By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
On an action-packed afternoon where perseverance proved as important as raw speed, veteran Denny Hamlin pulled off an amazing run from the rear of the starting grid to claim the checkered flag taking his second consecutive and fourth overall trophy in the NASCAR Cup Series’ FireKeepers Casino 400 at a sold-out Michigan International Speedway.
The massive effort marked Hamlin’s 63rd career win – tying him with the late Kyle Busch for ninth-place on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list. And as importantly, the showing – combined with points leader Tyler Reddick’s first DNF of the season – cut Hamlin’s deficit to Reddick nearly in half. He now trails him by only 51 points with 11 races left to settle the NASCAR Cup Series regular season title.
Hamlin, 45, celebrated the milestone victory – his third of the year and second consecutive last-to-first efforts in as many weeks – by waving a black and white No. 18 “Kyle Busch” flag outside his driver’s window driving around the track for a victory lap – capped by a long burnout. The ode to the two-time series champ Busch, Hamlin’s former teammate who passed away suddenly two weeks ago from pneumonia and sepsis, received huge applause and a standing ovation from the massive grandstand crowd.
With 63 Cup Series wins, Denny Hamlin ties Kyle Busch at 9th on the all-time wins list.
Paying tribute to Rowdy. pic.twitter.com/ncYEcqQqF2
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 7, 2026
Although Hamlin won pole position for Sunday’s race, he started from the rear of the 37-car field after the team made adjustments after qualifying. The opening stage was mostly frustrating for Hamlin, who only managed to run between 20-30th place early. But the perennial championship contender and his JGR team made adjustments all day and he was running top-five by lap 140 of the 200-lapper. And moving forward quickly.
“Great car, unbelievable,” Hamlin said thanking his crew after taking the checkered flag. After a day where patience and confidence mattered most, his No. 11 Toyota led 40 laps – including the final 39 of the 200-lap race – and pulled away to an amazing 11.110-second win over fellow Toyota driver, Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones.
“Just amazing,” Hamlin said of his car and crew. “That last run there, just hammered down. Had a few good restarts and once I got the lead, laid out all I had.
“The offseason was rough for me, rough for NASCAR family. We lost a lot of people This week we lost Gentleman Ned (Jarrett) and still thinking of Kyle (Busch), (his wife) Samantha (and children) Brexton and Lennix.
“Just grateful to be able strap in every week and I don’t take it for granted this opportunity that I’m in. Just love that we’re making the best of it.”
A record 11 caution flags – plus a 20-minute red flag – flew for incidents and accidents throughout the afternoon – involved half the field to varying degrees. And while the stoppages slowed the race, it also allowed drivers to save enough fuel late enabling them to make the checkered flag without losing positions on extra pit stops.
Although Hamlin was far in front of the field, the positions just behind him were decided in the closing laps. The runner-up showing was the Michigan-native Jones’ best of the season. Bubba Wallace finished third in the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was fourth in the No. 5 Chevrolet with Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar rounding out the top-five in the No. 77 Chevrolet.
“Lot of opportunities there to get stage points, but if we can go up there and challenge for a win, we’re going to do that,” said Jones, whose primary team owner is seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
“I think we’ve got a good package and our group is rolling really well as a team. We’re executing well. Just got to do every little thing right and it [win] will come. You run up front and it’s going to happen for you.”
A nine-car chain-reaction wreck early in the race eliminated championship leader, and the 2024 Michigan winner Reddick from contention. Another dramatic incident with frontrunners Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell with 51 laps to go necessitated a 20-minute red flag to repair the track wall.
That red flag was necessitated after a hard collision between the two trophy contenders as they ran side-by-side vying for second place. Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet got loose and moved up track and into Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“Totally my fault. I feel so bad for Christopher [Bell],” said Elliott, who won Stage 2 and led a race best 67 laps on the day.
“Was trying to make use of fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with him.,” he continued. “Got in there and got free. Thought I was going to spin and was kinda committed to spinning out and as soon as I started to commit to spinning it just hooked up, hooked right and unfortunately sent Christopher into the wall super hard and me shortly there behind.
“Just racing really hard. I felt like it was turning point of the race and I needed to make something happen and stepped over the line and paid for it. I just told him (Bell) I was sorry. Obviously, it was not on purpose, but I knew it was a really big hit for both of us. I think he took the brunt of it, honestly, with two really big hits. I have a lot of respect for Bell and feel like we always race each other with respect on track. I don’t want that to happen to anyone. It was a big one and certainly not intentional.”
It was an especially tough outing for the season’s championship leader Reddick, who won the opening stage – his first of the season – but was among those collected in a nine-car accident on a Lap 83 restart. A chain reaction collision on the fourth row of the triggered by Hocevar eliminated a large contingent of potentially race-winning entries.
Hocevar’s Chevrolet hit the rear of John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota just after the field took the green flag on the restart, collecting Reddick and others running among the lead pack. Hocevar continued – leading 22 laps on the day en route to his top-five finish.
“Man, I didn’t mean to do that,” Hocevar said after the race. “I obviously feel bad I wrecked them, but my intention wasn’t to tear them up or wreck them by any means. Next time I know what to do a little differently there.”
Spire’s Daniel Suarez – who won at Charlotte two weeks ago – finished sixth followed by three-time series champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano whose seventh-place effort marked his fifth top-10 of the season. Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney was eighth in the No. 12 Ford, followed by Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher and JGR’s Chase Briscoe.
Not only was the top of the championship standings drastically affected Sunday, but only 26 points now separate 14th place Shane Van Gisbergen from 17th place Logano with the top-16 drivers advancing to The Chase which begin Sept. 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to another of its traditional venues next week, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 at the famous 2.5-miler (3 p.m. ET on Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Briscoe is the defending race winner.
NASCAR Cup Series Race – FireKeepers Casino 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, June 7, 2026
- (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
- (10) Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.
- (13) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.
- (7) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
- (2) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 200.
- (11) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 200.
- (18) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
- (19) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 200.
- (14) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.
- (5) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 200.
- (31) Austin Cindric, Ford, 200.
- (15) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 200.
- (12) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 200.
- (17) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 200.
- (37) Josh Berry, Ford, 200.
- (32) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.
- (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.
- (9) William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.
- (29) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 200.
- (28) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 200.
- (36) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 199.
- (35) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 199.
- (33) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 198.
- (24) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 196.
- (4) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, Accident, 187.
- (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Accident, 158.
- (22) Noah Gragson, Ford, Accident, 156.
- (27) Ryan Preece, Ford, Accident, 155.
- (23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 154.
- (30) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, Accident, 154.
- (8) Christopher Bell, Toyota, Accident, 147.
- (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Accident, 147.
- (16) Zane Smith, Ford, Accident, 141.
- (26) Brad Keselowski, Ford, Accident, 89.
- (3) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, Accident, 83.
- (21) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 82.
- (34) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Accident, 8.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 123.935 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 13 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory: 11.110 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 11 for 54 laps.
Lead Changes: 23 among 11 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Hocevar 1-14;T. Reddick 15-47;T. Gibbs 48;R. Chastain 49;T. Gibbs 50-51;B. Wallace 52-57;C. Hocevar 58-64;T. Gibbs 65-67;*. Yeley(i) 68;C. Elliott 69-70;K. Larson 71;C. Elliott 72-89;K. Larson 90-92;C. Elliott 93-94;B. Wallace 95-97;C. Elliott 98-122;D. Suarez 123;C. Elliott 124-143;D. Hamlin 144;*. Yeley(i) 145;W. Byron 146-152;D. Suarez 153-161;D. Hamlin 162-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Chase Elliott 5 times for 67 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 40 laps; Tyler Reddick 1 time for 33 laps; Carson Hocevar 2 times for 21 laps; Daniel Suarez 2 times for 10 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 9 laps; William Byron 1 time for 7 laps; Ty Gibbs 3 times for 6 laps; Kyle Larson 2 times for 4 laps; * JJ Yeley(i) 2 times for 2 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,54,77,9,23,38,5,17,35,7
Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,43,7,5,24,20,77,11,22,38
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