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  • Weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas

    Weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend along with the ARCA Menards Series while the Gander Outdoors Truck Series will run a standalone race at Texas Motor Speedway.

    All times are Eastern.

    Texas:

    Thursday, June 6

    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series First Practice – Results
    5:05 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Second Practice – Results
    7 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Final Practice – Results

    Friday, June 7

    5:35 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series Qualifying – NASCAR.com/MRN
    9 p.m.: Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 – 250.5 miles (167 Laps) – Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 167) FS1/MRN

    Michigan:

    Friday, June 7

    8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.: Arca Menards Series Final Practice
    Noon: ARCA Series Group Qualifying
    1:05 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series First Practice – MRN/NASCAR.com/live
    2:05 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series First Practice – MRN/NASCAR.com/live
    3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.: Xfinity Series Final Practice – FS2 (Airing tape delayed at 4 p.m.)
    4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Final Practice – FS2/MRN (Airing tape delayed on at 5 p.m.)
    6 p.m.: ARCA VizCom 200 – (100 laps – 200 miles) – FS1

    Saturday, June 8

    10:30 a.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS2 – Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions)
    12:05 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series Qualifying – Qualifying Impound (Single Vehicle/One Lap All Positions) – FS1/MRN
    1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Lti Printing 250 – 250 miles (125 Laps) –  Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 125) – FS1/MRN Defending Race Winner: Austin Dillon

    Sunday, June 9

    2 p.m.: Monster Energy Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 – 400 miles (200 laps) –  Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) – FS1/MRN Defending Race Winner: Clint Bowyer

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • Michigan International Speedway – Did you know?

    Michigan International Speedway – Did you know?

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the FireKeepers Casino 400.

    Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer is the defending race winner. The Ford driver is winless this year but did you know that Ford Motor Company has won 37 of the 99 Cup Series races at Michigan while Chevrolet has won 26? However, this year may be the exception as Toyota has captured nine wins, Ford has won four times and Chevrolet has only one win this season.  

    But did you know that Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR race in a Mercury for Wood Brothers Racing at Michigan on June 15, 1969? The event was highlighted by an intense battle between Yarborough and LeeRoy Yarbrough during the final 150 laps. On the last lap, the drivers made contact twice. Coming out of the final turn Yarbrough spun and crashed 300 yards from the finish line as Cale Yarborough sped past him to claim the checkered flag. It was the first of eight victories at the 2-mile track for Yarborough.

    Yarborough still holds the Cup Series record at Michigan for most top fives, with 21, and has led the most laps (1308). But did you know that David Pearson leads all drivers with nine wins at Michigan? He also holds the record for the most poles with 10.

    Kurt Busch is the defending pole winner for the FireKeepers Casino 400 and the SHR driver is tied with Team Penske’s Joey Logano with three poles each at the 2-mile track, leading all active drivers. But did you know that 20.2% of the Cup Series races at Michigan have been won from the first starting position? The most recent driver to win from the pole was Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson in June 2017.

    Larson and Busch also have the most wins at Michigan among active drivers with three. Notably, Larson also earned his first Monster Energy Cup Series win at Michigan in August 2016. However, Chase Elliott has the series-best driver rating of 104.5 at the track. The only item Elliott has left to check off is a trip to victory lane.

    Elliott enters the race with the best average finish of 5.33. He is currently third in the series driver standings after winning at Talladega and following that up with four more top-five finishes. But did you know that the Hendrick Motorsports driver has scored six top 10s in six career starts at the track?

    And we can’t forget Kevin Harvick who is winless in 2019 after a season-high eight victories last year. But did you know that the driver of the SHR No. 4 Ford enters Michigan with the second-best driver rating of 98.1?

    Harvick has two wins at the track and has finished in the top five in his last seven Michigan races with a victory in August and one runner-up finish in June 2018. This weekend’s race could be a turning point in what has been a frustrating season.

    You can never count out Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch at any venue. But did you know that he has only the 10th-best driver rating (89.2) at Michigan?

    With one win in 2011, an average finish of 18.357, 10 top 10s and six top-fives in 28 starts, Busch will be hoping to carry over the momentum of last week’s 55th career victory at Pocono. On the plus side, the team seems to have turned a corner with top-10 finishes in his last four Michigan races.

    So far this season, there have been six different winners in 14 races with Joe Gibbs Racing leading the way with nine. Tune into the FireKeepers Casino 400 Sunday, June 9 at 2 p.m. on FS1 and MRN to find out which driver will take home the next trophy.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

  • ARCA Menards Racing Series Preview- Michigan

    ARCA Menards Racing Series Preview- Michigan

    The 2019 ARCA Menards Series season heads to Michigan International Speedway this week for race number nine, almost reaching the halfway point of the season.

    And what a season we have seen so far in the ARCA Menards Series. When the season opened up at Daytona, we saw upcoming superstar Harrison Burton take the checkered flag with the powerhouse team of Venturini Motorsports. The Venturini’s continued their dominance by winning back-to-back with Michael Self at Five Flags in Pensacola and Salem.

    From there, it looked liked Self and the No. 25 Venturini team would run away with the championship. However, troubles were ahead after having early season success. They still had a decent run at Talladega finishing fifth, but frustrations started to grow at Nashville, Toledo and Charlotte.

    At Nashville, the No. 25 of Self was caught up in an accident which took him out of contention and he wound up 15th in that race. Toledo had a better showing for the team, as they finished fourth after starting on the pole and leading 12 laps. Although, Self and company still felt like it was a race they had given away. His teammate, Chandler Smith would go on to win the Toledo race. Then Charlotte came and it looked like the 25 team was back on track to dig themselves out of a hole.

    Self started on the pole once more and led a whopping 91 laps of the scheduled 100. But issues arose late in the going when oil and smoke came out of the back of the car. It would eventually go away on restarts, but then on lap 87 of 100, Self spun out when leading the race. The team never could rebound which led to a frustrating fifth place finish in a race they should have won.

    Last week at Pocono, Self finished 11th but is starting to grow tired of not winning, even though they feel like they have a car capable of winning every race.

    And now ARCA heads to Michigan International Speedway, not too far from the racing capital of the world. Manufacturers like Chevrolet and Ford, among others, are located there and it gives drivers like Self extra motivation to go out and win.

    For Self and the No. 25 Venturini team, they only have one start together which came in last year’s race. The Park City, Utah native has one top-five finish in his only outing finishing third after starting third and leading 23 laps. Despite finishing third there last year, Self and the No. 25 team are hoping to finish the race this weekend after having some frustrating finishes of as late.

    “After the last few weeks, I think I’m just really hoping for a completely smooth day at Michigan from the first lap of practice to the checkered flag at the end of the race.” Self said. “We’ve been off-kilter a bit, between mistakes by me and mechanical issues, I just want to focus on getting that cleared up. Once we do, we’ll be rock solid. The Venturini Motorsports guys bring the fastest cars to the racetrack every weekend, but we’ve beat ourselves the last two races on track where I feel like we should’ve excelled. I really like Michigan and think it’s a ton of fun to race there, and hope this is the place we can piece everything back together and have a shot at another win.”

    Despite Self’s issues, another driver is starting to heat up their on-track performance and that’s Chad Bryant Racing driver Ty Majeski. He won his second consecutive race last week at Pocono after a late race charge to the lead passing Riley Herbst for the win.

    At Michigan, Majeski has just one start that came two years ago finishing sixth. Majeski drove the Cunningham Motorsports car that is now owned by Chad Bryant.

    Even with only one start at the track, Majeski and the No. 22 team are looking to continue their winning ways this week at Michigan after having much success as of late in a part-time schedule.

    “It’s been a great few weeks,” said Majeski. “I can’t thank Chad (Bryant), Paul (Andrews) and the rest of the No. 22 Crestliner guys for their hard work and belief in me. We worked hard at Charlotte and Pocono to come away with the win and we’re going to take the same approach that we did the last two races and apply it to Michigan and hope for the same result.”  

    With only one ARCA start at Michigan, the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing driver hopes to build upon that sixth place finish two years ago.

    “Michigan International Speedway is a beast, but it’s a blast of a place to race,” added Majeski. “It’s a very wide race track with a lot of room to race with incredibly fast speeds. I’m hoping I can apply some of what I learned a couple of years ago to our No. 22 Crestliner Ford Fusion during practice and qualifying on Friday.”

    While Majeski and Self both have one start to their track record, the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports driver Christian Eckes will be making his first ARCA start or stock car start of any kind this weekend at Michigan.

    With no experience, Eckes is excited to get to the 2-mile racetrack that is Michigan International Speedway.

    “I’ve done a lot to prepare for Michigan this week,” said Eckes. “I’m excited to make my first laps on track. I’ve spent time on the sim at TRD and just basic stuff like film and notes. I feel extremely prepared to go have another great run this weekend.”

    Another possible future superstar will have added track time experience this weekend. Joe Graf Jr. will be running the ARCA race and also making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut for Richard Childress Racing at Michigan.

    Graf Jr. has one start at Michigan that came last year, where he finished fifth after starting deep in the field. Even though he has only had one start at Michigan, he is ready for the additional track time and believes it will be his best finish yet.

    “I’m very excited about Michigan this weekend,” said Graf Jr. “It’s been an incredibly busy week with preparation, testing and then getting to Michigan. I’m incredibly focused and look forward to the chance to have my strongest results of the year.”

    Myatt Snider, a former NASCAR Truck Series regular and now a part-time driver for ThorSport Racing makes his return to the ARCA Menards Series this weekend. He had one win, three top fives and six top-10 finishes in just 10 races in his short ARCA career before making the move to trucks.

    After completing a limited schedule, Snider made the jump to the Truck Series to drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports in his rookie season and then to the dominant ThorSport Racing team in 2018. Snider’s best finish in the Truck Series was second at Talladega last fall.

    At Michigan, he has one start in the Truck Series finishing 18th after starting eighth. In the ARCA Series, Snider started on the pole in his only race three years ago but finished a disappointing 23rd after crashing on Lap 38.

    This time around, the 24-year old returns in a Venturini Motorsports No. 20 prepared Toyota.

    “Glad we could put this deal (together) late in the game so I could make a return to the 2-mile superspeedway,” said Snider. “Michigan is one of the toughest tracks on the ARCA circuit. But that’s what makes it so fun. Really excited for the weekend.”

    The ARCA Menards Series will see an 18 car field in Friday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. Other drivers include Dick Doheny, Morgen Baird, Tanner Gray, C.J. McLaughlin, Tommy Vigh Jr, Riley Herbst, Bret Holmes, Travis Braden, Brandon McReynolds, Thad Moffitt, Brad Smith, Scott Melton and Tim Richmond, who will all look to tame the 2-mile superspeedway located outside Brooklyn, Michigan.

    Since 1980, Michigan International Speedway has seen 38 ARCA races and the winners are a list of whos-who.

    The list of winners include Joe Rutmann, Tracy Leslie, Dave Mader III, Stanley Smith, Bob Keselowski, Jeff Purvis (who won three in a row), Ron Barfield Jr, Tim Steele, Mark Thompson, Frank Kimmel, David Keith, Kerry Earnhardt, Blaise Alexander, Chad Blount, Casey Mears, Reed Sorenson, Steve Wallace, David Stremme, Brent Sherman, Erik Darnell, Justin Lofton, Parker Kligerman, Mikey Kile, Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Austin Theriault, Ross Kenseth, Brandon Jones and Sheldon Creed.

    The ARCA Menards Series will see another different winner this weekend.

    Qualifying is very important at Michigan where the winner has come from the pole position six times, occurring in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 and the last in 2017. The lowest a race winner has come from to win was 28th in 1997 set by Tim Steele. Since then, the lowest a driver has ever started to win was ninth (twice, which occurred in 2001 by Kerry Earnhardt and 2012 by now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Chris Buescher).

    The race winner has also come from the second starting spot, 10 times which occurred in 1994, 1996, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018.

    The ARCA Menards Series teams will get on track early Friday morning with the only practice session taking place at 8:30 a.m. ET lasting until 10 a.m. ET, live on ArcaRacing.com.

    Qualifying takes at noon ET and will also be live on Arcaracing.com.

    The VizCom 200 green flag is scheduled to fly at 6:15 p.m. ET live on Fox Sports 1. There will be 100 laps to make up the 200 miles.

  • Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Michigan

    Four Takeaways From The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Michigan

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visited the two-mile racetrack located in Irish Hills of Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway. It proved to be another exciting race for the 15th race of the season and that action will be intense come Thursday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Here are four takeaways from the Corrigan Oil 200.

    1. Last Lap Excitement – The Truck Series continued to put on another exciting race this past weekend at Michigan. It started with qualifying Saturday morning when John Hunter Nemechek beat Todd Gilliland for the pole by 0.01 seconds. This would set the tone for the day and the end of the race. In what would look like Johnny Sauter’s fifth win of the year, Noah Gragson and Nemechek hooked up with each other to catch Brett Moffitt and Sauter. It did not go as planned for them but it worked for eventual race winner Moffitt, who backed up to Nemechek’s front bumper and made a last lap pass on Sauter coming to the finish line. It was Moffitt’s fourth win of the year. If everything continues to go Moffitt’s way and sponsorship continues to come, we could see him and the No. 16 Hattori Racing team in the final four spot at Homestead-Miami in November.
    2. Stewart Friesen Continues Solid Season – Friesen continued his solid season to date on Saturday afternoon. He can breathe a little easier after winning the first stage and finishing ninth in the second stage. If Friesen and the No. 52 Halmar racing team has a clean race at Bristol and finish where he’s been finishing, then he should be able to lock himself into the Playoffs and challenge for the championship.
    3. Playoffs Set In Stone – After Michigan and with one race remaining until the Playoffs begin, the standings are pretty much set in stone. Of course, it’s not over until the checkered flag drops and we have seen stranger things happen, but the standings should stay the way they are unless one of the three bubble drivers have trouble and fail to finish. Other than that, what we see currently, will be what see for the 2018 playoff standings.
    4. Johnny Sauter One To Beat – As we’ve already seen this season and saw again on Saturday, 2016 champion, Johnny Sauter continues to be the man to beat for the championship this year. Saturday could have been his fifth win of the year but he is still sitting in good shape to clinch the regular season championship on Thursday night at Bristol. With four wins, 11 top fives, 12 top 10 finishes and 340 laps led this season, Sauter should end up in the Championship 4. If anyone wants to win the championship, they’ll have to go through Sauter and the No. 21 GMS Racing team.
  • Harvick Takes Seventh Win of MENCS Season at Michigan

    Harvick Takes Seventh Win of MENCS Season at Michigan

    Kevin Harvick took his seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season at Michigan International Speedway in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400, leading 108 laps and sweeping all three stages for the third time in 2018. The win gave Stewart-Haas Racing a season sweep at Michigan, as Clint Bowyer took the win there in June.

    It was his 44th Cup Series win which ties him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott for 17th on the all-time wins list.

    Harvick took the checkered flag 3.23 seconds ahead of second-place Brad Keselowski.

    “We kind of clawed all day and had some good restarts with the Discount Tire Ford and got all we could get out of it but just ended up one spot short and that is so frustrating,” Keselowski said after the race.

    Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top-five with Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano rounding out the top-10.

    The race was slowed by eight cautions for 37 laps, while there were 15 lead changes among nine drivers.

    “What a car,” Harvick said. “The most important thing is winning races right now and positioning yourself for Homestead. And that’s all we want to do. We don’t want to learn anything, we don’t want to work on anything, we want to win.”

    Harvick was met on the start-finish line by his son Keelan, who walked up the track and retrieved the checkered flag from the starter’s stand before riding along with his father on the way to Victory Lane.

    “He told me before the race, ‘Dad, if you win, I want to go out and wave the checkered flag.’ And I said, ‘Well if you do that, you’ve got to take the victory lap with me,’” Harvick said of Keelan’s post-race antics.

    He went on to describe the importance of sharing the experience with his son.

    “For him to be here and able to do that and be a part of NASCAR and bring your son to work and do all the things that we get to do with our kids, I have had him with me by myself the last three weeks and we have had a ball. I couldn’t be happier to be a dad and be a part of NASCAR where they let your family come to the race track and be a part of it.”

    There are three races left before the championship Playoffs begin in Las Vegas next month. The MENCS tour goes under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 18, on NBC Sports.

    Unofficial Race Results for the Consumers Energy 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race

    1. Kevin Harvick
    2. Brad Keselowski
    3. Kyle Busch
    4. Austin Dillon
    5. Ryan Blaney
    6. Kurt Busch
    7. Aric Almirola
    8. Denny Hamlin
    9. Chase Elliott
    10. Joey Logano
    11. Daniel Suarez
    12. Clint Bowyer
    13. Erik Jones
    14. Martin Truex Jr.
    15. Ryan Newman
    16. Paul Menard
    17. Kyle Larson
    18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    19. Alex Bowman
    20. Chris Buescher
    21. Jamie McMurray
    22. AJ Allmendinger
    23. Bubba Wallace
    24. Matt DiBendetto
    25. Michael McDowell
    26. Kasey Kahne
    27. David Ragan
    28. Jimmie Johnson
    29. Landon Cassill
    30. Blake Jones
    31. BJ McLeod
    32. Garrett Smithley
    33. Gray Gaulding
    34. Trevor Bayne
    35. Ross Chastain
    36. William Byron
    37. Timmy Hill
    38. Ty Dillon
    39. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    40. Corey LaJoie
  • Brett Moffitt Wins in Dramatic Last Lap Pass at Michigan

    Brett Moffitt Wins in Dramatic Last Lap Pass at Michigan

    Already a three-time winner this year, Iowa’s own, Brett Moffitt, passed Johnny Sauter for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race win at Michigan International Speedway, crossing the finish line ahead of Sauter by .025 of a second.

    “Yeah, we were running wide open there in the whole last stint there, once me and Johnny (Sauter) got out front,” Moffitt said. “I knew his truck was really fast, so, I was just making sure if I was going to pass him, don’t give him enough time to get by or back by, and I was able to time it right and side draft him to the line, get off of him and pull away by a fender.”

    The first stage of the race featured a 20 lap segment which was caution free. It saw race leaders, John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland and Stewart Friesen battle for the stage win. Ultimately, the No. 52 of Friesen, ended up winning the first stage.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 26, but the race was slowed for the first incident of the day when Matt Mills’ No. 54 truck snapped lose in the middle of Turn 1 and 2 and back into the wall.

    Another incident came with five to go, as Justin Fontaine had an accident coming out of Turn 2.

    With this incident, it turned into a one-lap dash for the finish of Stage 2. For what would set the tone and a foreshadowing for what would come, Playoff bubble driver, Grant Enfinger, just barely fended off teammate Myatt Snider at the conclusion of Stage 2.

    The final stage began with 54 to go. Matt Crafton took the lead on the restart and held on until Gragson passed him with 37 to go. Just seven laps later, race leaders started to pit and make their final green flag pit stops at the moment.

    Sauter and Friesen battled for the race lead and Sauter took the lead with 24 to go, as Friesen pit from the second position. A late race caution came out two laps later, as Snider spun on the frontstretch. Under the caution, Friesen was penalized for improper fueling and was sent to the back.

    The final restart came with 17 to go, as Kyle Busch Motorsports teammates, Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland, raced out front for the lead. While these two were battling for the lead and potential race win, Sauter made a three-wide pass and took the lead with 13 to go.

    As the race wound down, Moffitt began to catch Sauter. Nemechek and Gragson started to come into play and tried to catch the leaders. On the last lap before the final turns, Moffitt laid back to Nemechek and got a run underneath Sauter and passed him at the finish line.

    “Normally, the top momentum is better,” Moffitt said. “I’d been running behind them, lap after lap and I wasn’t able to get to his (Sauter’s) quarter, but laying off of him in (Turn) 1 there, gave me a good enough run where I could actually get to his quarter and side draft him, and it was just a race to the line.”

    With this win, Moffitt now has four wins in the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.

    Points leader, Johnny Sauter, came up one spot short and was pretty disappointed in himself.

    “Yeah, I just screwed up,” Sauter said. “I should have ran the bottom, you know? You know, I kept watching him in the mirror and keep momentum by running the top, and you know, I felt like that was the preferred deal and obviously, I screwed up and so he (Moffitt) got a better run down the back straightaway than I thought he did. Just apologize to all the employees at GMS Racing and it would have been cool to get a Chevrolet win here in Detroit, but our ISM Connect Chevy was off all weekend and we rallied and had a great truck there to the middle and late stages of the race. I blew it.”

    John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland rounded out the top five finishers in the Corrigan Oil 200. Sauter leads the series with a 56-point lead over Gragson.

    There were five cautions for 22 laps, along with nine leaders among 22 lead changes. Moffitt led twice for five laps and gained five playoff points.

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for a midweek event on Thursday night. This will be the final stop before the Playoffs begin in Canada and the site where the regular season champion will be crowned.

  • Denny Hamlin sweeps qualifying to capture Busch Pole Award at Michigan

    Denny Hamlin sweeps qualifying to capture Busch Pole Award at Michigan

    Denny Hamlin led all rounds of qualifying Friday evening at Michigan International Speedway to score his 28th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole and his first at the 2-mile track.

    He posted a final-round lap speed of 202.794 mph in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400. Teammate Kyle Busch will join Hamlin on the front row, qualifying second with a 202.731 lap in his No. 18 Toyota.

    This was the second time Hamlin and Busch have started 1-2 mirroring last week’s front row at Watkins Glen International.

    “We’re starting to see results,” Hamlin said. “I mean you can definitely see that we’re gaining speed, gaining momentum, very optimistic about this week. You know this is a racetrack that we’ve had success at before. We’ve never qualified on the pole here before but we have a car that has been driving good all day and if we can duplicate that and have it driving the same in race trim it should be a great day for us.”

    Busch described his qualifying effort, saying, “I thought 3 and 4 went OK. Certainly, I don’t think it was my best time through there. The first couple of runs, we’d been fighting ‘loose,’ so you kind of drive a little differently to be ready for the loose situation, and then on the final run, we were tight.”

    “You guard your entry or guard your center or whatever you do for the loose, and that doesn’t happen, and you’re tight, and then you’re too tight because you guarded for the loose. Just ever so slightly just missed it, I guess. Overall, I didn’t think we were going to qualify there, so we’re certainly pleased with that.”

    Kevin Harvick qualified third followed by Erik Jones in fourth. Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman will start fifth and sixth while Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Alex Bowman round out the top 10.

    Bowman was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to advance to the final round. Teammates, Jimmie Johnson, William Byron and Chase Elliott will start 19th, 20th, and 21st, respectively.

    Daniel Suarez, who was third fastest in the first Cup Series practice, was unable to post a time after getting loose in the first round of qualifying in Turn 2 and hitting the outside wall. He will start from the back of the field Sunday.

    “We were loose in practice and then it was a little bit tight and I told my guys that I wanted the front to work a little bit better and we just crossed the line,” Suarez said. “We were fast and when we have moments like that, it’s very hard to catch the car. I felt like I actually caught the car, but then once I got to the grey, it was like being on ice. We’re fortunate, the car is still very fast and the car is not too bad. We just have to fix it and hopefully, tomorrow come back for practice and get ready for the race.”

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Starting Lineup for the Consumers Energy 400

    1. Denny Hamlin
    2. Kyle Busch
    3. Kevin Harvick
    4. Erik Jones
    5. Austin Dillon
    6. Ryan Newman
    7. Martin Truex Jr.
    8. Ryan Blaney
    9. Joey Logano
    10. Alex Bowman
    11. Aric Almirola
    12. Kurt Busch
    13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    14. Paul Menard
    15. Jamie McMurray
    16. Clint Bowyer
    17. Kyle Larson
    18. Brad Keselowski
    19. Jimmie Johnson
    20. William Byron
    21. Chase Elliott
    22. Bubba Wallace
    23. Chris Buescher
    24. David Ragan
    25. AJ Allmendinger
    26. Trevor Bayne
    27. Ty Dillon
    28. Kasey Kahne
    29. Michael McDowell
    30. Matt DiBenedetto
    31. Landon Cassill
    32. Corey LaJoie
    33. BJ McLeod
    34. Gray Gaulding
    35. Reed Sorenson
    36. Garrett Smithley
    37. Timmy Hill
    38. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    39. Blake Jones
    40. Daniel Suarez

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Bowyer gambles on track position to win at Michigan

    Bowyer gambles on track position to win at Michigan

    A miscommunication to the pace car sent half the field down pit road while the other half remained on track. As a result, race leader Clint Bowyer came down pit road with the pace car, while Kyle Busch went around another lap. Although timing and scoring displayed Busch as the race leader, Bowyer was declared the winner of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

    NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell took to Twitter after the race to explain the miscommunication.

    https://twitter.com/odsteve/status/1005946295343767552

    Bowyer gambled for track position and took just right-side tires under the second stage break caution to take the lead on the ensuing restart. Harvick ran alongside him for the first lap on the restart, but got loose exiting Turn 4 and Bowyer drove away to his 10th career victory in 447 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts.

    “It took something crazy on a restart to be able to get Kevin (Harvick). That was a gutsy call,” Bowyer said. “When we went out there on two tires I looked in the mirror and I was so far ahead of everybody else I was like, ‘Oh man, we are in trouble!’ The rain came just in enough time. I was trying to hold him off. I was cutting him off and taking his line away pretty bad. If it wasn’t for a win you wouldn’t be doing that. He was so much faster than me in one and two. I got down in three and just had to take his line because that bear was coming.”

    It was his first career victory at Michigan.

    Kevin Harvick led a race high of 49 laps and won the second stage, on his way to a runner-up finish.

    “It was a good day for us,” Harvick said. “Our pit crew was solid. Rodney made a good call there in the middle of the second stage to keep the track position and be able to drive away and get the stage win. They had a good pit stop to close out there, and the 14 just gambled, rolled the dice that the rain must have been going to come, and he was able to keep me on the bottom there just by a little bit on the restart. Then it was just going to take me a few laps to work back by. But he did a good job hanging onto his car and the gamble paid off for him.”

    Kurt Busch led 46 laps, on his way to a third-place finish.

    “We had an excellent day all the way through,” Busch said. “No big mistakes, no rough moments. Pit stops were solid, adjustments were solid. Restarts, I’d say three quarters of the time I was on the inside lane, so that might have been a little bit where we were pinned down. But you have to make do with what you have, how the chips fall. I’m happy with our effort today. To finish third, rain shortened, of course you always want to go back racing again, but to see the two cars in front of me at the end, the 4 and the 14, that’s a big day for Stewart‑Haas Racing. It’s very special to finish 1‑2‑3. Tried to get to your outside when we were on the track, maybe get a picture with the 14, 4 and 41 to symbolize such a special day at Michigan. To win at Stewart‑Haas for Ford 1‑2‑3, it’s a huge day.”

    Kyle Busch and Paul Menard rounded out the Top-five.

    Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray rounded out the Top-10.

    RACE SUMMARY

    Scheduled to go green at 2:14 p.m., the start was delayed for two hours by rain. The field rolled onto the race track half-past the hour and went green at 4:44 p.m. Up until the final 15 laps of the first stage, Kurt Busch led un-challeneged. Blaney posed Busch his first challenge of the day, however, exiting Turn 4 on Lap 46 and drove on to win the first stage.

    Darrell Wallace Jr., who opted not to pit under the stage break caution, led the field back to green on Lap 65. Exiting Turn 2, however, Kevin Harvick drove around him to take the lead and won the second stage.

    Clint Bowyer exited pit road with the race lead and led the field back to green on Lap 126.

    “Being at the same tires on a restart against Kevin Harvick, you know what you’re up against. He was so much faster than me in (Turns) 1 and 2. I got down in 3, and 4 and I had to chop him off, take his line away. He got loose a couple of times. I’m like, ‘Man it better rain quick, because one more lap, he’s gonna get me.’”

    Caution flew three laps later for a one-car (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) wreck in Turn 2, but rain forced NASCAR to throw the red flag.

    NUTS & BOLTS

    The race lasted two hours and 15 seconds, at an average speed of 132.723 mph. There were nine lead changes among seven drivers, and eight cautions for 30 laps.

    Kyle Busch leaves Michigan with a 75-point lead over Joey Logano.

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  • Dillon battles competition and rain to win Xfinity race at Michigan

    Dillon battles competition and rain to win Xfinity race at Michigan

    Austin Dillon held off his Richard Childress Racing teammate Daniel Hemric to bring home the checkered flag in Saturday’s Xfinity Series LTi Printing 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

    It was his first Xfinity Series victory win since August 2016 at Bristol, ending a 26-race winless streak in the series. Dillon took over the lead on Lap 72 and led the last 18 laps of the rain-shortened event which ended under caution after Lap 91 of 125 scheduled laps. The race start was delayed three hours due to the inclement weather.

    It was Dillon’s first win at Michigan and his ninth Xfinity Series career victory.

    “It’s always amazing to get back to Victory Lane. We’ve been working really hard at Richard Childress Racing to get back into the Winner’s Circle and as an organization, we really thought that if we could put Nick Harrison and myself together we could get there. It worked because this is only our second race together this year and here we are.”

    Hemric’s second place tied his career-best finish but he was disappointed in the result.

    “I am proud of the effort and the strides our team made throughout the weekend in practice to make sure we had a really good-driving race car today. I’m proud of everyone on this No. 21 South Point Hotel & Casino team for giving me the opportunity to drive a fast race car. I just didn’t quite execute on my end to put this team in Victory Lane today.”

    Cole Custer finished third, and said, “Today we were just in the right place at the right time and had great strategy. I think my crew chief had a great strategy and got us track position at the end. Our Code 3 Ford Mustang was pretty solid. It was hard to pass. You don’t want to be on the bottom. We had some things go our way and ended up P3 there.”

    Ryan Reed placed fourth followed by Paul Menard in fifth. Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Kevin Harvick, Justin Allgaier and Ryan Truex rounded out the top 10.

    This was the second straight week that the Xfinity Series ran a high-downforce restrictor-plate package. The result was closer racing action which produced nine cautions during the race.

    Dillon gave the package his stamp of approval, saying, “The new package we ran this weekend worked. The fans had to love how tight we were all running together. It was definitely difficult to pass that lead guy. I thought it was fun. It reminded me of Go Kart racing back in the day.”

    Elliott Sadler, the series point leader, finished 30th after scraping the outside wall on Lap 73 due to contact with Alex Bowman. He retains the lead by 41 points over Custer in second.

    The Xfinity Series heads to Iowa Speedway next Sunday for the Iowa 250 presented by Enogen.

    Follow @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

    Complete results:

    1. (13) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 91 laps, 0 rating, 0 points.
    2. (5) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 35.
    3. (4) Cole Custer, Ford, 91, 0, 42.
    4. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 91, 0, 49.
    5. (2) Paul Menard, Ford, 91, 0, 0.
    6. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 91, 0, 0.
    7. (6) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 30.
    8. (24) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 91, 0, 0.
    9. (9) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 28.
    10. (12) Ryan Truex, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 41.
    11. (7) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 91, 0, 28.
    12. (40) Kaz Grala, Ford, 91, 0, 34.
    13. (8) John Hunter Nemechek, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 33.
    14. (16) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 28.
    15. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 22.
    16. (14) Matt Tifft, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 28.
    17. (17) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 20.
    18. (11) Brandon Jones, Toyota, 91, 0, 25.
    19. (18) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 18.
    20. (27) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 17.
    21. (10) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 0.
    22. (34) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 15.
    23. (29) Austin Cindric, Ford, 91, 0, 18.
    24. (25) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 13.
    25. (32) Vinnie Miller, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 12.
    26. (22) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 11.
    27. (33) Josh Bilicki, Toyota, 91, 0, 10.
    28. (38) BJ McLeod, Dodge, 91, 0, 9.
    29. (36) Chad Finchum, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 8.
    30. (3) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 91, 0, 21.
    31. (37) Timmy Hill, Dodge, 90, 0, 6.
    32. (26) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, transmission, 89, 0, 5.
    33. (28) David Starr, Chevrolet, accident, 82, 0, 4.
    34. (23) Caesar Bacarella, Chevrolet, accident, 79, 0, 3.
    35. (35) Brandon Hightower, Toyota, accident, 79, 0, 2.
    36. (30) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, accident, 54, 0, 1.
    37. (20) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, accident, 52, 0, 1.
    38. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, brakes, 34, 0, 1.
    39. (19) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, overheating, 33, 0, 1.
    40. (31) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, vibration, 5, 0, 1.

     

  • Full weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas

    Full weekend schedule for Michigan and Texas