NASCAR heads to Michigan with four races left until the playoffs. Who can make one last run to get into the field of 16?
The NASCAR Cup Series makes its annual trip to Michigan this weekend with another playoff spot claimed at the last race.
Chris Buescher became the latest driver to punch his ticket to the postseason last week, winning at Michigan for his third career Cup Series win. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of his victory was the car he was driving.
It has been a tough year for Ford teams in the Cup Series, with Buescher’s providing just the third win this year for the manufacturer and their first since the Coca-Cola 600 when Ryan Blaney rode to victory lane.
This year has been a far cry from the success of last year when Joey Logano helped Ford to the Cup Series Championship.
Let’s see if this win can turn things around for the manufacturer and if any new faces under the Ford name can snag a playoff spot in the final few regular season races.
This week it will be paramount to do so given the upcoming schedule. Two road courses and a trip to Daytona await the drivers in the next few weeks. If there was ever a time to win on a “standard” oval, it is now to avoid the potential chaos of the near future.
Johnson, Knaus elected to Hall of Fame
In news away from the track this weekend, the seven-time Cup Series champion duo of driver Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were both elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. They are joined in the Class of 2024 by Donnie Allison.
Given their success together, it was a foregone conclusion they would receive this honor, but it is nonetheless a special moment for two NASCAR greats.
While we can all celebrate the achievement, it must be noted that neither Johnson nor Knaus were elected unanimously. Johnson was chosen on 93% of ballots with Knaus selected on 81% of ballots.
I’m not quite sure what more Johnson could have done to get that extra 7%. Being one of just three seven-time champions in Cup Series history seems sufficient to garner a unanimous decision.
I am not alone in questioning that 7% of voters. Denny Hamlin went to social media to voice his disappointment in the process and offer support for his former competitor.
We’ll see if the voting results bring about any change in the process moving forward.
Not unanimous. What a joke a disgrace to one of the sports greatest ever.
Make it public who said no and remove them from the voting panel..
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) August 2, 2023
The Track
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile D-shaped oval that provides high speeds and several lanes for the Cup Series drivers. That was best demonstrated by the last generation of Cup Series cars.
In 2014 Jeff Gordon set the qualifying lap record with a blistering average speed of 206.558 mph. Though things won’t be quite as fast this weekend, the track is sure to still provide some excitement.
Looking at all-time records it’s David Pearson who still holds the top spot in track history with nine wins, with a record 10 pole positions to go along with it. Last year’s race was won by Kevin Harvick, who leads active drivers with six wins at Michigan.
For Sunday’s race, Stage 1 will cover the first 45 laps while Stage 2 will cover the next 75. Stage 3 will consist of the final 80 laps of the race.
It will be interesting to see what the final weekend schedule ends up looking like as heavy rain is expected on Sunday, a 96% chance to be exact.
That rain is expected to carry over into Monday too, so let’s see if Mother Nature offers a short window for the race to be run at the proper time.
Points Standings
The playoff picture is becoming clearer ahead of NASCAR’s trip to Michigan with just four races remaining in the regular season. Chris Buescher locked in his spot last week with his win at Richmond, while the gap has widened near the cutline.
Ty Gibbs is the first driver currently out sitting at 18 points behind, while A.J. Allmendinger is 22 points back and Daniel Suarez is 34 points out.
The Hendrick duo of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman are the next two in the standings, 40 points and 42 points below the cutline respectively.
- Martin Truex Jr.*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- William Byron*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Denny Hamlin*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Busch*, Richard Childress Racing
- Kyle Larson*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ross Chastain*, Trackhouse Racing
- Christopher Bell*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Blaney*, Team Penske
- Joey Logano*, Team Penske
- Tyler Reddick*, 23XI Racing
- Chris Buescher*, RFK Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports
*= 2023 race winner
Predictions
I predicted him a couple of weeks ago to grab his first win, and I’m going back to him this week. Kevin Harvick is still in the playoffs at the moment, but a win would solidify him into the postseason in his farewell season.
He’s won four of the last five races at Michigan and five of the last seven.
Ford finally got something going last week at Richmond, and though the track type changes this week I think Harvick can help the manufacturer carry the momentum to Michigan and grab their second straight win.
- Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- Tyler Reddick, 23X1 Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
How To Watch – NASCAR at Michigan (All times ET)
- Practice: Saturday, August 5 – 12:35 p.m. – USA
- Qualifying: Saturday, August 5 – 1:20 p.m. – USA
- FireKeepers Casino 400: Sunday, August 6 – 2:30 p.m. – USA
