Despite another win slipping through his fingers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes William Byron has surpassed Kyle Larson at Hendrick Motorsports. Could it be true that Byron is the top guy at Hendrick in the NASCAR Cup Series now?

After today’s race at Michigan, William Byron has had his points lead cut down again. He leads Kyle Larson for the regular season championship by 41 points. He leads third-place, and today’s race winner, Denny Hamlin, by 82 points.

But has he surpassed Larson as top dog at Hendrick? Dale Earnhardt Jr. seems to think so.

“Yeah, the last couple of weeks, I think that he’s [Byron] eclipsed Larson as the best car at Hendrick Motorsports,” Dale Jr. said on the Prime Video post-race show. “Nobody’s really been able to say that for a long time. Larson was so good throughout the majority of this season, but he’s stumbled and kind of been kind of neutralized a little bit over the last couple of weeks. We know that won’t last forever, but Byron needs to take advantage of that and try to go out there and get his wins. He’s got a really good shot to separate himself from that pack and put himself in a championship contender form.”

William Byron has one win this year. Kyle Larson has three. No doubt, Larson has struggled in the last few weeks. At Charlotte, he wrecked out early. In Nashville, he had to fight from the back of the field. But has Byron really taken that lead role from the No. 5 team? I’m not so sure.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says Byron has surpassed Larson

While William Byron has the points lead for now, Kyle Larson took it from him not long ago after winning at Kansas. Of course, Byron has taken that points lead back in the last few races, especially after his huge points day at Charlotte.

But let’s take a look at the last five races. Since Texas, Byron has an average finish of 14.4. In that same time, Larson has an average finish of 11, which includes the win at Kansas. While Byron has won one more stage in that time frame, four to three, Larson still has one more stage win on the season, eight to seven.

Of course, Larson has more wins, three to one. He has led more laps, 851 to 768. He also has almost twice as many playoff points as his teammate, more top-fives, and more top-10s. To Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s credit, I do think Byron is passing the eye test better than Larson the last few weeks. He also has 40 more stage points than Larson. But a lot of the stats tell a different story.

There is no doubt that Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s argument has credibility. He isn’t saying something outrageous. But the William Byron and Kyle Larson battle for top-dog at Hendrick Motorsports is still an ongoing battle.

Carl Edwards and Chase Elliott are two of NASCAR’s most recognizable names from two distinct eras, but their greatness on the track alone hasn’t been enough to produce a significant bond between the two drivers.

During the NASCAR Prime preshow on FOX before the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, which had to be red-flagged for a moment after Alex Bowman’s scary crash, Elliott walked onto the set and sat next to Edwards and Corey LaJoie. Host Danielle Trotta greeted him, saying, “We’ve been waiting for you, and Carl is so psyched to meet you, man.”

Speculation spilled onto the internet, with fans confused by the timeline and wondering whether the two had truly never interacted during Elliott’s rookie season or Edwards’ final races. Trotta later clarified the situation, posting that they specifically referred to on-air moments at the FOX Sports desk in Charlotte.

“We said we’ve been looking forward to having him on the desk because it was the first time for us with him pre or post,” she explained on X.

Edwards leaned in with admiration and said, “It’s so cool” to finally have an opportunity to meet the 2020 Cup Series champion.”In every meeting, it’s ‘Do we get Chase this week, do we get Chase?’ For me, it’s about being a champion. We know you’re fast,” said Edwards.

Elliott remained humble as he received praise and shared his thoughts on staying close to home, his career perspective, and how Edwards’ journey has influenced his own. Although he drives for Hendrick Motorsports, based in the heart of racing in Charlotte, the Georgia native chooses to stay in his hometown of Dawsonville.

“The biggest one is, home is home, you know? That’s just important to me. Sometimes, you can get too caught up in everything. I had a lot of admiration for how you did things… You have folks that you look up to and admire. I always appreciated that about Carl,” he said.

Edwards was born in Missouri, attended the University of Missouri in his hometown of Columbia, and admitted to staying close to home throughout his career. Edwards and Elliott may have finally “met” at a television desk in 2025, but their competitiveness on the track dates back to the 2010s.

DON’T MISS

Elliott and Edwards shared the NASCAR Cup Series stage for 41 races via Racing-Reference. Their first encounter came during the 2015 STP 500, where Edwards finished in 17th and Elliott ended in 38th. The race was won by Denny Hamlin, who also ended up winning at Michigan on Sunday.

Their last recorded showdown came during the Ford EcoBoost 400 in 2016, in which Edwards crashed out after starting from 10th place and Elliott finished in 11th for Rick Hendrick in the NAPA Auto Parts Chevy. Edwards came out better in head-to-head races against Elliott, finishing higher in 21 of their 41 shared starts. The 2025 Hall of Fame inductee also earned five Cup Series victories in that span compared to Elliott’s zero.

Recent NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway have been contested in August, but this year’s FireKeepers Casino 400 was moved up to early June.

This race, won last year by 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, is a 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) Brooklyn, Michigan oval, and it is race number 15 on the 26-race 2025 regular season schedule. Michigan is also the only 2.0-mile oval on the schedule following the post-2023 removal of Auto Club Speedway.

In Saturday morning’s qualifying session, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe took the pole position, and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch qualified beside him on the front row.

This race is one of three seeding races for the upcoming five-race in-season tournament, a first-of-its-kind for the Cup Series.

The full Michigan starting lineup can be found here.

Follow along with our FireKeeper Casino 400 updates, specifically the stage and race results.

NASCAR at Michigan: FireKeepers Casino 400 Stage 1 results

1st – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

2nd – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

3rd – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

4th – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

5th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

6th – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

7th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

8th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

9th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

10th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR at Michigan: FireKeepers Casino 400 Stage 2 results

1st – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

2nd – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

3rd – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

4th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

5th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

6th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

7th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

8th – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

9th – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

10th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

NASCAR at Michigan: Full FireKeepers Casino 400 results

1st – Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2nd – Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

3rd – Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

4th – Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

5th – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6th – Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

7th – Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

8th – Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

9th – Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

10th – Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

11th – Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

12th – Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

13th – Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

14th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

15th – Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

16th – Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

17th – A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

18th – Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

19th – Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

20th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

21st – Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

22nd – Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

23rd – Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

24th – Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

25th – Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

26th – Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

27th – Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

28th – William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

29th – Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

30th – Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

31st – Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

32nd – Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

33rd – Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

34th – John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

35th – Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

36th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

LEXINGTON – Turner Motorsport chased down its 30th win in the grand sport class in the Four Hours of Mid-Ohio with the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Francis Selldorff and Dillon Machavern.

The team didn’t miss a podium all weekend long in VP Sports Car Challenge with drivers Jake Walker, Vin Barletta, and Matt Dalton.

Dillon Machavern had an excellent qualifying session to start the No. 95 from third in the 23-car GS field but quickly slid into second when the green flag dropped.

Machavern remained in the top three, avoided trouble as a succession of three cautions came within a 20-minute span, and passed the car off in the lead position leaving Selldorff to finish the job.

After another flawless pit stop by the Turner crew, Selldorff protected the lead through traffic and another set of cautions that stacked the field and put the pressure in the rearview mirror until the checkered flag dropped on the four-hour endurance race.

“It’s always easier when you’re given the car in the lead and the team has awesome pit stops,” Selldorff said. “We had to do a little bit of fuel saving in the beginning, and it was looking good, then it was yellow after yellow.

“I just tried to nail the restarts, get a little bit of a gap, and get good exits everywhere I could. Our car was fast today, so it was about managing and holding on. Obviously, it was stressful, but I was so focused on staying calm and it all worked out, and I’m very grateful.

“Two years ago, I started in VP Sports Car Challenge, and I was scared of the banks of Daytona, so it’s been a long way. There have been a lot of awesome people that helped me, Robby in particular. Driving with Dillon is awesome, and I can’t be thankful enough that my family has given me the opportunity.”

The milestone win comes just over 20 years after the team’s first win in the class in Santo Domingo with Bill Auberlen and Justin Marks driving a BMW E46 M3.

This is Selldorff’s first win in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and Machavern’s seventh. The long-awaited comes after a near two-season drought off the top step of the podium (Watkins Glenn 2023).

Gallagher brought the No. 96 home in 16th. Dalton had one of his best qualifying efforts to start the Belle Haven-wrapped BMW M4 GT4 EVO from ninth. Barletta took over for the caution-filled second stint before passing it off to Gallagher on finishing duties. 

In VP Racing Sports Car Challenge, the trio of Walker, Barletta, and Dalton didn’t miss a podium.

Walker earned the win from pole executing perfectly in race one to earn a third-straight win in GTDX. Barletta took home first in the GTDX Bronze Cup while Dalton took home a third place GSX Bronze Cup medal.

“It was good to get another win,” Walker said. “We needed some more pace after practice one, so we made some adjustments and were ripping from there.

“We finished the first race with a decent gap, but the second race didn’t go exactly to plan; we were right there but just didn’t quite have enough at the end. Thanks to BMW and Turner Motorsport for giving me a great car this weekend.”

 In race two, wet conditions challenged the entire field to find grip and pace. Walker settled for third while Barletta earned second in Bronze Cup.

Dalton proved why he loves racing in the rain as he charged forward through the field to finish sixth in class, narrowly missing the second step of the Broze Cup podium by one thousandth of a second.

Walker leaves Mid-Ohio fourth in championship points after six of 12 rounds.

First up is the Streamliner Alpine Drivers Edition, designed with input from Alpine’s Formula One drivers. This mechanical marvel is powered by the HMC 700, a skeletonised version of the Agenhor AgenGraphe movement, a world-class engine for a wrist-bound speed machine. The open-worked dial lets you peek at the movement’s gears, while V-shaped bridges nod to single-seater suspensions and the central bridge is shaped like a racing helmet. Blue and white accents echo Alpine’s signature livery. No subdials here – just a clean central chrono display with a flyback function, because in both racing and life, time waits for no one.

But the real plot twist in this pairing? The Streamliner Alpine Mechanics Edition. It’s not for grandstand fans or pitlane selfies – it’s for the team behind the on-track action. More than just a good-looking piece of arm candy, this is a purpose-built digital-analogue hybrid designed to work for the mechanics, engineers, and everyone in the pitlanes and factories who toil behind the scenes for racing glory.

On standby mode, the dial is simply a sleek black screen. But once activated, it delivers essential info primed for making the instant decisions that define Formula One: GMT with country selector, split-seconds chronograph, perpetual calendar, and an exclusive race mode offering countdowns to lights out and key updates on on-track action. Think smartwatch, but with an old-school heartbeat: a funky blue fumé dial with analogue time display and a transparent Moser logo. It syncs with Android and iOS, has a jaw-dropping battery life (one year in basic mode, six Grand Prix weekends in full mode), and it’s all housed in a sturdy casing made to survive the chaos of the paddock.

The watches are sold as a pair and limited to just 200 sets – but the Mechanics Edition is also available separately for select owners of Moser’s 2024 Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Alpine.

Moser and Alpine have just changed the game. This isn’t just another collaboration. It’s a statement of style, speed and precision engineering.

Ultimately Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had just enough fuel to claim the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway and do one celebratory series of burnouts in front of the huge grandstand crowd before running out of gas on his encore celebration and needing a tow to his ultimate destination: Victory Lane.

The 44-year-old put on a master class in fuel saving and end-of-race pressure at the two-mile oval – taking his third win of the season and 57th of his career. Hamlin crossed the line 1.099s ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher and his JGR teammate, Ty Gibbs, after the day’s most dominant driver, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, had to pit for fuel on the last lap.

“No, not really,’’ Hamlin said, insisting he wasn’t overly worried about running out of fuel in the closing laps. “I wanted to get the lead and obviously he (Byron) was doing a really good job defending.

“Sorry, but I beat your favorite driver,’’ a grinning Hamlin – in his 701st career series start – addressed the rowdy Michigan crowd.

“This whole team just stepped up,’’ he said. “Great job. We’ve been so fast this entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another, so it feels good to come to Michigan where we’ve been so close the last couple of years.

“Such a gratifying day to restart 11th or 12th and charge to the front,’’ added Hamlin, who has now won multiple races in the last seven consecutive seasons.

With 20 laps remaining, Hamlin had made his way from 11th place to fifth in the running order, behind the day’s most dominant cars – Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Both Hocevar, a Michigan native racing for his first career NASCAR Cup Series win, and Byron were told by their crew chiefs they were going to run out of fuel before the end of the race. Instead of a fuel issue, however, Hocevar – who led 32 laps – had to pit from the race lead with 19 laps remaining for a flat tire.

Hendrick’s Byron, who led a race best 98 of the 200 laps, inherited the lead from Hocevar and then had to try to fend off Hamlin, who methodically started moving forward, racing Byron hard and forcing the championship leader out of any sort of fuel-save mode.

Hamlin got by Byron with four laps to go and Byron dove down pit road for fuel on the final lap, having to settle for a 28th place finish. Hocevar finished 29th.

“Ultimately, maybe not as good mileage as the guys farther back to start that run and that’s just the way the cautions go, and the nature of being closer to the front and burning a lot of fuel,’’ Byron said. “That one, you can’t really do a lot about. It sucks. It really stings.

“We had a really good car. I thought we executed well. It seemed like we waited a little more on fuel on that last stop and just burned more. Not able to do much about that. It is what it is.’’

Bubba Wallace drove the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota – a team Hamlin co-owns – to fourth place. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was fifth. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was sixth. Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith finished a season-best seventh place. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was eighth followed by RFK teammates Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski – marking the first time all three RFK cars finished among the top 10 this season.

There were 13 lead changes among 11 drivers and Hamlin led only five laps on the day.

A nearly 12-minute red flag period occurred early in the race while workers ensured the track was race-worthy after a four-car incident sent the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, hard into the wall after being clipped by Cole Custer’s spinning No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford. Bowman spoke to reporters after being checked out at the medical center. It marked the seventh time in the last nine races, however, that the perennial championship contender Bowman has finished 25th or worse.

With 11 races remaining in the regular season, Byron holds a 41-point lead over Larson in the championship points standings. There have been nine race winners. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric currently holds the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs point standings.

The NASCAR Cup Series will make its first international points-paying trip next weekend with Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Mexico City’s renowned Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, MAX).

RESULTS