RADIO
Denny Hamlin Goes From the Back to Victory Lane at Michigan
For the second week in a row, Denny Hamlin went to the back and spent the whole race recovering to the front for a victory in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin was originally set to start first after scoring the pole in qualifying, but had to make unapproved adjustments to his car after qualifying due to damage received from a flat tire in practice. In the first stage, Hamlin went from the back to 25th by the end of the first stage. In the second stage, Hamlin continued to move through the field, but was also caught in a multicar accident on lap 83. Despite spinning in the incident, Hamlin was able to continue and went on to end the second stage in eighth. In the final stage, Hamlin continued to move up as he finally made it back to the top five by lap 128. On the race's final restart on lap 162, Hamlin went up to the lead past William Byron, Daniel Suarez, and Carson Hocevar, and never looked back, leading 40 total laps overall to get his fourth Michigan win and third win of the 2026 season. This win also tied Kyle Busch for ninth on NASCAR's all-time wins list in the Cup Series at 63, and he is now 51 points behind in second place in the regular season standings after 15 races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Erik Jones Earns his Best Finish of the 2026 Season So Far at Michigan
Legacy Motor Club's Erik Jones finished in second in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Jones was initially set to start 10th, but his team made unapproved adjustments before the race, and per NASCAR rules, he had to start at the rear at the green flag. Jones spent the entire first stage making up positions from the back and ended it in 15th. In the second stage, Jones continued to ascend to the field and made it up to the top five over time. By the end of the stage, he passed Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez to finish the stage in second behind Chase Elliott, earning nine stage points in the process. In the final stage, Jones kept falling back in positions due to pit stops, but had the car to recover back to the front. On the final green flag run of the race, Jones went from the back of the top 10 all the way to second to finish 11 seconds behind Denny Hamlin. This was Jones' best finish of the 2026 season and of his career at Michigan. After 15 Cup races this season, Jones now sits 18th in the standings and is 18 points behind Austin Cindric for the final spot in the Chase.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Bubba Wallace Moves Up the Standings After Finishing Third at Michigan
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing finished in the third position for this year's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. Wallace began the race from the 13th position, but took advantage of a fast car and great pit stops in the first stage to move up to fifth by the end of the stage. Wallace earned six stage points as a result. In the second stage, Wallace kept running inside the top five through most of the stage, competing with Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Chase Elliott. Despite being involved in a multicar accident on lap 83, Wallace continued on and ran inside the top five until the end of the second stage, when he faded back to 11th. In the final stage, Wallace kept his car clean and ran towards the back half of the top 10 through most of the stage. However, he took advantage of multiple cautions and restarts to move back towards the front, and on the final green flag run, he made it as high as second behind Denny Hamlin until Erik Jones passed him late before the checkered flag. As a result, Wallace settled for his third top-5 finish in the last five Michigan Cup races. Wallace's finish also moves him up to 11th in the regular-season standings after 15 races this year.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Elliott Wrecks In the Final Stage at Michigan After Leading the Most Laps
Chase Elliott was one of the top performers through the first half of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, but ultimately could not maintain a top finish by the end of Sunday's race. Elliott began the race from sixth and quietly ran inside the top 10 throughout the entire first stage. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver ended the first stage in fourth and earned seven stage points. In the second stage, Elliott continued to work his way through the top five until a lap 67 pit stop, which shuffled Elliott into the lead past his teammate Kyle Larson. Elliott went on to win the second stage and obtain 10 more stage points. In the final stage, Elliott continued to lead the race until a lap 142 caution for Zane Smith crashing. Elliott lost the lead to William Byron through pit stops, and then, a couple of laps later, after the restart on lap 148, Elliott's car got loose and knocked himself and Christopher Bell into the outside wall. This ended Elliott's day, and he finished in 37th after leading 67 laps, the most of all drivers. Elliott is now fourth in the regular-season standings after 16 races, 187 points behind Tyler Reddick.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Tyler Reddick Crashes Out at Michigan After Winning A Stage
Tyler Reddick's performance in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway had promise, but ultimately was a disappointment. Reddick began the race from third but quickly made his way to the lead after passing Carson Hocevar partway through the first stage. The No. 45 Toyota driver went on to dominate the rest of the first stage and win it, earning 10 stage points. Between stages, Reddick waited for extra fuel on pit road during his pit stop, causing him to lose the lead. After the second stage began, he continued to run inside the top five through most of the stage and was set to make a run for the lead again after a lap 78 caution for A.J. Allmendinger spinning caused another restart. However, as the race restarted on lap 83, Hocevar bumped into John Hunter Nemechek and triggered a multicar accident that caught Reddick. Ultimately, Reddick took too much damage from this crash to continue and placed 35th, giving him his first DNF of the 2026 season. Reddick's early exit caused his points lead in the regular season standings to drop to 51 points over Denny Hamlin, who won Sunday's race, after 15 Cup races this season.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Is Chase Briscoe Worth Rostering for DFS at Michigan?
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe obtained a qualifying position of fifth for this week's Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, the FireKeepers Casino 400. It will be the second Michigan race in a row where Briscoe will start inside the top five in the Cup Series. In five Cup starts at Michigan, Briscoe's best finish is 11th, but he did lead 11 laps in last year's event at the site. After 14 races this year, Briscoe has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.6. In practice, Briscoe ranked 24th in five consecutive lap averages. Due to a high starting position and slow practice speeds, Briscoe is difficult to consider for DFS formats outside of tournaments. Even then, other options offer more upside and better track history.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Ty Gibbs Worth Rostering at Michigan This Week for DFS?
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in fourth after qualifying for this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This will mark the second time that Gibbs will start in the top five at the site. In four prior races at Michigan, Gibbs has four finishes of 11th or better, including two third-place finishes in his last two at the site. Through 14 races so far this season, Gibbs has one win, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.2. In practice for this week's Cup race, Gibbs ranked 17th in five consecutive lap averages and 20th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite his underwhelming practice speeds, Michigan is one of Gibbs' best tracks historically, and he has some of the best equipment in the field. Although his starting position provides little upside, the No. 54 Toyota driver is worth consideration for tournament lineups based on overall track history and 2026 season-wide performance.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron Will Start at the Rear at Michigan After Unapproved Adjustments
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports obtained a starting position of ninth for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. However, he will be starting from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments after addressing a mechanical issue with the charging system. In 11 Cup starts at Michigan, Byron has three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.4. With 14 races completed so far this year, Byron has seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.5. In practice for this week's race, Byron displayed top-10 speeds in all categories, including first in 15 and 20 consecutive lap averages. While Byron has top-notch equipment that is easily capable of a top-10 finish, moving to the rear of the field makes Byron hard to recommend for DFS outside of tournament lineups.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should DFS Managers Roster Bubba Wallace at Michigan?
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing is starting in 13th after qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Wallace last qualified outside of the top 10 at Michigan in 2023, when he started in 11th. In 12 Cup starts at the site, Wallace has three top-10 finishes, including two inside the top five within the last four Cup events. In 14 Cup races this season, Wallace has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 18.4. In practice for this week's race, Wallace ranked 15th in five consecutive lap averages and ninth in 10 consecutive lap averages. Wallace has top-10 capable equipment and is a solid DFS option who is playable in all formats, especially with his starting position being inside the top 15.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Joey Logano Worth Rostering In DFS Lineups for Michigan
Team Penske's Joey Logano will start in the 18th position for this week's race at Michigan International Speedway, the FireKeepers Casino 400. The last time that Logano started in this position for a Michigan Cup race was in 2021, when he started in 19th. In 29 Cup races at the site, Logano has three wins, 18 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 13.3. After 14 Cup races so far this year, Logano has eight top-20 finishes and an average finish of 20.8. In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Logano ranked 14th in five consecutive lap averages and 15th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Based on his equipment and starting position, Logano has decent top-15 upside, making him a capable play in all DFS formats.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Daniel Suarez Might Have Tournament Appeal for Michigan DFS Lineups
Daniel Suarez will start 11th after qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This is the highest starting position for Suarez at the site in a Cup race since 2019. In 13 Cup races in his career at Michigan, Suarez has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 18.2. Through the first 14 races this season, Suarez has one win, four top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.3. In practice for this week's race, Suarez ranked 13th in five consecutive lap averages and fifth in overall lap averages. With his starting position being close to the top 10, Suarez does not carry much upside for DFS. However, the No. 7 Chevrolet driver does showcase enough speed and favorable history to justify starting in tournaments, especially as he could be a sneaky top-10 option.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Denny Hamlin Puts DFS Managers in Tough Spot for Michigan
Denny Hamlin won the pole for this weekend's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, but due to damage to his car's underbody during practice, Hamlin will have to start the race from the rear of the field on Sunday. This puts DFS players in a very interesting spot. Hamlin is the defending winner at Michigan and has finished sixth or better in seven of the last eight races at this track. Additionally, the No. 11 Toyota has been the fastest car on intermediate tracks this season, so there's no doubt that Hamlin could win this race this weekend. But with him having to go to the rear at the start, that limits Denny's dominator upside, which is a big deal considering he is the highest-priced driver on the slate. More DFS players than usual are going to stay away from Hamlin on Sunday, so this may be the time to go overweight on him in tournaments.
Source: Beyond The Flag
Source: Beyond The Flag
Can Chase Elliott Get Back to His Old Ways at Michigan?
Chase Elliott used to be the man at Michigan International Speedway. In his first three starts in the Irish Hills, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished second each time, and over his first 11 starts overall, he walked away with a finish of ninth or better 10 times. Since then, though? It's been a tough road for Chase Elliott, though. Ever since the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, Elliott hasn't finished better than 11th at Michigan, and that includes two 15th-place finishes here over the last two seasons. However, he led 19 and 29 laps in those two races, so it's not like Chase isn't getting to the front. The No. 9 Chevrolet has shown good speed on intermediate tracks this year and is a very affordable DFS option at just $9,300 on DraftKings. Elliott is a solid tournament DFS play this weekend.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Chris Buescher Looking for Another Solid Run at Michigan
Chris Buescher has something figured out at Michigan International Speedway. Over the last three races at the two-mile track, the Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has the best average finish (3.0) and the best average driver rating (111.0) of any driver in the series. His No. 17 Ford has shown good speed on the intermediate tracks in 2026 as well, so it's safe to assume that Buescher should have solid pace here on Sunday. As far as DFS goes, Buescher qualified 14th for the FireKeepers Casino 400, so he has nice Place Differential upside as well as race-winning potential. You couldn't ask for more out of a driver priced $8,900 on DraftKings. In practice on Saturday, Buescher ranked seventh-fastest in terms of 10-lap average, which is a good sign for that team heading into race day.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Carson Hocevar Qualifies Second, Seeking Redemption at Michigan
Last year at Michigan International Speedway, Carson Hocevar looked well on his way to grabbing his first Cup Series win, but the universe had other plans. A flat tire doomed the No. 77 Chevrolet and Hocevar was relegated to a 29th-place finish on the day. Still, though, the Spire Motorsports car had enough speed to win in the Irish Hills. Flash forward to this weekend, and it looks like the team brought a similar hot rod. Hocevar qualified second for Sunday afternoon's FireKeepers Casino 400, and he seemed very pleased with his car after practice as well. As far as DFS goes, Hocevar comes in at a very affordable $8,700 on DraftKings, and he has some dominator potential as well. With the speed this No. 77 Chevrolet showed in the Michigan race last year, it's definitely worth rolling the dice Hocevar again this weekend--just don't go too crazy.
Source: AP News
Source: AP News
