Good news, bad news ahead of Michigan weekend for NASCAR Cup teams
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of its fastest tracks this weekend with a trip to Michigan International Speedway.
Qualifying was canceled at the 2-mile track by rain last year, but the pole speed of 193.382 mph in 2023 was the fastest pole speed of the season. It's not uncommon to see speeds at or above 200 mph entering the corners.
Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway.
23XI Racing — Good news: The organization placed multiple cars in the top 10 last weekend at Nashville, marking only the second time this season, 23XI Racing had done that. … Bubba Wallace was sixth at Nashville and Tyler Reddick was ninth. … Reddick won last year's race at Michigan. Bad news: Riley Herbst was one of four full-time drivers not to qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month.
Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland has placed 18th or better in six of the last eight races. … Zane Smith has four top-20 finishes in the last five races. Bad news: Noah Gragson was eliminated by a crash at finished 38th at Nashville, the second time in the last four races he's placed 34th or worse.
Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer is coming off a 19th-place finish at Nashville. … All three of his top-20 finishes this season have come in the last five races. Bad News: Custer was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month.
Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: The organization is the only team to have a car finish in the top five in all 14 points races this season. … Kyle Larson has four finishes of seventh or better in the last five Michigan races. … Larson's three wins at Michigan tie him with Joey Logano for most there among active drivers. …William Byron has scored two consecutive top-five finishes and four in the last seven races. … Byron's average finish of 9.2 this season is best in the series. … That is Byron's best average finish through 14 races in his Cup career. Bad news: Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in six of the last eight races, dropping him from third in the points to 12th. … Larson has failed to score any points in the last five stages after winning six of the previous eight stages. … While Chase Elliott has 10 top 10s in 14 Cup starts at Michigan, he has no top 10s in his last three starts there.
Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 18th in the points after 14 races; last year he was 27th in points after 14 races. Bad news: Stenhouse suffered his first DNF of the season last weekend at Nashville after contact from Carson Hocevar wrecked him. … The resulting 39th-place finish at Nashville dropped Stenhouse out of a playoff spot with 12 races left in the regular season.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan, the longest active streak among all drivers. … Chase Briscoe has won the pole for the past two races. … Briscoe has three poles this season, most in the series. … Christopher Bell has seven top 10s in the last nine races, including four in a row. … Ty Gibbs has two top-10 finishes in three Cups starts at Michigan, including a third-place result last year. … Gibbs ranks first all-time in best average finish at Michigan for those with three or more starts there. Gibbs has an average finish of 8.0 in three career starts there. Bad news: The organization last won at Michigan in August 2015 with Matt Kenseth. … Bell's best finish in six Michigan Cup starts is 13th, making it the only active oval he has not scored a top 10. … Ty Gibbs has finished 17th or worse in each of the last five races. … While Hamlin is a two-time winner at Michigan, his last victory there came in June 2011.
Kaulig Racing — Good news: Although AJ Allmendinger dropped to 19th in the points after Nashville, he is only seven points from the final playoff spot. Bad news: Allmendinger has finished 20th or worse in four of the last five races. … Ty Dillon has not scored a top-10 finish in 12 Michigan Cup starts.
Legacy Motor Club — Good news: The organization's three top-five finishes are more than it had the last two seasons combined. … The team's seven top-10 results are already more than it had last year (six). … Erik Jones finished seventh at Nashville, giving him two top-10 finishes in the last four races. … Jones' average running position of 9.4 at Nashville was his best since Texas in September 2023. Bad news: John Hunter Nemechek's average finish at Michigan is 29.3, his worst among active oval tracks.
Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch moved into the final Cup playoff spot after last weekend's race at Nashville. … Busch has 10 top 10s in the last 12 Michigan Cup races. Bad news: Austin Dillon has finished 20th or worse in each of the last three races. … Busch has one top-10 finish in the last 10 races.
Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware's 21st-place finish in last year's race at Michigan is his best result there in four Cup starts. Bad news: Ware was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month.
RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski's nine top-five finishes and 15 top 10s at Michigan are his most at any Cup track where he's winless. … Chris Buescher has finished sixth or better in each of the last two Michigan races, including a win. … This organization has won 14 times at Michigan, most among any teams. Bad news: Ryan Preece has finished 20th or worse in five of the last seven races.
Dustin Long,
Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar tied his career-best Cup finish of second last weekend at Nashville. … Hocevar has scored points in eight of the last 13 stages. … Hocevar finished 10th last year at Michigan in his only Cup start there. Bad news: Justin Haley has finished 30th or worse in each of the last three races. … Michael McDowell has placed 21st or worse in five of the last seven races.
Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney comes into the weekend after his victory at Nashville Superspeedway. … All three Penske drivers have won a race this season. … Team Penske has won three of the last five points races. … Blaney has three top 10s, including a win, in his last four Michigan starts. … Joey Logano placed fourth last weekend at Nashville. … Logano's three wins at Michigan tie him with Kyle Larson for most there among active drivers. Bad news: Austin Cindric's Talladega win is his only top 10 in the last nine races.
Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain has five finishes of seventh or better in the last eight races, including his Coca-Cola 600 win. … Daniel Suarez has top-10 finishes in each of his last two Michigan starts. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. … Chastain has six finishes of 24th or worse in seven Michigan starts.
Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has started in the top 20 in five of the last six races. Bad news: Berry has not finished better than 22nd in three Michigan Cup starts.
Hear from Erik Jones, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell following the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
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