Chris Buescher denies Martin Truex Jr. from taking another Monday victory and wins his second NASCAR Cup Series race in as many weeks.
The fastest car does not always win the race in the NASCAR Cup Series. That was the case for Martin Truex Jr. when his dominant car was held off by Chris Buescher in the final stage at Michigan.
Truex Jr. had the car to beat from the drop of the green flag. He won the first stage and showed how much faster his #19 car was with his performance in the second stage. After giving up the lead to pit under caution Truex Jr. drove through the field to barely win stage two.
Truex Jr. got to the lead by doing what other drivers had struggled with all race long. He was able to pass on the low side of the track with no drafting help. Following the second stage there was no doubt that Martin Truex Jr. had the strongest car in the field.
A perfectly executed strategy from Chris Buescher was the only thing in the way of a third win for Truex Jr. on a Monday this season. Buescher gained track position by not pitting at the second stage break. He and Tyler Reddick then created a gap to the field as Truex Jr. worked his way to the front.
Buescher kept the lead after his final pit stop and did a masterful job at holding off Truex Jr.’s faster car in the final laps. Chris Buescher’s back-to-back wins show that Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing is one of the top teams to beat currently.
Aggressive Driving
The Firekeepers Casino 400 featured some of the most intense racing that the NASCAR Cup Series has to offer. Several favorites crashed out of the race early while batting hard for positions.
Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell each crashed as they attempted to make a pass entering turn one. Both lost control when they were held low by drivers protecting their positions. This caused their cars to lose aerodynamic balance and spin out.
These moves on the track are a product of how aggressively NASCAR Cup Series drivers race every lap. With the cars being so much more equal than in the past it’s tougher than ever to make a pass cleanly. Drivers will fight as hard for a position at the beginning of a race as they do in the final laps.
They know just how hard it will be to get that position back and may never get it back. This was magnified at Michigan as one failed pass attempt resulted in losing momentum and multiple positions.
Drivers knew they couldn’t yield a single inch to each other as the racing almost reached a level of desperation resulting in one of the most heart-pounding races the NASCAR Cup Series has had at Michigan.
Playoff Cutline
The race to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs has tightened up at the cut line following Michigan. Chase Elliott is now in a must-win position to make the playoffs after a blown tire sent him into the wall and out of the race on lap 34.
Michael McDowell has fallen out of the playoffs after struggling to a 24th-place finish. Ty Gibbs moves into the final playoff spot with a strong race and an 11th-place finish in Michigan. Those two are joined by Daniel Suarez in a fight that covers all three drivers by five points for the final spot.
