FireKeepers Casino 400 Tag

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – The Ford drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series apparently took the words of Edsel Ford II to heart. At a dinner with Ford drivers on Thursday night, the member of the Ford Motor Company board of directors emphasized the importance of putting a Mustang in Victory Lane after Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). On Saturday morning at the 2-mile track, Joey Logano took the first stepRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Kevin Harvick freely admits a transformation, an aging-up of sorts. There was a time in his 19-season Monster Energy NASCAR Cup career when the 2014 champion would be visibly frustrated during a race and fully prepared to settle a score with another driver on pit road or in the garage later. But having children, earning a Cup title and the art of aging have mellowed the 43-year old champ, by his own admission. It has not dampened his motivation to win races and championshipsRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent One year removed from his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, Garrett Smithley returns to Michigan International Speedway with Victory Lane Quick Oil Change and Premium Motorsports. The FireKeepers Casino 400 will mark Smithley’s seventh career Cup Series race. It will be just his second with the Jay Robinson-owned Premium Motorsports. Smithley will replace his JD Motorsports teammate Ross Chastain in the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Smithley will also compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series LTi Printing 250 with Victory Lane Quick Oil ChangeRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Correspondent The good news continues for Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Roush Fenway Racing as NOS Energy Drink returns to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team. Less than a week after Stenhouse earned his first top-five finish on an intermediate track in the Coca-Cola 600, he reunites in NASCAR with the high-performance energy drink company that sponsors his World of Outlaws Sprint Car team. NOS Energy Drink will make its return to Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford Mustang in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International SpeedwayRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – Clint Bowyer gambled. Then he made sure he cashed the winning ticket with a determined charge on two new tires as rain threatened Michigan International Speedway. Bowyer got the lead under caution at the end of Stage 2 of Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 when crew chief Mike Bugarewicz opted for two tires on the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Bowyer had to do the rest, holding off teammate Kevin Harvick after a restart on Lap 126, barely preventing Harvick, who had freshRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer  An alternate strategy and Mother Nature proved to be the best-case scenario for Paul Menard. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver was up front when it counted in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Menard jumped to the front in the No. 21 Menard’s / Jack Links Ford Fusion when crew chief Greg Erwin called an audible. While the bulk of the field pitted midway into Stage 2, Menard stayed on track. He led a handful of laps before slipping backward andRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway ended up like pole sitter Kurt Busch’s last win at the 2-mile circuit in 2015, rain-shortened. However, he ended up third this time around, leading 46 of 133 laps. Busch’s third-place rounded out a 1-2-3 sweep for Stewart-Haas Racing, with Clint Bowyer scoring his second win this season and Kevin Harvick finishing second. This marked the team’s first ever feat since debuting in 2009. It’s the 2004 Premiere Series champion’s third top-five in the last six races,Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – Clearly, Kurt Busch enjoyed the rush of putting his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford on the pole on Friday at Michigan International Speedway. “To go 217 (mph) into the corner—just hauling the mail—I love that feeling,” said Busch, who ran his fastest lap of the day at the 2-mile track to earn the top starting spot for Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “This one is fun, because I could trust the car,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After last weekend’s race at Pocono saw Martin Truex, Jr. score his second win of the season, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan to race on one of the biggest and fastest tracks on the circuit, Michigan International Speedway, in Sunday’s running of the FireKeepers Casino 400. With this race taking place near the home of two of the three manufacturers (Chevrolet and Ford), teams put extra emphasis on winning this race for bragging rights. The two-mile speedway tends to favor the teamsRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the second time in as many races at the two-mile track that is Michigan International Speedway, a familiar face ended the day in victory lane as Kyle Larson won Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 to notch a second victory in 2017. In addition to Larson’s triumph, here are five of the top storylines leaving Michigan. Larson’s Win Keeps NASCAR’s Youth Movement Going For the fifth time in 2017 and fourth time in the last six races, a driver with less than five years in theRead More