Michigan International Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Racing at Michigan International Speedway often comes down to fuel mileage on the fast, two-mile oval, especially with long green flag runs and a scarcity of caution flags to slow the race pace down. In this week’s “Throwback Thursday Theater,” we’ll look back at one of those races that saw the lead swap three times over the last six laps when the leaders fuel tanks began to run dry. Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch would lead the field to green in the 2009 LifeLock 400,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen saw Martin Truex, Jr. score his fourth win of the season in a fuel mileage thriller, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the second time in 2017 to race on one of the biggest and fastest tracks on the circuit in Sunday’s running of the Pure Michigan 400. With this race taking place near the home of two of the three manufacturers (Chevrolet and Ford), teams put extra emphasis on winning thisRead 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

By: Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – Two weeks ago at Dover, Kyle Larson took a painful master class in restarts from Professor Jimmie Johnson. In Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Larson graduated with high honors, using a series of exceptional restarts to win his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season and his second in a row, dating to last August, at the two-mile track in the Irish Hills. At Dover, Larson lost a race in which he had the dominantRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer The FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway was a struggle for the 2017 Sunoco Rookie of the Year (ROTY) contenders in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Of the four official ROTY contenders, Corey LaJoie is the only driver with no experience at the 2-mile track. Erik Jones once again had the best starting spot among the ROTY contenders, placing his No. 77 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Toyota Camry 14th on the starting grid. Jones slowly worked his way inside the Top 10. However,Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor There is something about Chase Elliott and finishing second at Michigan. After notching a pair of second place finishes at the two-mile track last season, Elliott found himself in a familiar position late in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 behind eventual winner Kyle Larson as he would score a runner-up finish for the third straight time at the track. Though he wasn’t able to finish one position better and win his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, Elliott still held his head high afterRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After finishing a dismal 38th at Pocono last weekend after blowing two engines during the race weekend, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. headed into Michigan looking to bounce back and bounce back is exactly what he did as he was scored ninth when the checkered flag flew. Aside from the Pocono finish, Earnhardt’s finish on Sunday marks finishes of 11th or better in three of the last four races, giving his No. 88 team some momentum heading into a summer stretch that will be crucial for hisRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  Since scoring his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. has not finished inside the Top 10. As the Series moved on to Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400, the Roush Fenway Racing driver was looking to change that. As the team unloaded off the transporter, Stenhouse’s team struggled to find speed in the No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Fusion, managing to be 21st on the speed charts. Stenhouse also qualified 21st. In the secondRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BROOKLYN, Mich. – The rookie drove like a veteran in Saturday’s Irish Hills 250 at Michigan International Speedway, but in the end, the veteran took the rookie to school. Side-drafting off the final corner, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin pulled ahead of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron and won a drag race to the finish line to win his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race of the season in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “We were battlingRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer As the NASCAR Xfinity Series moved on to the Michigan International Speedway for the Irish Hills 250, William Byron was looking for some consistency after having up and down finishes in recent weeks. As his No. 9 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro team unloaded off the truck, it was clear that Byron and his JR Motorsports teammates had speed. In the first practice, he was seventh quick. Byron was 13th on the speed charts in the final practice. In qualifying, he started fourth. Pole winner KyleRead More