Sadly, local racing legend Steve Huff has passed away at age 58
Sadly, Steve Huff – trailblazing racer, custom bike builder, electric dragster innovator, and tireless cancer warrior – passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by teammates, friends and family, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. He was 58. Born on October 16, 1966, on Whidbey Island, Washington, Steve’s life was defined by velocity, vision, and a […]
Sadly, Steve Huff – trailblazing racer, custom bike builder, electric dragster innovator, and tireless cancer warrior – passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by teammates, friends and family, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
He was 58.
Born on October 16, 1966, on Whidbey Island, Washington, Steve’s life was defined by velocity, vision, and a heart as powerful as his engines. Originally born in Oak Harbor, WA he graduated from South Whidbey High School.
A professional racing career spanning more than 30 years, Steve set more than 20 national and world speed records. In 2020, he made global headlines as the designer, builder, and driver of the world’s first 200 mph electric dragster. He earned international exposure through the NHRA and established himself as a pioneer and innovator of the drag racing’s electric future.
Steve’s talents didn’t stop at the track. A master custom motorcycle builder, his bikes graced the covers of major magazines and turned heads across the country, each one a work of art infused with precision, attitude, and always speed. Steve was once named the “Best bike builder you’ve never heard of.”
In 2020, Steve was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic upper tract urothelial cancer – a challenge that he met with the same determination and grit he brought to all aspects of his life and racing career.
Despite the diagnosis, Steve called 2022 the best year of his life. That year, he achieved his first National Championship, the APBA National Hydroplane Championship, a dream realized on the water that brought him deep pride and joy.
In addition, Steve and the Huff Motorsports team (headquartered in SeaTac) made 4 NHRA Nationals events with the Electric Dragster, and appearances at Cancer Care facilities and childhood learning events across the nation.
In his words:
“In the years since my cancer diagnosis I finally became ‘the man I always wanted to be’ living with intention, surrounded by love, and giving back in every way I could.”
Steve’s greatest victories weren’t just in motorsports. Steve gave back to his community through outreach and mentorship of young people, especially those with alternate learning styles. Inspiring young minds to chase their own kind of greatness, embracing their unique Superpowers. He didn’t just break records—he broke molds, redefining what it means to live fully, and leave a legacy worth celebrating.
Steve was a long term resident of Des Moines, WA and the City of SeaTac where he worked on his racing teams and their vehicles for over 20 years. September 22nd was named officially Steve Huff Motorsports Day by the City of SeaTac mayor in 2020, in honor of setting the first ever 200 mph record in the electric dragster.
He is survived by a community of racers, builders, dreamers, and fighters who will carry his legacy forward on the road, on the water, and in the hearts he touched.
Celebration of Life Soon
Details for a celebration of life will be shared soon.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the soon-to-be created Steve Huff Memorial Foundation to establish scholarships (please email pr@stevehuffmotorsports.com for more details).
More information soon.
Share Your Memories
Please also send your memories, stories, and photos to Facebook.com/LookingOverTheFence where we are collecting material for Steve’s biography or garageasylum@yahoo.com.
Previous Coverage
Read our previous coverage of the amazing Steve here.
William Byron leads half of the Michigan Cup race before running out of fuel
At Michigan on Sunday, it was clear that the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was going to be difficult to beat. He won a stage, collected the fastest lap bonus, and led 98 of 200 laps. He fought hard to hang on to the race lead in the closing stages, but Byron couldn’t hold back […]
At Michigan on Sunday, it was clear that the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was going to be difficult to beat. He won a stage, collected the fastest lap bonus, and led 98 of 200 laps.
He fought hard to hang on to the race lead in the closing stages, but Byron couldn’t hold back a charging Denny Hamlin. Byron was still going to finish second or third when the car finally ran out of fuel at the exit of Turn 4, despite his best efforts to save, coming just over two miles shy of the race finish. He dove into the pits and finished 28th instead.
Never had enough in the tank
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
“No, we didn’t have enough,” said Byron when asked if there was anything different he could have done. “We were going to run out with 1.5 laps to go and I was just trying to manage both — trying to keep the lead and manage the gap and save fuel down the straight and on (corner) exit and everything. We just didn’t … ultimately, not as good mileage as the guys that were further 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 more fuel.
“I don’t know, that one is like, you can’t really do a lot about (it). It sucks, it really stings but we had a really good car. I thought we executed well. It seemed like we waited a little bit on fuel for the last stop, and jsut burned more and not able to do much about that. It is what it is.”
Byron leads the regular season standings, but since earning victory in the season-opening Daytona 500, he’s had several almost-wins slip through his fingers. He led the most laps at Darlington, Charlotte, and now Michigan, but failed to reach Victory Lane each time
The good news is that he remains comfortably ahead in the championship, now leading teammate Kyle Larson by 41 points.
Photos from Michigan – Race
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NASCAR goes south of the border to grow fan base with its 1st Cup Series race in Mexico City
NASCAR’s first international Cup Series race of the modern era is all about the eyeballs, specifically new fans in the Mexico City market. NASCAR will be on the track Friday for the first of three days of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, one of the most popular stops on the Formula 1 calendar and […]
NASCAR’s first international Cup Series race of the modern era is all about the eyeballs, specifically new fans in the Mexico City market.
NASCAR will be on the track Friday for the first of three days of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, one of the most popular stops on the Formula 1 calendar and Ben Kennedy’s newest project.
The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., Kennedy has taken the family business beyond its comfortable confines before.
Kennedy in 2022 moved the preseason exhibition Clash from its longtime home at Daytona International Speedway in Florida to a temporary track built inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kennedy this year moved the Clash to The Madhouse — the historic Bowman Gray Stadium, which had last hosted a Cup race in 1971, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
NASCAR under Kennedy also returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina for the first time since 1977 when the All-Star race was moved there three years ago. He allowed dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, a hybrid road course and oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, alongside his biggest undertaking: NASCAR’s first street race, held in downtown Chicago.
He also had his eyes set on expanding internationally, which will come Sunday with the first points-paying international race in the Cup Series since 1958. It is only third time in 77 years that NASCAR’s top series will run an event that counts in the championship outside the United States. The last two times were in Canada; the Cup Series also has held exhibitions in Japan and Australia.
“Our biggest opportunity to grow as a sport is international,” Kennedy said when he announced Mexico City was replacing one of the two races on the schedule allocated to Richmond International Raceway.
“The U.S. is always going to be our mainstay and our next opportunity was to expand internationally,” he said. “We said we’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but also needed to make sure it was the right time, the right partners and the right location. Mexico City checked every box. To be in one of the biggest cities globally — over 20 million people that live in the city — is a massive opportunity for us to bring the sport.”
The weekend includes the second-tier Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Mexico Series. It’s a strong return to a market that devours the entire F1 weekend ticket package within an hour of them becoming available.
Mexicans have proven to be rabid motorsports fans but haven’t gotten a chance to see NASCAR’s big names since 2008, the final year of a four-year run of Xfinity races. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were winners during the four-year stretch.
Daniel Suarez, the former Xfinity champion and native of Monterrey, is NASCAR’s face of the event. He raced the circuit 13 times with a different layout in the NASCAR Mexico Series, and three of Suarez’s starts were wins.
“I’m super excited for the event. I’m super excited to live the moment because the first time is going to only happen once,” Suarez said. “I’m really trying to be as present as possible, enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that’s not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.”
The planning that has gone into Mexico City, one of 38 events on the Cup schedule, began about a year ago. NASCAR has worked on myriad details, beginning with how to get nearly 200 trucks hauling race cars and equipment from Michigan International Speedway into Mexico City.
NASCAR official Tom Bryant has spearheaded the organizational logistics and made multiple trips to the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, to meet with customs officials from both nations.
The drive from Michigan to Mexico City is about 40 hours, not including the tedious customs crossing, where all the equipment and tools on every NASCAR hauler must be documented on an exhaustive manifest. Cup Series teams cars were scheduled for a Monday night arrival at Laredo, with crossing scheduled for Tuesday and arrival at the track on Thursday.
“It’s been a ton of coordination moving lots of people and lots of stuff safely and efficiently across a great distance and an international border,” Bryant said on the “Hauler Talk” NASCAR podcast.
“There is a lot to it, but the key to it is you just have to define the problem. We’ve got to get these people and these things from this point to that point within a certain time period,” he said. “How do we do it in a way that’s going to best position us to be ready to go to work as soon as we hit the ground down there? Because this is a pretty tight window.”
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
395 Motorsports recognized as Carson City School District Community Partner for June
The Carson City School District is proud to recognize Chris Kassity and Frank Raja, owner and general manager, with 395 Motorsports as June’s Community Partner of the Month. 395 Motorsports was recognized as an Ambassador Level partner for their ongoing commitment to supporting local schools and for their generous financial and in-kind contributions to enhance the educational experience for students in Carson City. As […]
The Carson City School District is proud to recognize Chris Kassity and Frank Raja, owner and general manager, with 395 Motorsports as June’s Community Partner of the Month.
395 Motorsports was recognized as an Ambassador Level partner for their ongoing commitment to supporting local schools and for their generous financial and in-kind contributions to enhance the educational experience for students in Carson City.
As part of its Community Partner Program, the school district features a local business or organization each month for their commitment in helping schools and children have better opportunities and experiences in alignment with the district’s Strategic Plan goals.
395 Motorsports is considered a Community Partner at the Ambassador Level because they support two or more Strategic Plan goals regularly, including providing bikes to students through Carson City Mayor Lori Bagwell’s “Attendance Hall of Fame,” which helped build and sustain family-school partnerships where students and families could better understand the importance of attending school (Goal 3) and expanding student’s physical wellbeing and promoting healthy generations of students with the bikes (Goal 4).
The Community Partner Recognition System aims to build a stronger, more engaged community dedicated to the success and wellbeing of its students. Additionally, it acknowledges and celebrates the valuable contributions of our community partners as they align with the goals found in the Carson City School District Strategic Plan Empower Carson City 2027.
Goal 1: Exceptional Staff
Goal 2: Curriculum that Matters
Goal 3: Engaged Parents and Families
Goal 4: Healthy Generations of Carson Students
Goal 5: Community in Full Partnership
The school district looks forward to continuing these valuable partnerships and encourages other community members and businesses to consider how they can contribute to the success of students.
About 395 Motorsports
395 Motorsports is a premier destination for motorsports enthusiasts across the region. At 395 Motorsports, we live and breathe adventure. We’re a fast-growing powersports dealership specializing in ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes and other high-performance machines. Our mission is simple: deliver an unbeatable customer experience and match every rider with the perfect vehicle.
Denny Hamlin gets fuel-mileage NASCAR Cup Series win at Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin won in a wild fuel-mileage finish to the NASCAR Cup Series’ FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan. Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE Hamlin earned his 57th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series after having enough fuel to get to the end of a wild race. He passed William Byron with four laps […]
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin won in a wild fuel-mileage finish to the NASCAR Cup Series’ FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Hamlin earned his 57th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series after having enough fuel to get to the end of a wild race. He passed William Byron with four laps to go after swapping side-draft moves for several laps.
Never a fan of a dominator, certainly not someone who is 11th on the all-time wins list, the crowd booed Denny Hamlin as he exited his car.
“I’m sorry, dad, but I beat your favorite driver again,” Hamlin said, repeating a victory quote he said his dad didn’t like. “All of them.”
Hamlin, the 44-year-old senior driver at Joe Gibbs Racing, leads all drivers for wins with the team. He’ll bring home a win to his wife who is on baby watch.
Photo: Marcus Leno/TRE
Hamlin’s teammate, Ty Gibbs, finished third. Gibbs, the 22-year-old junior driver at Joe Gibbs Racing driver, took second from Byron after Hamlin passed Byron.
“I wish we could’ve gotten one but it’s not the option we had with the fuel-mileage situation we were in,” Gibbs said.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
William Byron ran out of fuel on the final lap. After leading 98 of 200 laps, earning a bonus point for the fastest lap of the race and finishing second and first in the stages, Byron finished 28th.
“We just didn’t have as good of mileage who were further back in the run and that’s just the way the cautions go with the nature of being up front. It stings. I thought we executed well and waited on fuel but burned too much fuel. It is what it is,” Byron said.
Carson Hocevar had a chance at getting his final lap but needed a caution as he was four laps short on fuel, unless he dropped back to save fuel. The caution never came and Hocevar had a left-rear tire issue 15 laps before he needed to pit — disappointing the hometown crowd who came to see the Portage native win for the first time in the Cup Series. Hocevar finished 29th, one lap down.
NASCAR Cup Series Results: 2025 FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan
Denny Hamlin
Chris Buescher
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Zane Smith
Kyle Busch
Ryan Preece
Brad Keselowski
Erik Jones
Josh Berry
Tyler Reddick
Daniel Suarez
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
AJ Allmendinger
Shane van Gisbergen
Austin Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Justin Haley
Joey Logano
Chase Briscoe
Ty Dillon
Riley Herbst
Cody Ware
Noah Gragson
William Byron
Carson Hocevar (-1 lap)
Michael McDowell (-1)
Austin Cindric (-1)
Ryan Blaney (-4)
Todd Gilliland
Crashed out after 146 laps
John Hunter Nemechek
Crashed out after 72 laps
Cole Custer
Alex Bowman
Bowman and Custer each crashed out after 66 laps
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings bubble after Michigan
Bubba Wallace +61
Chase Briscoe +41
Chris Buescher +20
Alex Bowman +13
Ryan Preece: +0
Kyle Busch -0
Carson Hocevar -18
AJ Allmendinger -18
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -20
Erik Jones -36
Zane Smith -37
Michael McDowell -37
Ty Gibbs -52
John Hunter Nemechek -52
Austin Dillon -52
Todd Gilliland -57
Daniel Suarez -68
Below is an archive of the live updates throughout the FireKeepers Casino 400.
FINAL STAGE
William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski and Christopher Bell stayed out, restarting first through 16th on lap 126.
Photo: Dominic Aragon/TRE
Kyle Larson pitted with everyone else on the lead lap, going back to 32nd. Larson jumped to 10th but reported possible voltage issues.
Top 10 on Lap 141: Byron, Hocevar, Reddick, Hamlin, Wallace, Busch, Berry, Buescher, Jones, Larson.
Suarez, Preece, Chastain and Gibbs dropped to 11th through 14th.
Todd Gilliland crashed in turn two on lap 147 after blowing a left-rear tire. Gilliland was running 17th before the crash.
“I hit insanely hard so we are done,” Gilliland said on the radio.
With 52 laps to go, everyone pitted. They can likely make it to the end on fuel, especially if there are several cautions. Christopher Bell made it 59 laps on fuel earlier in the race.
Zane Smith, Michael McDowell and Chase Briscoe took two tires and exited pit road first, third and eighth.
Taking four was Carson Hocevar (second), William Byron, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Chris Buescher (fourth through seventh), Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace (ninth and 10th).
Larson didn’t have to take as much fuel, allowing him to gain as many positions as he did.
On the other end, Tyler Reddick had issues getting out of his pit stall. He dropped to 19th.
Outside of the top-10: Denny Hamlin (11th), Kyle Busch (12th), Brad Keselowski (16th)
Carson Hocevar took the lead from Kyle Larson with a full-send move in turn one. Larson lost second to William Byron.
Hocevar was told he is four laps short while Byron is two laps short. Hocevar was told he is doing a good job saving fuel with 42 laps to go.
Tyler Reddick is up to 10th after restarting 19th. He is one of the biggest movers since the restart:
AJ Allmendinger: +15 to 13th
Tyler Reddick: +10 to 9th
Ross Chastain +9 to 8th
Justin Haley: +6 to 25th
Michael McDowell: -9 to 12th
Chase Briscoe: -9 to 18th
Ty Dillon: -8 to 28th
Noah Gragson: -8 to 30th
According to Prime Video, third-place Kyle Larson is getting 5.8 mpg while drafting off of William Byron but keeping enough of a gap to minimize dirty air in the turns. Carson Hocevar is getting 4.7 mpg and can’t save enough out in front to make it to the end on fuel, he is told.
“So basically, I just go?” Hocevar said.
Denny Hamlin has jumped to fifth after restarting 11th. Hamlin took longer on pit road to fill up with fuel and was told the top-5 is concerned with fuel. He is “a half lap to the good” and doesn’t need to save fuel.
TOP-10, 20 TO GO: Hocevar, Byron, Larson, Gibbs, Hamlin, Buescher, Zane Smith, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick.
With 19 laps to go, Hocevar blew a left-rear tire and lost the lead to Byron. Hamlin took third from Gibbs with 15 to go and got Larson on the same lap. He has no fuel mileage concerns.
Larson dropped to fifth behind Gibbs and Buescher with six laps to go as Byron and Hamlin battled for the lead.
Denny Hamlin took the lead from William Byron after a wild battle with four laps to go after swapping sidedraft moves for several laps. He tried to become the 10th driver to win a Cup race after 700 starts.
Byron ran out coming to get the white flag.
STAGE TWO WINNER: William Byron
STAGE TWO TOP -10 (LAP 120): William Byron, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Ty Dillon, Erik Jones.
This is Byron’s seventh stage win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season
Second only to Kyle Larson, who has eight stage wins
10 lead changes through 120 laps:
Chase Briscoe: 0 to 11
William Byron: 12 to 34
Chris Buescher: 35 to 47
Denny Hamlin: 48
Ty Dillon: 49
Ryan Blaney: 50 to 56
Chase Elliott: 57 to 76
Christopher Bell: 76 to 77
Byron: 78 to 109
Austin Cindric: 110 to 119
Byron: 120 to stage end
Cautions breed cautions in racing, they say. Stage two exemplified just that.
Ryan Blaney led the field for the first restart of stage two. Blaney exited pit road first, ahead of Denny Hamlin, Carson Hocevar, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain.
Polesitter Chase Briscoe dropped from fourth to 12th. Josh Berry dropped from fifth to 11th. Christopher Bell dropped from 22nd to 27th.
Chase Elliott made a huge four-wide move on Carson Hocevar and Denny Hamlin for second on lap 54. Elliott then went up and took the lead from Blaney three laps later.
On lap 58, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin nearly reignited their rivalry. Hamlin ran to the inside of Larson for sixth when his car tightened up on him. Hamlin kept his car off of Larson’s but Hamlin dropped to 12th.
John Hunter Nemechek “snapped loose” exiting turn two on lap 61 and crashed with Noah Gragson. Josh Berry, AJ Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe, Riley Herbst, Austin Dillon, Joey Logano, Todd Gilliland, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Cole Custer, Ty Dillon, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Cody Ware, Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski pitted under caution. They will restart 17th through 34th.
The top-16 is: Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Zane Smith, Christopher Bell, Shane van Gisbergen.
Alex Bowman crashed hard, head-on into the outside wall in turn two after Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric made contact with each other. The wreck happened 67 laps in and also collected Chase Briscoe.
MORE: Alex Bowman slips further in NASCAR Cup points after hard Michigan crash
Under caution on lap 69, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Michael McDowell, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Todd Gilliland, Ryan Preece, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley stayed out while everyone pitted to top off for fuel.
On pit road, Larson was caught speeding.
John Hunter Nemechek ran into trouble again, spinning on lap 73 — 47 laps to go in the stage. Larson jumped from 30th to 26th in the couple of laps run under green.
Denny Hamlin moved to 10th when Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road. They pitted on lap 47 and were going to need a lot of cautions and some miracles to make it to the end of the stage on fuel.
Christopher Bell restarted as the leader on lap 77 with Michael McDowell to the inside on the front row. McDowell raced Bell hard which allowed William Byron to take the lead on the first lap of the restart. Bell held on to second while McDowell dropped to sixth.
Todd Gilliland, who has hardly stood out this season, made waves on lap 85. He took fifth from Joey Logano with a slick move on the frontstretch.
13 laps after pitting, Elliott moved from 33rd to 22nd. Teammate Larson is up to 19th, in between Blaney and Buescher, as strategies have shaken up the outlook of the race.
Front Row Motorsports is trying to fulfill the promise of their name as Zane Smith joined Gilliland in the top-10, taking ninth on lap 93. Smith restarted 18th.
Excluding Elliott (+12 spots to 20th), Smith is the biggest mover, in a positive direction, tied with Josh Berry (+9 to 22nd). Larson gained eight spots to 16th, Hocevar and Chastain +7 to seventh and 12th respectively.
Logano is slipping back, dropping to 14th on lap 97 and 19th on lap 100.
Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace is on the move, cracking the top-10 briefly before Cindric passed him.
Bell pitted on lap 106, stretching the fuel 59 laps. He had 13 caution laps helping him go that far.
Logano has dropped to 23rd as the caution flies on lap 109 for Blaney hitting the wall off of turn four and spinning. Bell will take the free pass.
“Well not exactly our lucky day but we will make it work,” crew chief Adam Stevens said on the radio.
“I think we know the car is good if we can ever get back to the front,” Bell said.
Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe stayed out under caution. On pit road, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson pitted and restarted behind them. Brad Keselowski was caught speeding after running inside the top-10.
On the restart Cindric held on to the lead after fiercely defending Tyler Reddick. Reddick had to fend off William Byron who took second and challenged Cindric.
With three laps to go in the stage, Byron drove hard into turn one and took the lead from Cindric. Cindric had a challenge from Carson Hocevar, a native of nearby Portage, he successfully defended.
Buescher won stage one. It was his first stage win of the season.
STAGE ONE WINNER: Chris Buescher
STAGE ONE TOP -10 (LAP 45): Chris Buescher, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar.
This is Buescher’s first stage win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season
Lap leaders: William Byron (23), Chase Briscoe (11), Chris Buescher (11)
Chase Briscoe led the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag and claimed lap one of 200 in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Briscoe held off a challenge from front row sharer Kyle Busch to lead the first lap. Busch fell back to fourth after the inside lane didn’t have as much momentum and grip as the outside lane.
Tyler Reddick started in the rear of the field but jumped up to 19th in five laps — far exceeding the team’s expectation to be in the teens at the end of the 45-lap stage.
Briscoe lost the lead on lap 12 to William Byron. Byron worked him over for a few laps but finally caught the run just right off of turn two to get a side draft off of his left-rear quarter panel.
Call it deja vu but Chris Buescher called it taking the lead from William Byron after working him over for multiple laps and catching the right run on lap 36.
On lap 18, Reddick has stalled out in 20th. Up front, Chris Buescher is on the move, taking second from Briscoe. Briscoe is falling back as he lost third to teammate Denny Hamlin on lap 22.
Teammate Ty Gibbs is hurting. He started eighth and fell to 23rd on lap 37. Gibbs reported he is loose and had a vibration in the right-rear tire. Gibbs lost the most positions in the opening 45 laps losing 18 positions and dropping to 26th. Alex Bowman was next, dropping from 16th to 32nd.
Ryan Blaney is flying through the field. Blaney started 13th and easily passed Ty Gibbs for eighth on lap 19. Carson Hocevar is following him through the field after starting 14th.
Blaney is now up to sixth while Hocevar has fell to 10th on lap 41.
Daniel Suarez had a tire issue and pitted during the stage. He received the free pass during the caution for the first stage.
NASCAR Cup Series 2025 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan Starting Lineup
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
William Byron
Kyle Larson
Chris Buescher
Josh Berry
Ty Gibbs
Bubba Wallace
Zane Smith
Austin Cindric
Tyler Reddick
Started from the rear due to a flat tire in practice
Elite Motorsports Sends a Pair to Semifinals at Thunder Valley Nationals
Aaron Stanfield and David Cuadra rallied to semifinal finishes for Elite Motorsports Sunday at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Stanfield and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brother’s Racing team started race day from the No. 4 qualifying spot thanks to a 6.666-second pass at 204.08 mph. […]
Aaron Stanfield and David Cuadra rallied to semifinal finishes for Elite Motorsports Sunday at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.
Stanfield and the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brother’s Racing team started race day from the No. 4 qualifying spot thanks to a 6.666-second pass at 204.08 mph. After winning the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, Stanfield opened eliminations with a victory against Mason McGaha. The JHG / Melling machine laid down a 6.676-second run at 204.70 mph to defeat McGaha’s 6.749 at 204.88.
In the second round, Stanfield squared off against Cody Coughlin, who had trouble from the start, coasting to 18.279 seconds at 43.53 mph while Stanfield made a clean 6.709 pass at 204.17 to face rival Dallas Glenn in the 18th semifinal round of his career.
The JHG / Melling hotrod would have tire shake against Glenn. Stanfield would cross the finish line in 7.362-seconds and 153.51 mph while Glenn went straight down track in 6.671 and 206.23.
“It’s been a good weekend for Elite Motorsports. It really started back in Epping, a semifinal appearance for Erica and I, and then yesterday winning the #2Fast2Tasty Challenege,” Stanfield said. “Obviously would have liked to bring home the win today, keep the Thunder Valley Nationals title in the Elite camp for another year [Elite Motorsports has won the event the past three consecutive years], but we’re keeping our heads up. This whole team has been working hard, trying new things, testing and it’s paying off. We’ll be back in the winner’s circle soon. It’s only a matter of time.”
David Cuadra, driving the Cuadra Tequila / Cuadra Belts / Cuadra car, rallied to the second semifinal appearance of his career that started with a first-round battle against twin brother Cristian Cuadra. David, the No. 6 qualifier (6.669 at 204.94) laid down a 6.671-second pass at 204.91 mph for his second win against Cristian who had a .001-second reaction time but rattled the tires.
In the second round, Cuadra raced against Deric Kramer and took the victory on a holeshot. With a .008-second reaction time and 6.725-second pass at 203.95 mph, Cuadra got the best of Kramer, who had a .040 reaction time and 6.713 run at 204.88.
In the semifinals, Cuadra had a monster matchup against reigning six-time world champion and eventual event winner Greg Anderson. Cuadra’s 6.699-second pass at 204.82 mph just wasn’t enough for Anderson’s 6.644 at 206.01.
“I feel like I had a great weekend from having had that long break, it just feels great. I think my car ran really good all weekend,” Cuadra said. “I’m excited. I’m really happy, but I really want to get into the finals and get a Wally in Pro Stock. I mean, that’s the dream. Today definitely gives us a whole lot of confidence, though. My reaction times almost surprised me. Being double zero that first time, I just kept going. I’m really confident that I’m getting to that next level. My car is running phenomenal, so I know one day everything’s going to line up and we’re going to make it to the final.”
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Next on the Pro Stock Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series schedule will be the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, June 26.29.
This story was originally published on June 9, 2025.
NASCAR points after Michigan International Speedway
NASCAR playoff standings after Michigan International Speedway On Sunday, NASCAR raced on the 2-mile of Michigan International Speedway. It’s race number 15 on the season and only 11 races remain before the playoffs begin. View NASCAR standings after Michigan International Speedway below. Denny Hamlin added to his win total. With three wins this season he’s […]
NASCAR playoff standings after Michigan International Speedway
On Sunday, NASCAR raced on the 2-mile of Michigan International Speedway. It’s race number 15 on the season and only 11 races remain before the playoffs begin.
View NASCAR standings after Michigan International Speedway below.
Denny Hamlin added to his win total. With three wins this season he’s now tied with Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell for the most wins in the 2025 season.
Michigan Results: June 8, 2025 (NASCAR Cup Series)
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings
Pos | Driver | Wins | Points
1. Kyle Larson 3 Wins
2. Denny Hamlin 3 Wins
3. Christopher Bell 3 Wins
4. William Byron 1 Win
5. Ryan Blaney 1 Win
6. Joey Logano 1 Win
7. Austin Cindric 1 Win
8. Josh Berry 1 Win
9. Ross Chastain 1 Win
10. Chase Elliott +142
11. Tyler Reddick +138
12. Bubba Wallace +61
13. Chase Briscoe +41
14. Chris Buescher +41
15. Alex Bowman +13
16. Ryan Preece +0
— Playoff Cutline —
17. Kyle Busch -0
18. Carson Hocevar -18
19. AJ Allmendinger -18
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr -20
Credit: BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – JUNE 08: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, and Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings (Regular Season)
Note: The leader of the point standings at the start of the playoffs is given bonus points heading into the playoff races.
STEPHEN A. CALLS OUT LEBRON for Giannis and NBA eras comments 
| First Take
