With a runner-up finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway and a victory in a major Super Late Model race at Berlin Raceway, Carson Hocevar has been the talk of the garage entering his home race.

Unfortunately for Hocevar, the chatter hasn’t all been positive. And his team finds itself sharing a garage stall with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Hyak Motorsports – the very group that Hocevar upset with contact in Tennessee.

The chatter around that incident – when Hocevar nudged Stenhouse into a spin on lap 106, leaving Stenhouse 39th and damaging his playoff hopes – has dominated much of the week. Both drivers and their fans have argued that the other could have given them a break.

It’s been a distraction amid a promising year for Hocevar and his No. 77 team.

“(Spire Motorsports co-owner) Jeff Dickerson has a really good line: ‘If you’re explaining, you’re losing.’ … I use that in this scenario,” Hocevar said. “This is the focus, now. It’s not a focus of, how do we beat the [47] car, or just winning a race. It’s how do we have this conversation with their team? This driver that we hit? All that stuff.

“That’s the difference. You just don’t want to have those conversations, because you’re not getting faster with those conversations. That’s what slows us down.”

Thankfully for Hocevar, the distraction may not last much longer. Hurt feelings between the teams have been lessened over various midweek conversations, most notably one between the 22-year-old and Stenhouse.

“After Carson called me this week, I definitely see what he was thinking that he could get to the inside of me before we turned down into the corner,” Stenhouse told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Friday morning. “(The) problem was, he didn’t. He said that he had committed to thinking he was going to, and unfortunately, just misjudged it and ran right into the back of us. You know, Carson and I haven’t had any issues before, and so, I appreciate him reaching out and just explaining what his thought process was in it.”

Stenhouse later added that he doesn’t “want a rivalry for running 15th. Like, if we’re battling for wins, and battling in the top five week in and week out, that’s great. But having a rivalry not competing for wins, is kind of difficult.”

Squashing any beef with Stenhouse is good for Hocevar, whose aggressive style has caught the ire of various drivers over his early Cup career.

“Me and him (Stenhouse) both have the reputation of being aggressive at times,” Hocevar admitted. “At one point, we both reminded each other that, even with those reputations, we’ve raced each other very well in clashes together. We’ve had no issues before, as he had said. And I feel like we had a decent relationship leading up to this.

“I thought it was productive,” Hocevar said of the chat. “And based off of his comments, it was received (productively).”

Now in his second full year with the Cup Series, Hocevar has made a strong early impression. The Portage, Mich., native had taken three seasons to blossom in the Craftsman Truck Series, but his 2023 run was a four-win campaign that saw him reach the Championship 4.

The potential shown that year led Hocevar to the Cup Series, where he’s quickly become a leader for the growing Spire Motorsports. As the team improves, so do Hocevar’s best runs. The rising star has suffered twice as many DNFs thus far in 2025 (four) as he had in the full 2024 season, but he’s taken part in a three-wide battle for the win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and finished second in Nashville.

In doing so, Hocevar has risen to 17th in points entering Michigan – just on the cusp of a playoff spot in a year where there have been few unexpected winners. His standing is a testament to Spire’s progress.

“You see little teams, they’ll circle their few tracks a year that they can run good at,” Hocevar said. “We don’t really have too big of a weak spot in our game right now. We can show up any week and run really good. We just want to show up and be great in these races.“

With that improvement in performance, Hocevar is finding himself among the sport’s stars more often. He’s rising into contention for wins and could become a playoff contender this fall.

Any rivalries or distractions threaten to undo that potential. But for now, those distractions seem to be minimized.

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway is set with Chase Briscoe on the pole after the June 7 qualifying session.

Ryan Blaney is coming off his first win of the 2025 season with the June 1 win at Nashville Superspeedway. Tyler Reddick is the defending winner of the Michigan race, but has not yet won in 2025.

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The Michigan race is the first of three to set the field for the NASCAR in-season tournament.

Look back at practice and qualifying with our live updates.

NASCAR Cup Series Michigan qualifying live results, updates

Practice is complete and we are ready to run qualifying at Michigan International Speedway. Follow our live updates and watch the action on Amazon Prime Video (more information on how to watch below).

Chase Briscoe wins third consecutive pole award

Chase Briscoe has won his third pole in a row and fourth of the season. Here’s the top 10 from Michigan qualifying.

1. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (36.826)

2. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (36.853)

3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (36.861)

4. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (36.878)

5. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford (36.908)

6. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (36.889)

7. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford (36.920)

8. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (36.927)

9. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (36.937)

10. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford (36.937)

Find full results from NASCAR Michigan qualifying here.

Chase Briscoe goes to lead of NASCAR Michigan qualifying

Chase Briscoe has moved to the top of the qualifying chart at Michigan with a lap of 36.826.

Josh Berry leads NASCAR Michigan qualifying halfway through

Josh Berry ran a lap of 36.920 (195.016 miles per hour) and has the lead by seven thousandths of a second over Ty Gibbs at Michigan.

NASCAR Michigan race practice notes

• Chase Briscoe (36.832) goes fastest overall in practice at 195.482 miles per hour.

• Alex Bowman (36.926) fastest from first group, ends up fourth overall on speed chart at 194.984 miles per hour.

• Shane van Gisbergen cut a left rear tire at the end of the first group of practice but was able to limp car back to the pit lane. Amazon Prime pit reporter Kim Coon said the issue was most likely a tire pressure issue on the No. 88 car.

• Ryan Blaney cut a front left tire in the middle of the second practice group. Amazon Prime analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte determined he may have hit a piece of debris and there may also be an issue with the No. 12 car’s diffuser.

• Tyler Reddick also had a left rear tire issue toward the end of the second group. Steve Letarte said the combination of downforce and a new tire compound from Goodyear for the left side tires at Michigan are the cause.

Ryan Blaney cuts front left tire, stopping NASCAR Michigan practice

Ryan Blaney cut a front left tire and has halted the second group of practice at Michigan International Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson Hocevar discuss Nashville race crash

Prime Video pit reporter Kim Coon said Carson Hocevar and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. discussed their incident in the previous race at Nashville Superspeedway which led to Hocevar taking Stenhouse out of the race. Coon added both drivers called the conversation “productive” and a learning experience for Hocevar.

NASCAR Michigan entry list for FireKeepers Casino 400

• Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

• Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

• Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

• Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

• Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

• Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

• Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

• Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

• Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

• AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

• Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

• Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

• Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

• Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

• William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

• Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

• Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

• Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

• John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

• Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

• Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet

• Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

• Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

• Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

• Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

• Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

• Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

• Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

What channel is qualifying on today for the NASCAR Cup race at Michigan?

• Qualifying time: 9:40 a.m. CT Saturday (Practice begins at 8:30 a.m. CT)

• Streaming: Amazon Prime Video; NASCAR.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)

• Track: Michigan International Speedway (2-mile oval) in Brooklyn, Michigan

NASCAR Michigan news, stories

NASHVILLE WINNER: Ryan Blaney won NASCAR Nashville race after nothing ‘funky’ happened

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FROM LAST WEEK: NASCAR Nashville winners and losers: Carson Hocevar is fast, but not making friends

CUP POINTS PICTURE: NASCAR points standings: Cup Series points update after Nashville race

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Michigan qualifying live results: Cup Series starting lineup

Trackhouse Racing prospect Connor Zilisch will make a pair of additional Cup Series starts over NASCAR’s summer stretch.

The 18-year-old driver was confirmed for additional Cup appearances on Wednesday. Zilisch will make his third-career start on June 28 at the newly-renamed EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). He’ll then return to the site of his win on debut in the Xfinity Series from 2024, competing at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 10.

Zilisch will continue to compete in Trackhouse’s No. 87 Chevrolet for the races, running with sponsorship from Red Bull.

“It’s awesome to have the opportunity to race two more times in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Zilisch said in a press release. “Nothing beats experience in this sport, especially at the Cup level. Thanks to everyone at Red Bull and Trackhouse for this opportunity.”

Despite his young age, Zilisch has already emerged as one of NASCAR’s most promising prospects. A well-rounded driver with victories ranging from the CARS Tour to the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Zilisch has already been to victory lane twice in 17 Xfinity Series starts and currently sits fifth in the series standings for JR Motorsports.

The North Carolinian has two Cup appearances to his name thus far. A March debut at Circuit of The Americas started with a promising 14th-place qualifying effort but ended in a DNF after a crash with teammate Daniel Suarez. Zilisch returned in May’s Coca-Cola 600 and earned valuable experience, completing 398 of 400 laps in a 23rd-place effort.

More track time comes at a moment when Zilisch could be considered for a full-time rise to Cup. The young star has potential to push out one of his Trackhouse teammates in 2026, though Justin Marks told The Athletic no decisions have been made about next year’s roster.

Trackhouse currently fields Ross Chastain, Suarez and Supercars champion-turned Cup driver Shane van Gisbergen. Suarez was the team’s first hire and is a centerpiece of the organization, but is in a contract year and sits a disappointing 28th in the standings, while van Gisbergen has struggled to adapt to Cup racing and finds himself 33rd, out of the In-Season Tournament and likely in need of a road course win to turn his season around.

Chase Briscoe claimed his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole position Saturday morning. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver taking top honors at Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Briscoe’s No. 19 JGR Toyota turned a lap of 195.514 mph for his fourth pole of the season – just besting Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, who will start alongside with a lap of 195.317 in the No. 8 Chevrolet. This equals Busch’s best start of the season (also second at Talladega, Ala.).

Briscoe’s work marks the first time a driver has won pole positions at three consecutive races since Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson did it last April at Richmond, Michigan, and Texas.

“I was surprised truthfully it held on,’’ the 30-year-old Indiana native said of his fast lap. “It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be just holding it wide open. But our Bass Pro Shops has been pretty fast in race trim and I thought we could have been even better.

“It will be nice starting up front and we’ve been able to do that now three weeks in a row but haven’t been able to execute with it, so hopefully third time is a charm and hopefully we can finally get one on Sunday.’’

Briscoe’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, was third quickest in the No. 11 Toyota and will start alongside the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader, William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Interestingly, neither of those two championship teams has won on the 2-mile Michigan oval in a decade.

The last win for Hendrick came in 2014 and the last for Gibbs in 2015.

However, Hendrick’s lineup now boasts a three-time Michigan winner in Larson, who scored his career first series victory at the track in 2016 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson will roll off fifth Sunday alongside another former Michigan winner (2023) Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher. 

“I feel fine, that was an unfortunately part failure there,’’ Larson said, assuring he was okay after flipping his car in a World of Outlaws race Friday night. 

“Felt good there today and held it wide open in qualifying, as did the whole field. 

“Hopefully, we can find a little more turn tomorrow. I think all of us being very similar on speed it will be difficult in traffic so having some turn will be a benefit. That’s our main objective at this point.

“But overall happy to qualify fifth there. That’s honestly a little bit better than I thought we would be. Now we’ll rest up and study and try to be ready for tomorrow.’’

Defending race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was 12th in qualifying – along with last week’s Nashville race winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney suffering a tire problem in practice. Blaney will roll off 13th.

Carson Hocevar grew up 80 miles west of Michigan International Speedway, where he attended his first race at the age of 5.

As a kid in Portage, he dreamed of becoming a NASCAR driver that people talked about.

The 22-year-old Hocevar got his wish.

He knocked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. out of last week’s race at Nashville and his aggressive style has created a buzz in a sport that traditionally has young drivers trying to find the line between aggressive and reckless driving.

“It’s cool to be talked about,” Hocevar said Saturday, a day ahead of the FireKeepers Casino 400. “Obviously, you want to be talked about maybe in a different light.

“But I mean, at least they’re talking, right? And, I think that’s big for me.”

Hocevar called Stenhouse earlier in the week to discuss their contact on Lap 106 of 300 at Nashville, where Stenhouse was bumped from behind and sent into a wall. Both said the conversation was productive.

“I don’t think he crashed me on purpose,” Stenhouse said. “But I think he was super impatient.

“We’ve never had any issues. He’s had plenty of issues with other people.”

Hocevar, in his second full Cup season, was behind only winner Ryan Blaney at Nashville to match the career-best, second-place finish he had earlier this year.

At the race in Atlanta, several drivers complained about Hocevar over the radio or some addressed their concerns face to face in pit lane. Blaney, who got turned by Hocevar in the final stage of the race, and Ross Chastain confronted him in February.

Chastain sounded frustrated that Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, has not appeared to learn from his mistakes.

His latest move was reckless, Chastain said.

“Yeah, 47 spun off his front bumper,” he said. “Been there, done that.”

Blaney has, too.

“You can say you’re sorry all you want, but if you don’t learn from them and make a change, then everyone thinks you’re lying,” Blaney said.

NASCAR’s “In-season Challenge” will begin seeding drivers Sunday and at the following two races in Mexico City and at Pocono. The results will create a field of 32 drivers, who will race for a $1 million prize over a five-race competition that starts June 28 at Atlanta.

Single elimination will reduce the field to 16 in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four in Dover and the final two on July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The NBA has had success with a similar format.

“It’s like the March Madness bracket,” said Blaney, whose No. 12 Ford finished first last week at Nashville. “You want to do well to seed yourself against an easier opponent.

“It could be big. It could grow. I think it’s a great idea. Why not try it? You’re still going to have racing. It’s just going to be a race within the race between all the guys.”

Denny Hamlin is prepared to leave his No. 11 Toyota behind this weekend to join his fiancé, Jordan, who is due to give birth to a baby boy — their third child — at any time.

Hamlin, who is also juggling his role as the co-owner of a team suing NASCAR, said he would skip next week’s race in Mexico City if necessary to witness the birth of his boy.

Hendrick Motorsports has won a record 316 Cup races, but hasn’t finished first at Michigan in more than a decade.

Jeff Gordon’s third win on the track was the team’s ninth and that was way back on Aug. 17, 2014.

“It’s just kind of surprising because I don’t feel like it’s a track that we struggle at by any means,” said Kyle Larson, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick. “Every time we’ve been here, we’ve been one of the fastest and up front.

“It’s not a track like Nashville, where we struggle.”

Larson at +300 is the betting favorite to win Sunday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by points leader William Byron (+375), defending race champion Tyler Reddick (+500) and Christopher Bell (+550).