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Newsweek
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
NASCAR Insiders Clap Back At Michigan Critics: 'It's a Damn Good Race'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. While many fans might have fumed at the race results of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, considering the way Denny Hamlin secured victory, the fact of the matter is that such mileage races are also a form of pure stock car racing where drivers have to not only focus on raw speed but also have to conserve fuel to avoid running out towards the end of the race. The FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup race saw Carson Hocevar lead in the early stages, which meant he utilized all that his car had to offer. However, that burned a significant amount of fuel. With just 18 laps to go, Hocevar encountered a flat left rear tire, which forced him to pit, leading him to finish the race in P29. Hocevar admitted that despite the flat tire incident, he would still have to pit since he was running low on fuel. Similarly, William Byron, who led the race for 98 laps, ran out of fuel when there were just four laps to go. He drove hard in the end to defend the spot while Hamlin chased him, causing him to burn more fuel. Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025... Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. MorePitting in the closing stage of the race for fuel meant Byron finished the race in P28, allowing Hamlin to secure his third victory of the season. Being a seasoned driver, Hamlin conserved his fuel and gave a tough fight to Byron, setting an example of how performance and mileage can be achieved in the same race. Speaking on the Teardown podcast, The Athletic's Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed the nature of the race at Michigan and revealed that it has the perfect mix of speed, strategy, team elements, and cautions that make a very good race. Bianchi said: "I say this all the time. If you are a NASCAR fan and you did not like this race, why? Because your favorite driver didn't win? Okay, sure, but this is what NASCAR racing is. You had the speed sensation, you have guys being able to make moves we didn't talk about, all of the things that we've talked about the Next Gen car, you had strategy, you had all of the team elements! You even had cautions. You had guys who overstepped, Blaney made a mistake and hit the wall, you had a damn good race here. I don't know why you would really hate this race." Gluck then pointed out fan reactions on X that complained about the mileage race, which prompted him to point out the strategic elements that make such races compelling. He added: "That is a strategy play, that is like guessing to see, and how much did you save, and how much did you lift, and should you go hard, should you try to take the lead. What's wrong with that? That's great stuff!" Bianchi responded: "It is a fundamental part of racing. Do you go hard? Do you save? Do you burn up your stuff and all of this? It's phenomenal."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Denny Hamlin plays the villain in Michigan after FireKeepers Casino 400 win
BROOKLYN, MI – When asked if he had disdain for Michigan, Denny Hamlin said no. You would not know that from his post race gestures, though. 'My friend Travis … he was like, 'Man, it'd feel good if you won from that school up north right in their backyard,' Hamlin said. 'I said, 'Well, I'm going to do it for you.' And so I did it just for my buddy.' What he did for his buddy was do a little "O-S-U" chant and arm gesture as a nod to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Advertisement Hamlin might not hate Michigan, but he does love playing the villain, and this weekend was a perfect moment for that. He's on the back nine of his racing years, his company is under threat from his NASCAR lawsuit and he's waiting on the birth of his son. Hamlin had a million reasons to lose the race this weekend. Instead, he came from behind in the waning laps of the race to snatch the win from the driver who'd led most of the race right after the hometown kid suffered a flat tire. Amid yellow and red flags, Hamlin emerged victorious – much to the crowd's displeasure. He did not mind, though. 'Until the crowd shifts to mostly cheers or boos, I'm always going to antagonize the booers like that,' Hamlin said. 'Until you really get the switch, which I don't think I'm ever going to in my career, what else is there? … I got to find ways to have fun doing this.' Hamlin did not seem like the likely winner when the race began, either. Despite his starting third, many eyes were on points leader William Byron, starting fourth, or Carson Hocevar, whose hot stretch coming into the race was a topic of conversation around the pit lane. Hamlin was still in third after a relatively uneventful Stage 1 for him despite several lead changes ahead of him and a fierce battle for fourth and fifth behind his car. Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 8, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Starting in Stage 2, however, Hamlin's performance took a dive. Though he was second at the start, he began dropping down the race order, and while battling with Kyle Larson on Lap 58, he got loose and dropped five spots down to eleventh. It was a poor moment for Hamlin, who easily could have been buried down the order with the chaos of the restarts of the second stage. Advertisement Instead, Hamlin pulled himself back up the order, and by Lap 85, he had battled back to around the fifth position. He ended the stage eighth but he was still in the fight. As the third stage commenced, Hamlin was still back in the pack, at one point sitting around eleventh. He also sustained damage after a pit incident where he was stuck between two cars attempting to leave. As the laps ticked down, a comeback seemed increasingly unlikely. But he went to work, moving up one car at a time. By Lap 175, he'd reached fifth and knew that the drivers ahead of him were in much more dire straits regarding fuel then he was. Seven laps later, Hocevar went down with a flat tire and Hamlin was suddenly in fourth. Hamlin took down Ty Gibbs on Lap 185 and passed Kyle Larson one lap later. THE RACE: Denny Hamlin wins FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in epic finish Advertisement All that was left to do was wait. Byron was nearly out of fuel and was desperately conserving while attempting to hold off Hamlin. Hamlin waited for his opportunity and began an earnest battle for the lead at Lap 196. He passed Byron on Lap 197 at Turn 3 where he had identified Byron as vulnerable and claimed victory two laps later. Byron ultimately had to pit on the second-to-last lap, out of fuel. Hamlin also ran out of fuel – it was just on his second round of victory burnouts. 'I never will assume someone's going to run out,' Hamlin said. 'And I always am going to assume when I get there to challenge for the lead, they're going to go 100%. And I think that was the case, they told me over the radio (that) they told him, 'You got to go, you got to hold the lead, and (if) we run out, we run out.' That's the right strategy to do, which in turn made it more gratifying to me to pass him when he was going all out.' Hamlin may be 44, but he's not done yet. He's already achieved something only twenty drivers ever have in competing in 700 races, but he wants more wins. He's not done showing the kids what he can do, either. 'I'm racing guys that are, you know, some of them pretty much half my age,' Hamlin said. 'And they're so good, and they're really, really good, and so it's really gratifying when I know I can run with them, and I know I can beat them. … It just feels really good to, 20 years later, still feel like this is the best that I've ever been.' Advertisement Matthew Auchincloss is a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. Connect at mauchincloss@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Denny Hamlin plays villain in Michigan win at FireKeepers Casino 400
NBC Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Qualifying Highlights: Cup Series at Michigan
Watch qualifying highlights for the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
