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NASCAR cup series

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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

Denny Hamlin wins the pole for Michigan NASCAR Cup race

getty images

 

June 6, 2026

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

The last driver to make a qualifying run around Michigan International Speedway on Saturday afternoon, Denny Hamlin claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) - dashing Michigan native Carson Hocevar’s hopes for some home state glory in the final minutes of the session.

 

Hamlin’s lap of 195.117 mph in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota bettered Hocevar’s run in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet by a slight .018-second around the two-mile Michigan high-banks and gives the veteran – and defending Michigan race winner - Hamlin 50 career NASCAR Cup Series pole positions.

 

After climbing out of his Toyota, the 45-year-old Hamlin walked over to the 23-year-old Hocevar on pit road, where they spoke briefly and hugged. Hamlin smiled and joked that he only felt “this bad” holding up a nearly-touching thumb and forefinger for taking the qualifying win.

 

Only an hour earlier during practice Hamlin’s car had a tire issue and he was unable to participate in the full session as his team made repairs, making the pole win all the more remarkable and dramatic.

 

“They did a great job accounting for the damage on the bottom side (of his car), they re-balanced it but it was a handful – all I wanted, certainly," said Hamlin, who won from pole position last week at Nashville. “That was surprising.

 

“That was the limit for sure," Hamlin said.

 

Hocevar was clearly disappointed in the qualifying outcome. Earlier in the afternoon, he led the most laps in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race only to finish third. A first-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Talladega in April, Hocevar insisted, however, he was still optimistic about his chances come Sunday afternoon.

 

“It’s a testament to these guys, they do a really good job," Hocevar said. “Yeah, I would have loved to have that there, but third in the truck race {Saturday afternoon} and second in Cup qualifying, hopefully that’s a trend there.

 

“I feel like it’s a really good race car, one of the best I’ve had here. So, I hope it translates tomorrow. I feel really good about our race car so starting out front is super important.

 

“I know it’s just qualifying, but damn, I didn’t know I wanted it this much here. Just means a lot for so many reasons."

 

Reigning championship leader, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick (who topped Saturday practice) was third fastest in the No. 45 Toyota that Hamlin co-owns with NBA superstar Michael Jordan. Hamlin’s JGR teammates Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe were next quickest giving Toyota four of the top-five starting positions.

 

Chase Elliott was the top qualifying Chevrolet in sixth place. Chris Buescher, the 2023 Michigan winner was the top qualifying Ford in 14th place. Ford has a Michigan track record 44 wins - 18 more than Chevrolet and 37 more than Toyota, however Toyota has won the last two races (Reddick in 2024 and Hamlin in 2025).

 

The last polesitter to win at Michigan from pole was Team Penske’s Joey Logano in 2019. In fact, Logano’s three Michigan wins (2019, 2016, 2013) all came from pole position. He’ll start 18th Sunday.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying - FireKeepers Casino 400

Michigan International Speedway

Brooklyn, Michigan

Saturday, June 6, 2026

 

                1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 195.117 mph.

                2. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 195.022 mph.

                3. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 194.969 mph.

                4. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 194.842 mph.

                5. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 194.826 mph.

                6. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 194.816 mph.

                7. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 194.768 mph.

                8. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 194.579 mph.

                9. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 194.395 mph.

                10. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 194.122 mph.

                11. (7) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 193.960 mph.

                12. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 193.929 mph.

                13. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 193.898 mph.

                14. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 193.621 mph.

                15. (41) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 193.522 mph.

                16. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 193.481 mph.

                17. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 193.340 mph.

                18. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 193.252 mph.

                19. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 193.247 mph.

                20. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 193.149 mph.

                21. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 193.149 mph.

                22. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 192.818 mph.

                23. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 192.812 mph.

                24. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 192.472 mph.

                25. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 192.220 mph.

                26. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 192.123 mph.

                27. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 191.739 mph.

                28. (33) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 191.729 mph.

                29. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 191.688 mph.

                30. (97) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 191.683 mph.

                31. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 191.149 mph.

                32. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 191.032 mph.

                33. (51) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 190.905 mph.

                34. (88) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 190.880 mph.

                35. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 190.830 mph.

                36. (44) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 186.674 mph.

                37. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 0.000 mph.

 

--30--

 

Denny Hamlin Overcomes Adversity to Win in Nashville

Getty images

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

LEBANON, Tenn. – Call it victorious whiplash.

 

Race polesitter Denny Hamlin took the lead at the drop of the green flag – was penalized and re-set to last in the 38-car field for jumping that start – then rallied his way forward again in the ensuing 300 laps to be in front for the checkered flag of Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

 

After a back-and-forth among teammates on a final restart with four laps remaining – featuring a three-wide last-lap challenge for the win among three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas – Hamlin delivered the manufacturer its first victory at the 1.33-mile Nashville concrete oval, his No. 11 Toyota finishing a slight .115-second ahead of teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.

 

“The 20 [Bell] and 19 [Briscoe] were battling so hard on that first corner it just let me get to the inside of the 20 at the first corner after the restart and from there, side-by-side with the 20,’’ Hamlin, 45, said describing the dramatic final laps that resulted in his 62nd career win.

 

“He [Bell] drove in so deep on that last lap into [turn] one that it just allowed me to barely clear off of [turn] two.

 

“What an unbelievable day starting first, going to last and then back to first.’’

 

For Bell, the close finish marked his second runner-up showing in as many weeks – simultaneously frustrating and encouraging. As with Hamlin, he recovered from an early race challenge – a pit stop miscue dropping his No 20 JGR Toyota from running among the top five to 30th place for a restart just before the finish of Stage 1.

 

“It was great racing, I hope the fans enjoyed that,’’ Bell said. “Just disappointed in myself, disappointed for my team. We brought a great race car and I didn’t get the job done.’’

 

The finish was certainly indicative of the close racing, important strategy calls and just flat-out team speed ultimately necessary to finally settle a race that featured a race record 31 lead changes among a record 15 drivers.

 

The race was delayed almost two hours because of weather, but when the action resumed, there was plenty of drama and intrigue.

 

The sold-out Nashville crowd issued a silent salute on lap eight to the late two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, 41, a beloved four-time Nashville winner (twice each in the CRAFTSMAN Trucks and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series), who passed away last week of sepsis.

 

In the laps thereafter, the intense action quickly settled in. Hamlin’s 57 laps out front were a race high, but nine different drivers led double digit laps. And 11 caution flags affected strategy throughout the night.

 

Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr finished fourth in the No. 47 Chevrolet, followed by a career-best fifth-place effort by Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen. The popular New Zealand road course ace turned in one of his best flag-to-flag oval performances running among the top 10 all night. His 12 laps led in the No. 97 Trackhouse Chevrolet were most for him on an oval track.

 

Reigning championship leader, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott were scored sixth and seventh but were collected in an accident just after taking the checkered flag in a hard push by the field to the finish.

 

Last year’s race winner, Ryan Blaney was eighth followed by Zane Smith, whose No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was leading until 12 laps to go. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar was 10th. Hendrick’s Kyle Larson – the reigning series champion – led 56 laps (only one lap less than Hamlin) but finished 23rd.

 

The race featured two first-time stage winners on the season – Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger (Stage 1) and last week’s Charlotte race winner, Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suárez (Stage 2).

 

With his sixth-place finish Reddick remains atop the standings, 97 points ahead of Hamlin and 174 points up on Blaney in third place.

 

The series moves a few hours north to Michigan Speedway for next Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner.

 

---30---

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Cracker Barrel 400

Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville, Tennessee

Sunday, May 31, 2026

 

          1. (1)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 300.

          2. (4)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 300.

          3. (31)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 300.

          4. (15)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 300.

          5. (10)  Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 300.

          6. (2)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 300.

          7. (29)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 300.

          8. (7)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 300.

          9. (11)  Zane Smith, Ford, 300.

          10. (17)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 300.

          11. (13)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 300.

          12. (30)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 300.

          13. (6)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 300.

          14. (9)  Joey Logano, Ford, 300.

          15. (14)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 300.

          16. (26)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 299.

          17. (23)  Riley Herbst, Toyota, 299.

          18. (32)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 299.

          19. (3)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 299.

          20. (21)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 299.

          21. (20)  Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 299.

          22. (34)  Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 299.

          23. (5)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 299.

          24. (27)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 298.

          25. (24)  Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 298.

          26. (36)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 296.

          27. (25)  Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 293.

          28. (37)  Chad Finchum(i), Ford, 289.

          29. (22)  Chris Buescher, Ford, Accident, 286.

          30. (8)  William Byron, Chevrolet, Accident, 231.

          31. (33)  Josh Berry, Ford, Accident, 214.

          32. (18)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Accident, 203.

          33. (19)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 203.

          34. (12)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 192.

          35. (16)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 172.

          36. (28)  Ryan Preece, Ford, Radiator, 90.

          37. (35)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Accident, 81.

          38. (38)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Accident, 71.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  106.424 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 44 Mins, 57 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .115 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  11 for 77 laps.

Lead Changes:  31 among 15 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   D. Hamlin 0;T. Reddick 1-37;C. Bell 38;S. Van Gisbergen 39-40;J. Logano 41;S. Van Gisbergen 42-48;K. Larson 49;S. Van Gisbergen 50-52;K. Larson 53-75;C. Bell 76;A. Allmendinger 77-78;R. Herbst 79;R. Blaney 80;A. Allmendinger 81;R. Blaney 82-89;A. Allmendinger 90-93;K. Larson 94-125;C. Briscoe 126-139;R. Blaney 140-146;C. Elliott 147;R. Blaney 148-177;C. Elliott 178;D. Suarez 179-188;D. Hamlin 189-244;C. Bell 245-259;C. Elliott 260;T. Reddick 261-265;T. Gibbs 266;E. Jones 267-269;Z. Smith 270-287;C. Bell 288-299;D. Hamlin 300.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Denny Hamlin 2 times for 57 laps; Kyle Larson 3 times for 56 laps; Ryan Blaney 4 times for 46 laps; Tyler Reddick 2 times for 42 laps; Christopher Bell 4 times for 29 laps; Zane Smith 1 time for 18 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 14 laps; Shane Van Gisbergen 3 times for 12 laps; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 10 laps; AJ Allmendinger 3 times for 7 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 3 laps; Chase Elliott 3 times for 3 laps; Ty Gibbs 1 time for 1 lap; Joey Logano 1 time for 1 lap; Riley Herbst 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 16,5,12,9,45,23,24,19,35,67

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,48,47,2,11,71,24,20,19,6

 

 

 

 

Hamlin to start from pole position after Cup Series qualifying canceled at Nashville Superspeedway

 
May 30, 2026
 
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service 
 
LEBANON, Tenn. – Intermittent light rain showers forced the cancellation of Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Pole Qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway, resulting in Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin starting from pole position in Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 (7 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Championship points leader Tyler Reddick will start his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota alongside Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota on the front row as Toyota hopes to earn its first ever series win at the 1.33-mile concrete oval.
Last week’s Charlotte race winner Daniel Suarez will start third in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet with JGR’s Christopher Bell (No. 20 Toyota) and reigning two-time series champion, Hendrick Motorsports Kyle Larson (No. 5 Chevrolet) rounding out the top five on the 38-car grid.
Defending race winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney will start his No. 12 Ford seventh.
Bell, who was fastest in the practice session, said he didn’t expect the cancelled time trials to make a big difference in either the run of the 400-miler or ultimately the outcome of the race. Especially with the field getting some time on track with practice.
“Well, it’s good for me today, because I have a good metric, so I’m okay with that,’ Bell said smiling of the formulation NASCAR used to set the field in lieu of qualifying. 
His competitors were not overly concerned with the cancellation of qualifying, either – instead just glad to turn some laps and dial in their cars.
“They put a lot of resin down in both corners, more than they’ve done in the past and we’re really curious how the cars are going to drive,’’ said Roush Fenway Keselowski owner-driver Brad Keselowski. “So it’s semi-important [to qualify] although we’ve been racing here for the last three or four years, so we all have a pretty good feel for it.’’
--30--
 

Reddick Leads, Bubble Tightens as NASCAR Heads Into Summer Stretch

 

June 1, 2026

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off his second points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory of the year after a remarkable bounce from pole position to last in the field back to Victory Lane at Nashville Superspeedway Sunday night, Denny Hamlin smiled and conceded. … he’s still probably not close enough to make a run at championship points leader Tyler Reddick for the regular season title.

 

In some ways it’s a glass half full scenario for the veteran, who has earned top-five finishes in half the 14 races this year – nine top-10 showings and claimed the All-Star victory. For all his fine effort and dedication – i.e., his amazing run Sunday – Hamlin still trails Reddick by 97 points at the midpoint of the regular season. And that’s progress considering the five-race winner, Reddick, has held a three-digit advantage on the field for much of the season.

 

The upside for Hamlin? He is also co-owner of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota that Reddick has earned so much success in this season. Asked if he realistically thought he could catch Reddick in what’s looking like a two-man chase for the top spot at the end of the regular season, Hamlin did not hesitate.

 

“Not really," said the 45-year-old Hamlin, who with 62 wins is the winningest fulltime driver in the series. “We'd have to win three or four more races. He's going to have to have some DNFs and stuff. So not really. My goal is to try to stay P2, and that will be close enough with 10 [races] to go.”

 

Examining the points standings at this crucial season midpoint – the time most drivers defer to as being a true championship barometer – the points are quite close beyond the Reddick-Hamlin duel.

 

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney – the 2024 series champion – is third, but a substantial 174 points off Reddick’s blazing path. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, sits only 23 points behind Blaney, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs is 34 points off Blaney in fifth place – the highest the 23-year-old Gibbs has ever been ranked this far into the season.

 

Only the top 16 drivers qualify for The Chase in the championship format introduced for 2026. Drivers tend to defer to the regular season “halfway point” – last week’s Charlotte 600-miler - as the true mark of where a team falls competitively so positions in the standings are being watched more closely.

 

Beyond those top five drivers, the current title-chasing group heading into next Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Speedway (3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) includes: two-time and reigning series champ, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Sunday night’s race runner-up, JGR’s Christopher Bell, former regular season champ, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher, Spire Motorsports race winners Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez, last year’s regular season champ, Hendrick’s William Byron and a new member of the title-chase club, Trackhouse Racing’s second-year Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen.

 

Roush Fenway Keselowski owner-driver Brad Keselowski, JGR’s Chase Briscoe, Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace and Penske’s Austin Cindric currently make up the top-16 in the standings. Cindric holds a precarious two-point edge over RFK’s Ryan Preece for that final Chase position heading into the grueling summer schedule.

 

Of note among this list is the New Zealander and former Australian Super Car Series champ Van Gisbergen, a world-renowned road course racer who has been showing his oval improvement and progress with every passing week. His fifth-place showing at Nashville was his best on an oval as was his 12 laps led total. And he wasn’t just good at the end, he was strong all night long consistently holding position among the top-10.

 

“Starting up front obviously helps, but it was cool to lead some laps and battle at the front," a smiling Van Gisbergen said Sunday post-race. “Our Chevy was running really well all night. I really enjoyed myself tonight.

 

“I learned a lot. I learned to be comfortable moving around in (turns) one and two, which I’ve never been able to do before. We just got the balance better on the two-tire strategy. When we were on a four-tire strategy, we were lacking that. The two-tire stop at the end, we were able to get the balance back again. It was a lot of fun. It definitely feels like we’re making headway.”

 

The mix of former champions and new faces set the tone in an increasingly tight title mix that doesn’t yet include three-time champ Joey Logano, who now sits nine points behind his Team Penske teammate Cindric, or perennial title favorite Ross Chastain, who is ranked 26th in the standings.

 

It certainly ups the championship ante heading into this summer stretch of races – starting with the Michigan two-miler on Sunday (Hamlin is the defending race winner) and highlighted by traditional venues at Pocono, Atlanta, the Sonoma, Calif. road course, the July 4 weekend return of Chicagoland Speedway and of course the much-anticipated inaugural San Diego street course event on Naval Base Coronado.

 

“Certainly, proud of our whole team for just keeping our heads down and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for continuing to just chip away at it, man," Elliott said. “It's a long year.”

 

 

nascar reviews & NOTEBOOKS

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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

  

Saturday Michigan Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

  • Michigan’s Cup Drivers Look to Break Through at Home Track
  • Bell Ready To Remedy Michigan Struggles
  • Erik Jones Sees Progress

 

June 6, 2026

 

By Holy Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Michigan’s Cup Drivers Look to Break Through at Home Track

 

Michigan is the home state for three current NASCAR Cup Series competitors – Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski, Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones and Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar – and all are looking for their first victory at Michigan International Speedway in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

When it comes to competing there, the 2012 series champ Keselowski and another former champion, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott have the most runner-up finishes (three) without a win among active drivers.

 

The owner-driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford has 16 top-10s in 28 Michigan races - including four of the last five series visits. His second-place runs came in 2020, 2018 and his championship 2012 season. He does own a pair of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories at the track, winning in back-to-back seasons (2009-10).

 

And his RFK team has the most wins (14) historically of any organization at Michigan.

 

“When we go, it’s a win that would really mean a lot for me to get," Keselowski, 42, the Rochester Hills-native noting that he still has a lot of family in the area. “Michigan now has those three fulltime Cup drivers, so really well-covered."

 

Smiling when reminded he’s the only champion among the group, Keselowski grinned and said, “I’ve just got to be a champion in that [Michigan] race.”

 

Bell Ready To Remedy Michigan Struggles

 

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is considered a perennial NASCAR Cup Series championship contender - finishing fifth or better in the title chase five of the last six seasons. He’s earned 13 wins and claimed top-10 finishes in nearly half of his starts – 113 top-10s in 230 races.

 

However, the lone race track the 31-year-old Oklahoman hasn’t earned a NASCAR Cup Series top-10? Michigan International Speedway.

 

The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota has a best finish of 13th at Michigan – twice, including 2023 when he started from pole position. He’s led only 37 laps in seven starts and crashed out in two of the last four races there.

 

But. … he finished sixth in Saturday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Michigan, sweeping both stages and leading 37 laps. And he’s very optimistic about improving his NASCAR Cup Series fortunes at the big track.

 

“Michigan, on paper, that’s my worst track, but I’m always super-fast and competitive there," Bell said smiling at the irony. “I’m very much looking forward to going there. I’m sad we’re only going there once a year, but I’m looking forward to trying to get a good result there. It’s a fun race track. I have a lot of fun racing there."

 

Erik Jones Sees Progress

 

Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones isn’t just enthused about racing this weekend because it’s in his home state, but because he seriously thinks the team’s progress this season could result in a trophy soon. Perhaps even Sunday.

 

The 30-year-old from Byron, Michigan – a half-hour drive from the Michigan track – has improved on his race finishes in the famous No. 43 Toyota four of the last five races. His best showing in 2026 are a pair of 10th-place finishes. And he’s finished 11th or better in three of the last four Michigan races. Jones’ best showing at the track is third in his 2017 rookie season.

 

“I think we are in a better spot," Jones said Saturday about his Michigan expectations. “It’s funny, I looked at the points position at this point last year, and we aren’t a whole lot different, but I think as a group we are running consistently better.

 

“We’ve had a great stretch here for a month of showing up each week and having good cars and running well. A couple of execution things have kept us from a few better finishes, and some strange strategies have kept us from some stage points, especially last week in Nashville.

 

“I think overall, we are in a better spot. I think there are so many little things that we can do better still, which is frustrating but good. To have performance like we are currently having and know there are little things that we need to work on and improve, there is value in that.

 

“For me, yeah, I’ve been happy with the direction, happy with my team."

 

--30--

 

The two season-long NASCAR Cup Series championship leaders, Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin arrive at Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the last two race winners at the two-mile track.

 

Hamlin, the defending race winner and driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota shows up in Michigan’s scenic Irish Hills fresh off a hard-fought victory last weekend in Nashville. His series’ best 756 laps led are a career-high for him through the opening 14 races. He is seventh all-time in multi-win seasons (15). And, he is on a streak of eight top-10 finishes at Michigan.

 

Reddick, driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota – co-owned by Hamlin and NBA great Michael Jordan – climbs into his cockpit not only as the 2024 Michigan winner but the absolute most dominant driver of the 2026 season; his five wins through the opening 13 races have put him a remarkable 97-points ahead of Hamlin in the standings.

 

It's the first time since April that Reddick, who won three of the opening four races including the Daytona 500, has led the championship by less than a 100-points and is the only driver to lead the championship in 2026. Only upcoming NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Burton (17) has had more consecutive top-15 finishes to start a season than Reddick, whose 5.57 average finish ties Richard Petty for the seventh best mark ALL-TIME through 14 races.

 

Even though Hamlin and Reddick have established this impressive run atop the standings and statistics, Michigan has been a Ford track historically. In just the last decade, Ford won nine races consecutively before Reddick’s 2024 win.

 

A victory this weekend would go a long way for the blue oval, which has celebrated only one points-paying trophy hoist this year – Ryan Blaney’s victory at Phoenix 12 races ago for Team Penske.

 

To his credit, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series champion Blaney, is doing his best to keep Reddick and Hamlin honest. He sits third in the points, but is an incredible 174 points off Reddick’s total. He is responsible for the last five Ford victories - going back to last season.

 

Ford is the all-time winningest manufacturer at Michigan with 44 wins – 18 more than Chevrolet and 37 more than Toyota.

 

Of Ford’s nine most recent wins at Michigan, retired driver and upcoming NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Harvick owns five of them and his NASCAR on FOX broadcast partner, driver Clint Bowyer another. Blaney (2021), his Penske teammate Joey Logano (2019) and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Chris Buescher (2023) fill out the recent Ford Michigan winners list.

 

For both Logano and Buescher – Logano especially - a win this week would go a long, long way to righting an uncharacteristically slow start to the season. Logano’s three Michigan wins are tied for most among active drivers and the RFK organization, who Buescher drives for, leads all teams historically with 14 victories.

 

Buescher is ranked eighth in the championship standings with six top-10s. RFK owner-driver - and Michigan-native – Brad Keselowski is 13th in the championship and his three Michigan runner-up finishes are the most for a driver without a win at the track.

 

Just past the regular season halfway mark, Team Penske driver Austin Cindric is holding onto that 16th position in the standings – the final transfer spot into The Chase. He holds a two-point edge on RFK’s Ryan Preece and is nine points up on 18th place Logano.

 

“I feel like those guys have had some pretty big misfortunes this year that has kind of put them where they are at," the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, Blaney said of his teammates Cindric and Logano. “I think they've run a lot better than what it's showing in the points.

 

“I know Joey and Austin are doing a really good job of trying to utilize everything they can week in and week out. I just feel like they run into some problems that really aren't what they're doing. And it's really stuck.

 

“And I been there before, and it just kind of seems like nothing's going your way, and those guys are kind of in that right now. But I think they're working hard to get where they need to be, and, like I said, I think the mood is pretty good."

 

Saturday's practice (5 p.m. ET) for the FireKeepers Casino 400 followed immediately by Busch Light Pole Qualifying (6:30 p.m. ET) both will be broadcast on Prime Video, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. JGR’s Chase Briscoe is the defending pole-winner.

 

Michigan's history of CRAFTSMAN Truck Series thrillers sets stage for Saturday showdown

 

With his victory at Nashville Superspeedway over the weekend, Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs moves into the championship lead for the first time in his career after a dramatic 38-point swing in the points standings.

 

It’s a tough setback for Tricon Garage driver Kaden Honeycutt, whose 27th-place showing at Nashville snapped a four-race streak of top-five finishes and dropped him to second in the championship. The 22-year-old is still enjoying a career year and has been ranked first or second in points for the past eight races in only his second fulltime season.

 

The Truck Series wraps up a stretch of six consecutive race weekends at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway in Saturday afternoon’s DQS Solutions and Staffing 250 presented by Precision Vehicle Logistics (1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Halmar Friesen Racing’s owner-driver Stewart Friesen is the defending race winner.

 

Riggs has won the last two races (at Charlotte and Nashville) coming to Michigan and during this six-race stretch since May 1, the 23-year-old second generation NASCAR star has a series-best 157 laps led and amazing 6.4 average finishing position.

 

“You can’t let the highs get you too high or the lows get you too low, so every weekend is a new challenge," said Riggs, driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. “We were kind of mediocre at Michigan last year, so I think we’ve got some things to work on, but we’ve been working in the Ford Racing simulator a lot. They give us all the great tools to go fast and work to be better."

 

The Truck Series competition has been strong all season and Michigan looks to be no different. The track boasts a strong history of dramatic outcomes. Only three tracks have had more last lap passes for a win than Michigan (three) – Talladega, Ala. (six), Texas (four) and Daytona (four). A final lap pass for victory has happened four times already this season – a series record through 11 races.

 

Only seven races remain to set the 10-driver Chase field and not only is the top spot in the points still very much up for grabs with Riggs and Honeycutt leading the way, but positions eight (Tyler Ankrum) through 11th (Jake Garcia) in the standings are separated by only eight points.

 

One thing for sure is that Michigan has been one of the most unpredictable venues on the schedule. The last three races at the two-miler have ended in overtime and three of the last six races were decided on a last-lap pass.

 

Four NASCAR Cup Series regulars, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Michigan native Carson Hocevar are entered in the truck race. Also noteworthy, Cleetus McFarland will make his second truck series start of the season driving the No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevy and Spencer Davis will return to the Truck Series for the first time since 2023 driving the No. 5 Tricon Garage Toyota.

 

Practice is at 9:30 a.m. Saturday followed by Kennametal Pole Qualifying at 10:35 a.m. Luke Fenhaus started from pole position last year.

 

--30--

 

 

   nascar cup series

NASCAR Cup Series schedule 2026

(All times Eastern)

DateRaceTrackTime
Feb. 1Cook Out Clash at Bowman GrayBowman Gray Stadium8 p.m.
Feb. 12Duel 1 at DaytonaDaytona International Speedway7 p.m.
Feb. 12Duel 2 at DaytonaDaytona International Speedway8:45 p.m.
Feb. 15Daytona 500Daytona International Speedway2:30 p.m.
Feb. 22Autotrader 400EchoPark Speedway3 p.m.
March 1DuraMax Grand PrixCircuit of the Americas3:30 p.m.
March 8Straight Talk Wireless 500Phoenix Raceway3:30 p.m.
March 15Pennzoil 400Las Vegas Motor Speedway4 p.m.
March 22Goodyear 400Darlington Raceway3 p.m.
March 29Cook Out 400Martinsville Speedway3:30 p.m.
April 12Food City 500Bristol Motor Speedway3 p.m.
April 19AdventHealth 400Kansas Speedway2 p.m.
April 26Jack Link's 500Talladega Superspeedway3 p.m.
May 3Wurth 400Texas Motor Speedway3:30 p.m.
May 10Go Bowling at the GlenWatkins Glen International3 p.m.
May 17All-Star RaceDover Motor Speedway3 p.m.
May 24Coca-Cola 600Charlotte Motor Speedway6 p.m.
May 31Cracker Barrel 400Nashville Superspeedway 7 p.m.
June 7FireKeepers Casino 400Michigan International Speedway3 p.m.
June 14Cup Series race at PoconoPocono Raceway3 p.m.
June 21Anduril 250Naval Base Coronado4 p.m.
June 28Toyota/Save Mart 350Sonoma Raceway3:30 p.m.
July 5Cup Series race at ChicagolandChicagoland Speedway6 p.m.
July 12Quaker State 400EchoPark Speedway7 p.m.
July 19Window World 400North Wilkesboro Speedway7 p.m.
July 26Brickyard 400Indianapolis Motor Speedway2 p.m.
Aug. 9Iowa Corn 350Iowa Speedway3:30 p.m.
Aug. 15Cook Out 400Richmond Raceway7 p.m.
Aug. 23Cup Series race at New HampshireNew Hampshire Motor Speedway3 p.m.
Aug. 29Coke Zero Sugar 400Daytona International Speedway7:30 p.m.

NASCAR Cup Series playoff race schedule 2026

(All times Eastern)

DateRaceTrackTime
Sept. 6Southern 500Darlington Raceway5 p.m.
Sept. 13Enjoy Illinois 300World Wide Technology Raceway3 p.m.
Sept. 19Bass Pro Shops Night RaceBristol Motor Speedway7:30 p.m.
Sept. 27Hollywood Casino 400Kansas Speedway3 p.m.
Oct. 4South Point 400Las Vegas Motor Speedway5:30 p.m.
Oct. 11Bank of America ROVAL 400Charlotte Road Course3 p.m.
Oct. 18Freeway Insurance 500Phoenix Raceway3 p.m.
Oct. 25Yellawood 500Talladega Superspeedway2 p.m.
Nov. 1Xfinity 500Martinsville Speedway2 p.m.
Nov. 8Cup Series Championship RaceHomestead-Miami Speedway3 p.m.

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