The Cup Series travels to the Irish Hills of Michigan and Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Just 70 miles from Detroit – the home of the American automakers – the manufacturers race in the “backyard” of the factories and race for pride and bragging rights. Ford leads the field with 44 Michigan wins – eleven of them by The Wood Brothers.
Thirty-six teams brought cars to Michigan for the race. The Cup Series weekend starts with an early morning practice and qualifying session on Saturday.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session and are running speeds in excess of 200mph.
Shane van Gisbergen had a flat tire near the end of practice but kept it off the wall. He ran partly in the grass to keep the car moving and not spinning.
Alex Bowman topped the leaderboard in Group 1 practice.
Ryan Blaney has a flat tire and brings out the red flag while track officials get the car moved to pit road.
Tyler Reddick has a flat tire and is stopped on the track to bring out the red flag. Reddick was able to drive his car back to pit road with no help.
Fortunately for the teams, none of the cars have gotten into the wall or caused significant damage to the cars.
Having already added time to the practice session, NASCAR did not add any additional time for Reddick’s flat tire. They still have Cup Series qualifying before the Truck Series race at noon.
Chase Briscoe topped the leaderboard in Group 2 practice.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Noah Gragson whop posted a time of 37.725 seconds around the two mile track.
The first driver to break the 37 second mark was Ty Gibbs with a time of 36.927 seconds.
Adam Alexander reported that the drivers are running the fastest speeds ever run at Michigan.
Denny Hamlin is still on baby watch…baby boy Hamlin is due at any time now.
With a time of 36.826 seconds, Chase Briscoe put his number 19 car on the pole for the third week in a row. Kyle Busch will start alongside Briscoe on the front row.
The starting lineup for the FireKeepers Casino 400:
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
William Byron
Kyle Larson
Chris Buescher
Josh Berry
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Zane Smith
Austin Cindric
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Blaney
Carson Hocevar
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Chase Elliott
Ty Dillon
AJ Allmendinger
Ross Chastain
John Hunter Nemechek
Erik Jones
Ryan Preece
Cole Custer
Christopher Bell
Shane van Gisbergen
Brad Keselowski
Austin Dillon
Noah Gragson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Justin Haley
Michael McDowell
Todd Gilliland
Riley Herbst
Daniel Suarez
Cody Ware
Kyle Larson leads the playoff standings with three wins; Christopher Bell also has three wins this season. Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain, Josh Berry, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Busch are all currently the 16 drivers in the playoff standings. The top nine are in on race wins.
Stage one is 45 laps, stage two is 75 laps, and stage three is 80 laps for a total of 200 laps around the two mile track. Drivers can run around 43 to 46 laps on a single load of fuel.
Earlier today, Ram announced that Ram Trucks will be returning to NASCAR.
Tyler Reddick has to start the race from the back of the field after the crew had to change the diffuser after practice and qualifying Saturday.
Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of the race for the third week in a row; this time with Kyle Busch alongside on the inside. Busch and Briscoe swap the lead back and forth with Briscoe leading lap one.
Drivers are three wide in the field.
Lap two, Chase Briscoe leads the race with William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
Lap four Kyle Busch passes Chris Buescher.
Lap four, Tyle Reddick has moved up 20 spots already and is in the top 20.
Lap six, Chase Briscoe has a two tenths of a second lead on William Byron; Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 10, Chase Briscoe, holds on to the lead; William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Lap 12, William Byron passes Chase Briscoe for the lead.
Lap 16, William Byron has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Chase Briscoe; Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Kyle Busch is reporting some handling issues with his car.
Lap 20, William Byron holds a lead of over half a second on Chris Buescher; Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Lap 27, Chris Buescher has caught leader William Byron and challenging for the lead.
With pace laps and stage one laps, the drivers were on the edge of running out of fuel from the time they cranked the engines.
Lap 30, William Byron holds on to the lead with Chris Buescher in second; Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin battling are battling for third.
Lap 32, after starting on the front row, Kyle Busch has fallen to eighth place.
Lap 34, Daniel Suarez makes an unscheduled trip down pit road reporting a vibration; he is now a lap down.
Lap 35, the top five are William Byron, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry.
Lap 38, Chase Buecher passes William Byron to take the lead.
Lap 40, Chris Buescher has a half second lead on William Byron; Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Daniel Suarez had a huge blister on one of his tires.
Alex Bowman started the race in 16th and has fallen to 32nd. He is running a second and a half off the pace.
Chris Buescher wins stage one for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Chris Buescher
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Josh Berry
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
Bubba wallace
Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Daniel Suarez is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service to the biggest pit boxes on the circuit. Ryan Blaney wins the race off of pit road.
Denny Hamlin dodged a bullet when he pulled away while the fuel can was still attached but it came loose before he left the pit box. The front tire changer grabbed the fueled can after it fell. But there is a question of how much fuel he got into the car.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Denny Hamlin alongside on lap 53. Blaney gets out in front for the lead as drivers spread out three wide across the track.
Lap 54, Ryan Blaney has a near half second lead on Chase Elliott; Carson Hocevar, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Drivers are getting aggressive and working hard to pass all through the field.
Lap 57, Chase Elliott passes buddy Ryan Blaney for the lead.
Ross Chastain passes Denny Hamlin for fifth.
Denny Hamlin gets loose but saves the car and loses several spots.
The caution flag comes out on lap 60 for a wreck involving Noah Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek. Both drivers come down a closed pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 65. Getting a push from teammate William Byron, Chase Elliott takes the lead as drivers get three and four wide across the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 67 for a wreck involving Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Alex Bowman, Cole Custer, and pole sitter Chase Briscoe. Bowman hit the wall hard head on with the front end of the car pushed in. He walks to the ambulance.
NASCAR has red flagged the race to get the track cleaned up.
Discussions between crews during the red flag was on fuel milage and whether or not to make a pit stop.
The red flag has been withdrawn and the yellow flag is out, the drivers are moving once again.
Chase Elliott stays out on the track but pit road is still very busy with driver getting fuel. Tyler Reddick wins the race off of pit road.
AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Larson were caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
After staying out on the track, Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christopher Bell alongside on lap 70.
Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott battle for the lead with Elliott holding on to the lead.
The top five are Chase Elliott, Chistopher Bell, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Michael McDowell.
The caution flag comes out on lap 72 when John Hunter Nemechek spins out, backs into the wall, and is stopped partly on the grass.
Alex Bowman is out of the infield care center; he said that he is ok but it was a really hard hit. He said that he was “along for the ride” and couldn’t do anything.
Leader Chase Elliott comes down pit road for fuel and tires.
Chase Elliott was charged with improper fueling and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 77 with Michael McDowell alongside. William Byron comes from the inside and blows by to take the lead.
Cole Custer and Alex Bowman are out of the race.
Lap 79, the top five are William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano.
Lap 81, first part of the field is single file.
Lap 84, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Christopher Bell; Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Todd Gilliland and Ryan Preece pass Joey Logano for fifth and sixth.
Lap 89, Denny Hamlin passes Joey Logano for seventh.
Chase Elliott has moved up seven spots since the restart.
Broadcaster Steve Letarte described the action on the track “like a blender”.
Lap 92, William Byron has a near one second lead on Christopher Bell; Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Preece round out the top five.
Lap 96, Bubba Wallace passes Austin Cindric and Joey Logano for eleventh.
Chase Elliott is just outside the top 20 in 21st.
Joey Logano reports “no lateral grip”.
Lap 100, halfway, William Byron leads the race with Christopher Bell in second.
Lap 104, William Byron leads the race with Christopher Bell in second; Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Preece round out the top five.
Lap 106, Christopher Bell comes down pit road for fuel and tires. Tyler Reddick takes second.
The caution flag comes out on lap 108 when Ryan Blaney spins out up against the wall. Blaney reports that he thinks he had a tire going down.
Christopher Bell is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service, William Byron wins the race off of pit road.
Brad Keslowski and Todd Gilliland were caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart from the back of the field.
After hitting the wall, Ryan Blaney is on pit road for repairs.
Austin Cindric brings the field down for the green flag restart with Austin Dillon alongside on lap 113. Drivers are three and four wide across the track. Austin Cindric leads the race. Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, and William Byron battle for the lead.
Austin Cindric takes the lead with Tyler Reddick in second; William Byron, Carson Hocevar, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Four laps remain in stage two, Austin Cindric leads the race with William Byron in second; Tyler Reddick Ross Chastain, and Carson Hocevar round out the top five.
Michigan native Carson Hocevar comes on the inside to take third.
William Byron and Austin Cindric battle for the lead.
William Byron wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
William Byron
Austin Cindric
Carson Hocevar
Tyler Reddick
Ross Chastain
Ryan Preece
Bubba Wallace
Denny Hamlin
Ty Dillon
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service. Shane van Gisbergen left his pit stall with a wrench in the car; he backed up down pit road to his pit stall to have the wrench removed.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Carson Hocevar alongside on lap 126. Drivers are getting three wide back in the field, William Byron leads the race with Carson Hocevar in second; Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Bubba Wallace wound out the top five.
Drivers are not waiting to close to the end of the race to spread out and get aggressive; they started with the stage three green flag.
Lap 130, William Byron holds on to the lead with Carson Hocevar right behind; Denny Hamlin leads his drivers Tyler Reddic and bubba Wallace to round out the top five.
Lap 133, William Byron has just a quarter of a second lead on Carson Hocevar.
Lap 137, William Byron has pulled out to a half second lead on Carson Hocevar; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Kyle Larson is reporting some voltage issues in his car.
Lap 144, Tyler Reddick passes the boss Denny Hamlin for third.
Lap 146, the caution flag comes out when Todd Gilliland gets into the wall hard with a blown tire. He comes to a stop in the grass.
Drivers come down pit road for service and pack the fuel cell. Taking only two tires, Zane Smith wins the race off of pit road. Tyler Reddick had a slow stop when he got blocked into his pit stall.
Zane Smith brings the field down for the green flag restart with Carson Hocevar alongside on lap 151. Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson battle for the lead as drivers get rour wide behind them.
With a big cheer, Michigan native Carson Hocevar takes the lead with Kyle Larson in second William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Zane Smith round out the top five.
Lap 154 William Byron passes teammate Kyle Larson for second.
Drivers are battling all through the field.
Lap 155, the top five are Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, and Chris Buescher.
Lap 157, Carson Hocevar has pulled out the a half second lead on William Byron.
Brad Keselowski makes contact with Shane van Gisbergen, but SVG saves the car and the track stays green.
Lap 159, William Byron has closed the gap on leader Carson Hocevar. The crew reports that they are short on fuel.
Kyle Larson is also short on fuel.
With 38 laps remaining in the race, fuel conservation is a major concern for the drivers.
Lap 164, the top five are Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, and Chris Buescher.
Ryan Blaney is the only car on the track not on the lead lap; three laps down.
Lap 169, Denny Hamlin passes Chris Buescher for sixth.
The top five are Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Zane Smith.
Thirty to go! Carson Hocevar has a third of a second lead on William Byron; Kye Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Zane Smith round out the top five.
Just 25 laps remaining in the race; Carson Hocevar leads the race with William Byron; Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Twenty to go! Carson Hocevar holds on to the lead but many of the drivers are short on fuel…including Hocevar.
Lap 182, William Byron blows by Carson Hocevar who has a flat tire! Hocevar comes down pit road for service.
Fifteen to go! The push is on! Denny Hamlin passes Ty Gibbs for third.
Denny Hamlin passes Kyle Larson for second.
Ty Gibbs passes Kye Larson for third.
Denny Hamlin is just a quarter of a second behind leader William Byron with12 laps to go.
Eleven to go, Denny Hamlin is on leader William Byron’s bumper; Ty Gibbs is pushing to reach Denny Hamlin.
Ten to go, William Byron is weaving back and forth across the track to try and block Denny Hamlin.
Chris Buescher passes Kyle Larson for fourth.
Seven to go and the battle continues between leader William Byron and Denny Hamlin.
Five to go, Denny Hamlin battles for the lead with William Byron; Ty Gibbs is moving up to join the battle.
Four to go, Denny Hamlin finally takes the lead.
Just six miles remaining in the race. Chris Buescher passes Ty Gibbs for third.
William Bron is out of fuel.
Denny Hamlin takes the white flag.
The 44 year old Denny Hamlin wins the race on fuel milage in career start number 701! And still has plenty left over for a burnout.
The unofficial results of the FireKeepers Casino 400:
Denny Hamlin
Chris Buescher
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Zane Smith
Kyle Busch
Ryan Preece
Brad Keselowski
Erik Jones
Josh Berry
Tyler Reddick
Daniel Suarez
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
AJ Allmendinger
Shane van Gisbergen
Austin Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Justin Haley
Joey Logano
Chase Briscoe
Ty Dillon
Riley Herbst
Cody Ware
Noah Gragson
William Byron
Carson Hocevar
Michael McDowell
Austin Cindric
Ryan Blaney
Todd Gilliland
John Hunter Nemechek
Cole Custer
Alex Bowman