mile-and-a-half style kind of race track, I mean, even though it’s a 2-mile race track. But yeah, it’s a lot of fun.”

A NASCAR Cup Series badge hangs at Michigan during pre-race flyover on frontstretch.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

In the details …

Fourteen races into 2026, there are still some surprise names who have yet to visit Victory Lane, including Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace, who need big days in the Irish Hills to feel comfortable above the Chase cutline.

Here’s a look at seven drivers entered in this weekend’s race who have tallied the most points in the Next Gen car at Michigan:

DRIVERPOINTS
Denny Hamlin169
Chris Buescher150
Brad Keselowski144
Bubba Wallace128
Erik Jones122
Kyle Larson120
Daniel Suárez118

Speed reads

Race-day essentials:

• Michigan hub: Key information, pit stalls, additional results | Read more
• Sunday Setup: Fuel mileage, new tire setup and OEM incentive in focus | Read more
• Paint Scheme Preview: New colors set for Michigan | View gallery
• Hauler Talk: Why Austin Dillon was not penalized for Keselowski incident at Nashville | Listen now
• Power Rankings: Who will take next big leap on Sunday? | This week’s ranks
• NASCAR Classics: Inside the video vault from Michigan | Watch now

Contributing: Cameron Richardson, Zack Albert