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Judges indicate they may throw out order allowing 23XI, Front Row to race as NASCAR chartered teams

RICHMOND, Va. — A three-judge federal appellate panel indicated Friday it might overturn an injunction that allows 23XI Racing, co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and veteran driver Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports to race as chartered teams in NASCAR this season while the two teams sue the stock car series over alleged […]

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RICHMOND, Va. — A three-judge federal appellate panel indicated Friday it might overturn an injunction that allows 23XI Racing, co-owned by retired NBA great Michael Jordan and veteran driver Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports to race as chartered teams in NASCAR this season while the two teams sue the stock car series over alleged antitrust violations.

NASCAR attorney Chris Yates argued the injunction, granted in December by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell of the Western District of North Carolina, forced the series into an unwanted relationship with unwilling partners, and that it harms other teams because they earn less money.

Yates said the district court broke precedent by granting the injunction, saying the ”release” clause in the charter contracts forbidding the teams from suing is ”common.” He argued, essentially, that the teams should not have the benefits of the charter system they are suing to overturn.

Overturning the injunction would leave the two organizations able to race but without any of the perks of being chartered, including guaranteed weekly revenue. They would also have to qualify at every Cup Series event to make the field, which currently has only four open spots each week; 23XI and Front Row are each running three cars in Cup this season.

Judges Steven Agee, Paul Niemeyer and Stephanie Thacker, at multiple points during the 50-minute hearing at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District, pushed back on the argument made by plaintiff’s attorney Jeffrey Kessler, who accused NASCAR of being a monopoly.

”There’s no other place to compete,” Kessler told the judges, later noting that overturning the injunction would cause tremendous damage to the two teams, which could lose drivers and sponsors. ”It will cause havoc to overturn this injunction in the middle of the season.”

The teams filed the antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR on Oct. 2 in the Western District of North Carolina, arguing that the series bullied teams into signing new charters that make it difficult to compete financially. That came after two years of failed negotiations on new charter agreements, which is NASCAR’s equivalent of franchise deals.

23XI – co-owned by Jordan, Hamlin and Curtis Polk, a longtime Jordan business partner – and Front Row Motorsports, were the only two out of 15 charter-holding teams that refused to sign new agreements in September.



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NASCAR Saturday schedule at Michigan International Speedway

Michigan International Speedway will feature more than six hours of virtually nonstop action Saturday as the NASCAR Truck and Cup series hit the 2-mile oval. The Craftsman Truck Series will qualify to set the starting lineup for a 125-lap race starting at noon. The only time the NASCAR Cup Series has had a podium celebration […]

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Michigan International Speedway will feature more than six hours of virtually nonstop action Saturday as the NASCAR Truck and Cup series hit the 2-mile oval.

The Craftsman Truck Series will qualify to set the starting lineup for a 125-lap race starting at noon.

NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum

The only time the NASCAR Cup Series has had a podium celebration was for the Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum exhibition races from 2022-24.

In between, the Cup Series will hold a one-hour practice at 9:30 a.m., followed by qualifying for Sunday’s 200-lap race. Tyler Reddick is the defending winner at Michigan.

The Truck Series will race at Michigan for the 22nd time but the first since Aug. 7, 2020, making the Brooklyn, Michigan, track one of six new tracks in 2025 (and one of four that are returning to the schedule). Zane Smith was the most recent Truck winner at Michigan.


Michigan International Speedway schedule

(All Times Eastern)

Saturday, June 7

Garage open

  • 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. — Cup
  • 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. — Truck

Track activity

  • 8:05 – 9 a.m. — Truck qualifying (FS1)
  • 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. — Cup practice (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
  • 10:40 – 11:30 a.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
  • 12 p.m. — Truck race (125 laps, 250 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 30, Stage 2 at Lap 60; Fox, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weather

Saturday: Cloudy with a high of 76 degrees and light winds. It’s expected to be 71 degrees with a 2% chance of rain at the start of the Truck race.





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NASCAR hopes for Cup Series race in Brazil, but unsure of timeline

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said he doesn’t “know when we’ll get to Brazil” for a Cup Series race, but added that he would “like to see it happen” as NASCAR prepares for its race in Mexico City, according to Erick Gabriel of MOTORSPORT. Phelps, who came to Brazil during the NASCAR Brazil round at Interlagos, […]

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NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps said he doesn’t “know when we’ll get to Brazil” for a Cup Series race, but added that he would “like to see it happen” as NASCAR prepares for its race in Mexico City, according to Erick Gabriel of MOTORSPORT. Phelps, who came to Brazil during the NASCAR Brazil round at Interlagos, said, “Obviously, we need all parties to come together and understand how important that would be for NASCAR in general and for the category.” There were “previously talks to get ‘The Clash’ to Brazil, but those talks never advanced” and the race will remain at Bowman Gray Stadium for 2026. NASCAR VP & Chief International Officer Chad Seigler said, “I personally think we are exceeding expectations of where we thought we would be.” Seigler: “You could hear this week the excitement when overtaking was done. You can see that the fans are getting used to our style of racing.” On June 15, for the first time in the “modern era of the Cup Series,” a points race will take place “outside the borders of the United States as they head to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City” (MOTORSPORT, 6/5).

NEW ON PRIME: In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis wrote NASCAR’s partnership with Amazon’s Prime Video involves “just five midseason races” within a 36-race season, but it has “thrown a definite monkey wrench into the clutch assembly.” The reviews of Prime’s coverage “are solid to great, and the reviewers aren’t wrong.” The product is “really good.” Willis: “Struggling with the labyrinth of streaming TV offerings isn’t a made-up malady. It’s a real thing, and quite maddening for folks who are already being nickel-and-dimed to death by phone and cable companies selling us air at ever-increasing prices.” Viewership numbers are OK through two weeks of NASCAR on Prime.” Prime is “averaging between” 2-3 million viewers per race, which is “right in line” with races on Fox’s cable arm, FS1. If the numbers were “in the ditch, meetings would be held.” Most important is “future potential,” and the parties are “betting that Prime offers the opportunity to attract new viewers and fans that might not otherwise pay attention” (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 6/5).



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NASCAR Sets Sight On International Drivers as Commissioner Speaks Out On Expansion

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future. As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen […]

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NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps has spoken about his hopes of attracting Brazilian drivers to the sport with the possibility of the country hosting a race in the future.

As one of NASCAR’s four international series alongside Canada, Mexico, and the Euro Series, Brazil has hosted the NASCAR Brasil Series since 2012, and Phelps is keen to see some of the drivers from the series join either the Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, or Cup Series.

During an interview with Motorsport.com, Phelps explained:

“We have a driver who is from Mexico, Daniel Suarez, and that’s a great victory for us. Not through our driver development program, [but] we also have Shane Van Gisbergen from New Zealand [who] used to race in Australia.

NASCAR Cup Series
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Dollar Tree Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 01, 2025…


James Gilbert/Getty Images

“We’d like to have drivers from all over the world coming to race with us, in our three national categories, but in particular in our main category, like what Daniel and SVG are doing.”

He added:

“We’d like to have a Brazilian come out of NASCAR Brazil, come and race with us full-time, and, you know, compete for wins and championships. So we’re excited about this prospect, I was very impressed with the number of drivers I saw and how fast they were and their abilities, and we’re excited about this happening in the future.”

Phelps was promoted to the newly formed role of NASCAR Commissioner in March. He commented at the time of the announcement:

“I’m honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I’ve loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports.

“I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership, and most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago. This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I’m privileged to continue as part of that legacy – and especially its bright future.

“We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR’s first Commissioner. His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport,” said NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France added.

“With more than 50 years of expertise between them, both Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell bring tremendous expertise, stability and a commitment to the bold racing innovations that will continue to serve fans, teams and stakeholders for many years to come.”



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TNT Sports & Max Announce NASCAR Driver Cam “Featured Multiview” Selections for FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8 – Speedway Digest

TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag:  Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2).  Joey Logano, looking […]

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TNT Sports and Max today announced the driver selections for NASCAR Driver Cam’s Featured Multiview during this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway, with streaming coverage beginning approximately 30 minutes before the green flag: 

  • Brad Keselowski, with a top 15 finish at Circuit of the Americas this season (March 2). 
  • Joey Logano, looking for another strong finish to follow his May 4th win at Texas Motor Speedway. 
  • Bubba Wallace, currently 12th in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings, with a couple top 10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway (March 30) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) this season. 
  • Ty Gibbs, looking to gain momentum following his two top 10 finishes in April at Briston Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway. 

B/R Racing’s X and Instagram platforms will also host four head-to-head polls through this Friday featuring eight additional drivers for fans to vote on which four will be featured on a special “Fan Selected” Multiview stream on Max. 
 
Individual Driver Cams will also be available for all drivers in the NASCAR All-Star Open earlier in the evening on Sunday. 

The NASCAR Driver Cam experience — exclusive to Max — offers motorsports fans the ultimate all-access pass to every driver for every race throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, including a layered audio mix of scanner team radios and ambient car noise, all synced up with a 1080p Driver Cam feed (on supported devices).  

Fans will be able to choose between the up to 40 individual Driver Cams or the two pre-set Multiview stream options featuring four drivers each. Each individual driver stream features integrated live stats— stage, lap number, position and race status — along with telemetry data including speed, RPM, gear, and more. Users can pause, rewind and fast forward as well, and a replay of each individual driver stream will be available following each race. 

The NASCAR Driver Cams and Multiviews are available to stream within Sports on Max. Users can find all NASCAR Driver Cam on Max live content on the upcoming schedule at https://play.max.com/live-sports-schedule. 

TNT/WB PR





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NASCAR Michigan qualifying live results: Cup Series starting lineup

The NASCAR Cup Series’ only race weekend at Michigan this year begins June 7 with practice and qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. 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 […]

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The NASCAR Cup Series’ only race weekend at Michigan this year begins June 7 with practice and qualifying for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

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.

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

Follow the practice and qualifying sessions for the NASCAR Michigan race with our live updates.

NASCAR Cup Series Michigan qualifying live results, updates

On track action begins at 8:30 a.m. CT from Michigan International Speedway.

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)
  • TV: Amazon Prime Video (streaming) (Watch Amazon Prime with a free trial) | Radio: SiriusXM and MRN
  • 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

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NASCAR Is Coming to Michigan International Speedway This Weekend

Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI — June 6, 2025 Race fans, Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, NASCAR makes its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway. It’s a “Home Game (Race)” for us locals. Let’s start with some important announcements.  Speedway Traffic Updates Michigan International Speedway worked closely with Michigan State Police and a […]

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Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI — June 6, 2025

Race fans, Friday, June 6th through Sunday, June 8th, NASCAR makes its annual stop at Michigan International Speedway. It’s a “Home Game (Race)” for us locals. Let’s start with some important announcements.

 Speedway Traffic Updates

Michigan International Speedway worked closely with Michigan State Police and a logistics company to update the traffic patterns and parking lots to ensure that your trip in and out of the facility is as quick as possible on Sunday, June 8th. These changes include opening additional parking lots (Yellow Lot 8 & 9) and directing traffic into specific parking lots depending on the direction you arrive at the property.

Be sure to review the Traffic Maps and detailed directions on the Speedway’s website so you approach the track and park in your preferred parking lot. If there is a specific parking lot you typically park in, you may need to change the route you typically use. All parking will be one direction inbound and one direction outbound.

Patterns may change due to traffic situations and capacity of parking lots.

Day parking on Michigan International Speedway property is FREE to Speedway guests! Please follow the parking attendant’s directions. A one-way traffic pattern will be implemented if deemed necessary on Sunday.

Busch Light Summer Music Series Concert News

Michigan International Speedway announced today that award-winning country singer and songwriter Ashley Cooke is stepping in to headline the Busch Light Summer Music Series performance prior to Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. 

Cooke replaces Nate Smith during pre-race festivities after he announced Wednesday afternoon that he’s going on strict vocal rest through the rest of June, thereby canceling his performances for the month.

 “It means a lot that Ashley is stepping up to the plate to perform for our passionate fans before our NASCAR Cup Series stars hit the track,” said Joe Fowler, Michigan International Speedway President. “Ashley is one of the most exciting rising stars in country music and her show will have everyone singing along before the race on Sunday. We also wish Nate the best in his recovery and hope to see him out at the track soon.”

Since her debut album shot in the dark earned her critical acclaim, Cooke has been recognized as MusicRow’s Discovery Artist of the Year and Next Big Thing, Billboard’s Rookie of the Month and iHeartCountry’s On The Verge Artist. 

Cooke won her first CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year at the 2024 CMT Awards before being nominated for ACM New Female Artist of the Year, and is currently up for Best New Country Artist at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards.

In 2024, Cooke earned her first No.1 at Country radio with her single, “your place,” making her one of the only women to reach the top of the charts that year. With national TV appearances on NBC’s TODAY and ABC’s The Bachelorette, as well as tours with Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell and Jordan Davis under her belt, Cooke is ready to take 2025 by storm. Cooke started her year headlining her “your place Tour,” before hitting the road with Cody Johnson in Australia and Kane Brown throughout the US. She’ll be Performing at festivals all summer long, before heading out on the road with Parker McCollum and Lee Brice in the fall.” 

“We enjoyed collaborating with Ashley Cooke last year to surprise our fans in Nashville through the ‘Busch on Broadway’ pop-up series, right after her big CMT award win,” said Krystyn Stowe, Head of Marketing, Busch Family & Natural Family at Anheuser-Busch. “With the second show of our Summer Music Series coming up this weekend, we know she will give our fans in Michigan a pre-race experience they won’t forget.”

The inaugural Busch Light Summer Music Series consists of five full-length concerts at NASCAR races throughout the country. The series is an exciting new fan experience born from the renewed partnership with NASCAR’S Official Beer Sponsor.

Since the 1990s, the Anheuser-Busch family of brands has created countless opportunities for 21+ NASCAR fans to get closer to the sport they love. The first performance in the series took place earlier this spring, with ERNEST taking the stage at Texas Motor Speedway. After Michigan, the series moves to Chicago Street Race (Zac Brown Band – July 5), Iowa Speedway (Corey Kent – Aug. 3) and will conclude in Busch Light’s hometown of St. Louis at World Wide Technology Raceway (Sept. 7). Artists and details on the final concert will be announced at a later date.

Race Schedule and News

The June race weekend at Michigan International Speedway begins with the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 on Friday, June 6, followed by the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics on Saturday, June 7. The NASCAR Cup Series will cap off the weekend’s action with the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, June 8.

Tickets are available for purchase via phone at 888-905-7223 or online at mispeedway.com.

Fans can view the full 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets, and can stay connected to Michigan International Speedway on FacebookInstagram and X

The FireKeepers Casino 400 will be streamed live on Amazon Prime, Sunday, June 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 15th of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Beginning this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and continuing through the Mexico City and Pocono races, the top 32 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings will race for seeding in the $1 million, five-race, in-season tournament that begins June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Seeding will be based on the best finish in the upcoming three races, with tiebreakers determined by the next-best finish, followed by the season points position.

The 32 seeds will race head-to-head in a knockout-style format beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The field will be narrowed to 16 after Atlanta, eight after the July 6 Chicago Street Race, four after the July 13 road course race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and two after the July 20 race at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

The remaining two drivers will battle for the in-season title and the $1 million prize on July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Trackhouse drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez are part of the 32 drivers in the tournament.

Amazon’s Prime Video will broadcast all three upcoming seeding races before TNT Sports, and Max will broadcast the five in-season tournament races.

Erik Jones / Lasco Press Photo

HOMETOWN HERO: Jones is returning to his home track of Michigan for Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400. The Michigan native grew up just 73 miles north of the track in the small town of Byron, where he started his racing career at a young age before transitioning to stock cars at age 13. He quickly moved up the ranks in NASCAR but never forgot his Michigan roots along the way. He is one of only three Michigan natives racing in the Cup Series fulltime along with Brad Keselowski and Carson Hocevar.

ERIK JONES QUOTE: “I always look forward to Michigan. Obviously, it’s a home race for me and my home track. It’s a lot of fun to get up there and be with family and friends. I typically get there earlier in the week to go spend more time with them and get to see them before the busy weekend. It’s always exciting and a lot of fun. The race itself – I just really enjoy the track. It’s come into its own here as it’s aged and widened out. Racing there with this NextGen car has been good. I’m looking forward to it. This one is high on my bucket list of tracks to win at one day. I just look forward for the chance to be out there every year.”

Ryan Blaney: Blaney heads to Michigan coming off his first win in 2025 at Nashville Superspeedway. The 2023 Cup Series champion has secured a playoff spot and looks to ride the momentum into the Irish Hills this weekend. Blaney was last victorious at Michigan in 2021.

Christopher Bell: Bell has remained a strong force throughout the first half of the 2025 season. Bell has three wins and currently sits third in points standings. He looks to earn his first career victory at Michigan this weekend.

Carson Hocevar: Carson returns to his native state after a strong 2nd place finish in Nashville. Sitting 17th in the points standings, he looks to head to victory lane in front of a home crowd and lock himself into the playoffs.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has been chasing a win in the Cup Series at Michigan his entire career. Keselowski returns home looking to add to Ford’s dominance in the Cup Series at MIS as the OEM has won 9 of the last 10 races at MIS. Keselowski has just one top five finish this year and looks to strike gold at MIS.

Chase Elliott / Lasco Press Photo

Chase Elliott: The fan favorite is still searching for his first win in 2025 and sits 5th in the points standings. Elliott has 7 top 10 finishes and 3 top five finishes while leading 76 laps this season. Elliott also has never won at Michigan and is hungry to visit Victory Lane as his last win came at Texas Motor Speedway in 2024.

Tyler Reddick: Reddickreturns to Michigan as the defending champion of the FireKeepers Casino 400. Reddick is winless in 2025 but sits 6th in points standings currently.

The Heritage Trophy

Since Michigan International Speedway began handing out the Heritage Trophy to the winning manufacturer in August 2013, Ford has taken it back to World Headquarters in nearby Dearborn more times than any other manufacturer. Ford has won 11 races since the trophy came into existence while Chevrolet has won six and Toyota two. Joey Logano’s win in the Pure Michigan 400 on Aug. 18, 2013 was his first win with Ford and new car owner Roger Penske, but it also marked the first time the trophy was awarded. Logano, who won the pole and led a race-high 51 laps, passed Mark Martin for the lead with four laps to go after Martin’s car ran out of gas.

Ryan Blaney’s victory on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway means that all three Team Penske drivers have a win this season. Blaney followed Austin Cindric (Talladega) and Joey Logano (Texas) in clinching a playoff berth, and it continues an impressive record for the organization. Since Team Penske went to three NASCAR Cup Series cars in 2018, it has seen each team win at least one race in the same season six times. Overall, Team Penske has won 104 races with Ford and the current lineup of Blaney, Cindric and Logano have combined for 51 of those.

JOEY LOGANO QUOTE: IS MORE EMPHASIS PUT ON THE RACE AT MICHIGAN? “No more emphasis than any other race. We try to win them all. It’s not like we say, ‘Ah, this one doesn’t matter. We’ll just coast this one through.’ That’s not who we are. We don’t do that because every race matters, especially with the playoff format we have. Every win, every playoff point that you can get can be the difference at the end of the day, so we don’t really put more into any of them. I will say though that the manufacturers take pride in that trophy that they hand out there to the winning manufacturer, so it’s always a topic of discussion. We go up there early more times than not and go visit Ford headquarters and it’s a topic that comes up. They want that trophy in their main lobby, so when people walk in they can walk by it.”

The Lasco Press will be live all weekend at the track, follow Sports Editor Steve Sweitzer on Facebook, and look for his Cup Series Race Report of the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday evening after the race. Only at thelascopress.com.

If you see us at the track, be sure and say hi, we will capture your picture.

NASCAR Fan at Michigan International Speedway / Lasco Press Photo



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