Denny Hamlin Charges Late to Win at Michigan
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin became the winner of this past weekend's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin started the race from the third position and ran there throughout the entire first stage. He won eight stage points asread more...
Carson Hocevar's Michigan Run is Derailed by A Late-Race Flat Tire
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar's performance during Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway held promise, but ended with a disappointing finish of 29th. Beginning Sunday's race from the 14th position, Hocevar ascended a few positions in the first stage,read more...
Kyle Larson's Up-and-Down Day Ends With Top-Five Finish at Michigan
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports had an up-and-down performance in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway that ended with a quality finish of fifth. Larson began Sunday's race from the fifth position, but did not have much happen toread more...
Ross Chastain Quietly Finishes Sixth at Michigan
Source: NASCAR.com
Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing placed sixth during Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Beginning the race from the 20th position, Chastain put together a mostly quiet but solid performance. He did not advance much through the first stage as he ended in 20th place and failed to score stage points, but that changed in the second stage. Chastain went up to the top five thanks to pit strategy, efficient moves under green, and staying out of trouble through wrecks. He ended stage two in the fifth position and gained five stage points. In the final stage, Chastain ran most of it inside the top 10 to 15, but made it up through the pack as other drivers dealt with fuel issues. The No. 1 Chevrolet driver climbed up to and finished sixth, collecting a new career-best finish at Michigan. Chris Buescher Takes Second Place After William Byron Runs Out of Fuel
Chris Buescher had probably his best run of the season on Sunday at Michigan, where he finished second in a race where all three RFK Racing cars placed in the top 10. Michigan has always been a great track for theread more...
Bubba Wallace Has a Great Points Day to Build Buffer Over the Playoff Cut Line
Source: Racing Reference
After coming perilously close to the playoff bubble after three straight crashes at Texas, Kansas, and Charlotte, Bubba Wallace recovered with a fourth-place finish at Michigan. When coupled with both Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe failing to finish in the top twenty and scoring no stage points, this significantly strengthened Wallace's playoff position. Wallace ran in the top ten for most of the race, although pit strategy pushed him back occasionally. After finishing eighth in Stage 1 and seventh in Stage 2, he made a furious charge late in the race to drive from tenth to fourth in the last 22 laps, passing Kyle Larson on the last lap. He now sits tenth in the championship, 61 points ahead of Ryan Preece, who holds the final playoff spot in a tiebreaker over Kyle Busch.Flat Tire Results in Poor Finish for Ryan Blaney
Source: Racing Reference
Ryan Blaney's 2025 bad luck continued at Michigan on Sunday. After taking the lead in the pits after finishing sixth in Stage 1, he fell out of the top 10 after pitting during the caution for Alex Bowman's crash. While driving up through the field, he blew a tire while running 12th and spun onto pit road to trigger the race's fifth caution. Although Blaney returned to the track for points, he finished four laps down in 32nd. The race had minimal impact for Blaney as he maintains his seventh-place points position, and since he won last week at Nashville, he remains locked into the playoffs. Blaney would definitely prefer for bad luck to befall him at this point in the season than during the playoff races.Alex Bowman's Playoffs in Doubt After Stage 2 Crash at Michigan
Source: Racing Reference
Alex Bowman's chances of making the playoffs have become increasingly doubtful after he crashed and finished last in Sunday's Michigan race. Although Bowman had typically been running well before bad luck struck earlier this season, he didn't even run well as he started 16th and had faded to 26th before crashing on Lap 67. Although Bowman still sits 13 points above the playoff cut line, it's likely that Carson Hocevar and a road-course specialist will win and knock him out of the playoffs. If Bowman runs as well as he did earlier this season, he certainly still could overtake drivers like Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe to give himself a better chance, but the way he ran in Sunday's race (a race where his teammates all fought for the lead), it now seems he is more likely to miss the playoffs than make them.Denny Hamlin is A Top Contender to Win At Michigan
Source: DriverAverages.com
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start third for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This marks the second time this season that Hamlin scored back-to-back top-5 starting positions during the 2025 season. In 34 Cup races at Michigan, Hamlin has two wins, 19 top-10 finishes, which is the most of active drivers, and an average finish of 12.2. With 14 races completed this season, Hamlin has two wins, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.4. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin ranked 24th in overall lap averages and sixth in 10 consecutive lap averages. Michigan is one of Hamlin's top tracks in the past couple of years and should once again be a top contender for the win.Kyle Larson Will Compete For The Win At Michigan
Source: DriverAverages.com
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will start fifth for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This marks the first time in Larson's Cup career that he scored back-to-back top-5 starting positions in Michigan Cup races. In 16 races at the site, Larson has three wins, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.4. After 14 races completed this season, Larson has a series-leading eight top-5 finishes, a series-leading 851 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6. In practice, Larson ranked 29th in overall lap averages and 15th in five consecutive lap averages. Despite his practice speeds being underwhelming, Larson has top-notch equipment and regularly has been one of the best on oval tracks in terms of overall speed. Expect him to compete for the win as one of the top favorites of the week.Chase Elliott is One of the Most Favored DFS Options of the Week for Michigan
Source: DriverAverages.com
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott qualified 17th for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Elliott is the lowest-qualifying driver out of Hendrick's four racers for Sunday's race at Michigan. In 14 races at the site, Elliott has 10 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 10.5. Through 14 races completed in the 2025 season, Elliott remains the only driver in the field to place in the top 20 at the end of every Cup event and he has an average finish of 11.5. In practice for Sunday's race, Elliott ranked seventh in overall lap averages, 11th in five consecutive lap averages, and 10th in 10 consecutive lap averages. With solid upside, practice speeds indicative of a top-10 finish, and favorable track history, Elliott is a driver worth rostering in all DFS formats this week.William Byron May be A Top Threat to Win at Michigan
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start fourth for this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Byron qualified the highest of all four Hendrick drivers that have entered this week's race. In 10 races at Michigan, Byron has three top-10 finishes, including a career-best finish of second in last year's race at the site, and an average finish of 15.2. After 14 races completed this season, Byron is the season points leader with one win, nine top-10 finishes, and a series-leading average finish of 9.2. In practice, Byron ranked 17th in overall lap averages, but displayed top-10 speeds in all other categories. Based on his equipment, recent Michigan history, and his overall 2025 performance, Byron is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week.Kyle Busch is Difficult to Recommend for DFS Lineups at Michigan
Source: DriverAverages.com
Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch qualified on the front row at Michigan International Speedway for the fourth time in his Cup career and will start second in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400. In 36 races at Michigan, Busch has one win, 16 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 17.2. He also led 24 laps and finished fourth in last year's Michigan Cup race. In 14 races completed so far in 2025, Busch has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.4. In practice, Busch ranked 25th in overall lap averages and 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Busch's high starting position leaves no upside, and considering how Michigan has been a track filled with mixed results for him as well as his inconsistent performance this season, he is difficult to recommend for DFS, only being playable in a tournament setting. Bubba Wallace Qualifies Ninth For the FireKeepers Casino 400
Source: DriverAverages.com
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace qualified in the ninth position for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Wallace is the only driver from 23XI to qualify inside the top 10 for this week's race at Michigan. In 11 races at the site, Wallace has two top-10 finishes, an average finish of 19.2, and he led multiple laps in the last three Cup events. Through 14 races so far this season, Wallace has five top-10 finishes, including last week's race at Nashville where he placed sixth. In practice, Wallace ranked fifth in overall lap averages and 12th in five consecutive lap averages. Expect Wallace to compete for a top-10 finish based on his equipment, practice speeds, and the speed he displayed in recent Michigan Cup events.What Should Fantasy Managers Do With Alex Bowman at Michigan?
Source: DriverAverages.com
Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports will start this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway from the 16th position. This is Bowman's best starting position at Michigan since 2022, when the Next-Gen car was introduced. In 15 previous races at MIS, Bowman has six top-20 finishes and an average finish of 24.3. With 14 races completed this season, Bowman has seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.1. In practice, Bowman ranked 18th in overall lap averages but displayed top-10 speeds through almost all other categories. With top-notch equipment and some upside from his starting position, Bowman is a driver worth consideration for all formats, especially as his practice speeds and overall 2025 speed indicate that he should compete for a top-10 finish.