Michigan is known for its classic fuel mileage races and Sunday was no different, with drivers desperate to stretch the fuel tank for the final 48-lap run of the race.

As the laps clicked away, Denny Hamlin hit his fuel number and ran down the leaders who were still saving what they could. Carson Hocevar was in control and while the fuel situation was grim, he never got that far as a cut left rear tire forced him down to pit road.

Hamlin cut a path to William Byron who was now in control of the race and the two drivers battled fiercely for the race lead. As they went back-and-forth, Hamlin finally cleared Byron with about four laps to go.

Byron ran out as the field took the white flag, falling from second all the way down to 28th in the final running order. Hamlin took the checkered flag with about a second between himself and Chris Buescher in second. 

Hamlin now has 57 career wins with three this year, which matches both Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson.

“It’s fantastic,” said Hamlin. “Chris Gayle [crew chief], this whole team, has done a great job. We’ve been so fast throughout the entire year. Just haven’t finished it for one reason or another. Feels good to come here to Michigan where we’ve been so close over the years. To get a victory for Toyota, Yahoo, Sport Clips, Shady Rays, the Jordan brand, everyone. This is such a gratifying day to restart 11th or 12th, something like that, and drive to the front.”

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Ty Gibbs finished third, Bubba Wallace fourth, and Kyle Larson fifth. Ross Chastain, Zane Smith, Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski filled out the remainder of the top ten.

Buescher also won the first stage of the race Byron claimed the Stage 2 win, taking home some extra stage points to help soften the blow of the bad result. Hocevar, who has been knocking on the door of his first win every week as of late, ended up 29th.

The race was nonstop action with lots of passing throughout the pack. While there were several heart-stopping moments, luck finally ran out early in the second stage as Alex Bowman slammed the outside wall head-on. Thankfully, he was okay despite it being described as one of the biggest hits of his career.

The final stage ran green until Todd Gilliland lost control and crashed. This happened just outside of the fuel window but everyone was determined to go the distance as the race resumed on Lap 152 of 200.

Hamlin restarted ninth while Hocevar took over the lead from Zane Smith, who had taken just two tires. Hamlin was cruising in fifth for several laps before finally making his charge, taking the win.

Photos from Michigan – Race

NASCAR is “very close” to a deal with another carmaker in talks to join the racing series, NASCAR EVP John Probst told SBJ, at a time when Honda has been heavily rumored to be eyeing the property alongside Stellantis. Ram, the truck brand from Stellantis, announced today that it is re-joining NASCAR in 2026, giving NASCAR its fourth OEM alongside Chevy, Ford and Toyota.

Commissioner Steve Phelps told SBJ before the season that NASCAR was making serious progress in talks to add a fourth and fifth OEM, and his remarks were validated with Ram’s decision. Now, the property will work to add the fifth in what would be a major development, as racing series rely on carmakers as one of their most important partners on and off the track. There was roughly 20 years in between NASCAR’s most recent OEM announcement before today and now, with Toyota having entered the sport back in 2004.

Asked how confident he was that the time between the fourth and fifth announcements would be quicker than the two decades in between the third and fourth, Probst, who is also the chief racing development officer of NASCAR, told SBJ: “Well, I hope it does because I’ll probably be retired if it’s 20 years again. But I feel like — we have said this 900 times to you guys and until today I didn’t have any breakthrough news to announce and today we’re proud to welcome Ram back into NASCAR.”

Probst said, “I don’t want to jinx ourselves, but I would say we are very close with one other; can’t speak for them — obviously it’s their decision to make — (but) we would love for them to decide to come into NASCAR. And even with that, there’s one or two others that we’re a little bit earlier in the discussions (with) but also looking pretty positive. But we also know an OEM deciding to come into NASCAR — it’s a big commitment for them, and it’s not something they take lightly. It requires a lot of research and approvals at the highest levels, and we’re confident right now, we like the position we’re in and think we’re a pretty good investment for an OEM.”

Chuck Schifsky, manager of Honda and Acura Motorsports for American Honda Motor Co., told SBJ: “I am not in a position to speculate as to what Mr. Probst was referring to. I can say that — Honda continues to explore multiple options for our future endeavors in U. S. motorsport. We have no news to share at this time.”

By Larry Lage, The Associated Press

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin outlasted the competition at Michigan International Speedway, winning his third NASCAR Cup Series race this season and the 57th of his career on Sunday.

Hamlin, in the No. 11 Toyota, went low to pass William Byron on the 197th of 200 laps and pulled away from the pack.

The 44-year-old was prepared to leave his team to join his fiancée, Jordan Fish, who is due to give birth to their third child, a boy.

Hamlin said he would skip next week’s race in Mexico City if necessary to witness the birth. He’s also co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, which is involved in a lawsuit against NASCAR.

Chris Buescher finished second, followed by Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson.

Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe was out front until Byron passed him on lap 12. Buescher pulled ahead on lap 36 and stayed up front to win his first stage this season.

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott took turns with the lead before a crash involving Alex Bowman brought out the red flag on lap 67.

Byron took the lead again after a restart on lap 78 as part of his strong start and surged to the front again to win the second stage.

Carson Hocevar took the lead on lap 152 and was informed soon thereafter that he didn’t have enough fuel to finish, but that became moot because a flat tire forced him into the pits with 18 laps to go.

Rough times for Bowman

Bowman hit a wall with the front end of his No. 48 Chevrolet as part of a multi-car crash in his latest setback.

“That hurt a lot,” he said after passing a medical evaluation.

Bowman, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, came to Michigan 12th in points and will leave lower in the standings. He has finished 27th or worse in seven of his last nine starts and didn’t finish for a third time during the tough stretch.

Reddick rallies

Defending race champion Tyler Reddick qualified 12th, but started last in the 36-car field because of unapproved adjustments and rallied to finish 13th.

Up next

NASCAR shifts to Mexico City for its first points-paying international race in modern history on June 15.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Dodge has an impressive history in NASCAR’s top division, which includes five Daytona 500 wins between 1973 and 2008. The blue-chip brand has been around for a while, but its involvement in NASCAR has been sporadic.

The manufacturer left for 16 years following the 1985 season, ending factory support. It made an exciting return in 2001, which lasted until the end of the 2012 season. They even left on top, winning the 2012 NASCAR Cup title with Brad Keselowski. But since then, NASCAR has had three OEMs running in the Cup Series.

But with Ram returning to Trucks in 2026, there is renewed hope that Dodge may be close to a return as well. Officials at Dodge have not said ‘no’ when asked about this possibility, leaving the door open. And the last time a new manufacturer entered NASCAR, they also began with the Truck Series as Stellantis now is with Ram. The brand has made it clear they won’t be content with staying in Trucks without any further expansion, so there is a real chance that a Dodge Cup return is on the table.

What it takes to get on the Cup grid

Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing Dodge and 2012 NASCAR Cup champion

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

But if Dodge were to return to Cup, when could that happen? Well, according to NASCAR executive vice president John Probst, there is a hard minimum for that.

“We’re excited that they have interest in the Cup Series,” said Probst in a recent media availability, which included Motorsport.com. “If they decide that they are going to go that direction for us, it’s about an 18-month onboarding process, largely around the submission of the body. There will be – obviously – with a new OEM coming in, some work to be done on the engine so I’d say that 18-month runway would be pretty typical but it would be on the OEM to decide the timing, but the minimum would be 18 months.”

So, even if Dodge were to make that move right now, it wouldn’t happen until at least 2027. One major hurdle that is very different between the Truck Series and Cup Series is the fact that Trucks use spec NT1 engines provided by Ilmor. In Cup, manufacturers will need to develop their own engine program. In stock car racing, Dodge hasn’t done that in nearly 13 years.

“I think the last time that engine ran was 2012,” said Probst. “The core components – the block, the head, the manifold are all still relevant, but as you know, our existing engine builders develop their engines every year so there’s been a gap there so there would be some development of that engine needed.”

Even if Dodge doesn’t go Cup racing, NASCAR is confident that a fourth manufacturer is near. Probst claims they are “very close” with one other OEM and are also having discussions with “one or two others,” but those conversations are in the earlier stages. 

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER

5th – Kyle Larson

6th – Ross Chastain

8th – Kyle Busch

· In a race that came down to fuel mileage, it was Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team that led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag at Michigan International Speedway – earning a fifth-place finish in the FireKeepers 400. Struggling with the balance of his Chevrolet throughout much of the race, the combination of veteran leadership by crew chief, Cliff Daniels, and the experience of former Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson, kept the team in the fight until the end to claim their series-leading ninth top-five finish of the 2025 season.

· A pair of Team Chevy teammates saw their race win contention end in heartbreak in the closing laps of the 400-mile race. Pacing the field at his home track, Michigan native, Carson Hocevar, saw the chances of his first career victory in NASCAR’s top division end when the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team suffered a flat left-rear tire. Sharing a disappointing end to the day was William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. Running close on fuel mileage with the race hitting a single-digit lap count, Byron lost the top position to race winner, Denny Hamlin, with just three laps to go – ultimately having to bring his Chevrolet to pit road on the final lap for fuel to finish in the 28th position.

· Despite the finish, William Byron posted yet another strong points day – collecting a race-high 51 points to maintain the point lead by 41 points over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson.

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Michigan International Speedway:

Wins: 26

Poles: 27

Top-Fives: 187

Top-10s: 392

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 5

Poles: 7

Top-Fives: 30

Top 10s: 64

Stage Wins: 15
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez with the Viva Mexico 250 on Sunday, June 15, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime Video, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 6th

“We saved fuel the whole second-half of the run, so we were fine there at the end and I was able to start pushing hard again. I couldn’t really make much more lap time. You’re off the gas for 20 laps and you think – oh, I’m giving up all this lap time, and you go and get a tenth back on a big track like this. I think we finished about where we should have. When the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) passed me on that last run, I was like, I don’t have that, so hats off to those guys. They’ve been impressive. We just haven’t been quite that good to drive up and pass those guys, but it was a solid sixth-place finish for the No. 1 Busch Light Apple Chevrolet team.”

Do you think you’re gaining on it?

“Oh yes, for sure. It’s good times at Trackhouse Racing right now.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

The race came down to fuel saving. How difficult is it to maintain saving fuel, but you’ve got guys with a little bit more fuel running you down?

“Early in the run, I was actually surprised with how easy it was to save fuel and kind of stay attached to the No. 77 (Carson Hocevar) and the No. 24 (William Byron). I thought I was in good shape there and I was hopeful that I had a big enough gap from the group behind us that maybe we could maintain that gap; those guys would run out of fuel in front of me and we could win. But they were charging hard and my balance wasn’t very good. I really faded there with 12 laps or so to go, so because of the balance being bad, I could save more fuel naturally. I just kind of had to nurse it home from there.

We didn’t have a good No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet today, but we still got a top-five finish out of it. I’m happy about the effort and hopefully we can have some more speed these next coming weeks and just run in the top-five more often. Days like today aren’t the most fun, but they feel really good, too. Proud of the whole team. Wish we could have gotten a win for Chevrolet today, but we’ll have to try again next year.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 17th

“Just a hard fought day for our No. 16 group. I needed to be a little bit better, definitely made some mistakes for our race team and tried to get them back on the final restart. I felt like we got pretty close to where we probably should have been running, just more disappointed in myself today. I need to be a little bit better, but we fought hard and got everything out of it at the end there. We had to save a little bit of fuel, probably lost two spots in doing that, but at the end of the day, I think about 14th to 17th was about all we had. We did a fairly good job of maximizing our day and we’ll go to Mexico City and try to win the race.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.

Finished: 36th

Bowman on the accident that ended the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team’s day early at Michigan International Speedway:

“It just looked like the No. 2 (Austin Cindric) got into the No. 41 (Cole Custer) or he was in a bad aero spot, something like that. The No. 41 got loose and at that point, being on the outside, when they get into you, you’re just along for the ride. Really quickly turned the car into the outside wall and it was a massive crash. Hate it for our No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just have to keep digging. It’s been a really bad two months for us, but we just have to keep working hard.”

How do you find the positives when we have a new racetrack next weekend in Mexico City and another couple of road courses in the next five weeks, with this group and speed you guys have had?

“We’ve had a lot of speed and a lot of good race cars. Obviously today, we were off from where we needed to be. But just the support that we have from Rick (Hendrick), Jeff (Gordon) and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, they’ll give us the tools we need to get turned back around. We just needed to get pointed back in the right direction. We’re a much better race team than this.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 30th

“It was a rough day across the board for the No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We got some track position about midway through. We made some improvements, but we just didn’t have it for you. And then right there at the end with five laps to go, we ran out of fuel. We went from a top-15 day to a 30th-place finish. That’s no fun, but we’ve got Mexico City next weekend and we’re looking forward to that.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 14th

“It was an OK day for the No. 99 Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevrolet team. We had speed on the long run, but on the short runs, we were getting destroyed. We were not super-fast on the straights… we struggled a lot on the straights, more than I was expecting. Overall, we rescued an OK day, but we need more.”

GM PR

In the second stage of the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan, drivers were scrambling on a restart as they battled three and four-wide for position on track. Alex Bowman was deep in the pack, running 29th when his race came to sudden and violent end.

Bowman was in the middle of a tense battle with a four-wide situation directly in front of him. Cole Custer got loose and shot up the track, spinning Daniel Suarez. At the same time, he hit Bowman as well. Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports shot to the right, slamming the outside wall head-on in an impact that managed to left the rear tires off the ground.

Bowman was going about 150mph when the car slammed the wall. Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe was also collected, spinning at the exit of Turn 2.

“That one was really f****** big,” radioed Bowman as he put the window net down and climbed the car. It was a relief to see, as Bowman has been sidelined due to both a back injury and concussion in recent year.

“Yeah, that hurt a lot,” said Bowman after being released from the infield care center. “That was probably top of the board on hits I’ve taken and unfortunately, I’ve taken a lot of hits. I hate that for the #48 team. Obviously, (sponsor) Ally is from here. Looks like the #41 [Custer] got loose or the #2 [Austin Cindric] got into him or something. At that point, just along for the ride. Couldn’t really do anything except think about oh shit this is about to hurt really bad. Hate that. Hate that for our team. It’s been a rough two months.

Suarez and Briscoe were able to continue, while both Custer and Bowman fell out of the race. This continues an unfortunate run of races for the No. 48 HMS Chevrolet, finishing 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races.

The race was red-flagged on Lap 68 of 200 as Bowman’s car came to rest in the middle of the track. The stoppage lasted about 13 minutes.