Story, pictures, quotes, and Zoomcast with drivers and highlights below
By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
Brooklyn, Mich. — The Manufacturers Cup … William Byron led the most laps. Carson Hocevar led for most of Stage 3. In the end, Denny Hamlin won by saving fuel and saving his power moves to go around Byron and puts Joe Gibbs Racing in victory lane for the first time since 2015.
First Stage-
Chase Briscoe brings the field to the green flag and stays out front until lap 11 when William Byron takes the lead. By lap 18, Byron goes in front of Chris Buescher, who is nearly a second behind. The pole sitter is now third, and the second qualifier Kyle Busch is 6th. Buescher runs down Byron, and by lap 26, the #17 takes the low line, then the high, but Briscoe holds. Buescher finally takes the race lead. Buescher closes it out over the field and wins Stage One. Thirty-five of 36 drivers are on the lead lap. Only Daniel Suarez was down a lap, and he got the free pass after pitting for a tire rub. Buescher wins his first stage of the 2025 season.
Second Stage
With the field pitting between the stages, Ryan Blaney takes the lead after being first off pit road. Amazon Prime announcers Steve LeTarte and Carl Edwards are impressed by Buescher’s ability to time Byron for the lead. At the green flag, Blaney takes a one-second lead until Elliott goes by him on lap 56 with Carson Hocevar three car lengths back in third. The first caution for cause happens when John Hunter Nemechek and Noah Gragson tangle on lap 60. Chase Elliott leads the field to the green flag with Blaney right beside him.
The restart on lap 65 reveals carnage as Alex Bowman is spun with Cole Custer, pole sitter Briscoe, and Daniel Suarez all collide on the backstretch. Bowman takes a massive hit, and he is out of the race. Bowman has finished 27th or worse in seven out of the last nine races.
A red flag comes out, and the drivers sit on T1 waiting for fluids to be cleaned from the Bowman machine. Elliott takes the green flag and runs in front of Christopher Bell. This run is short-lived as John Hunter Nemechek spins from 33rd position between Turns 3 and Turn 4, backing into the wall. This incident raises a caution flag. Elliott pits and is flagged for improper fueling, and he restarts from the rear of the field.
With a sweet move on lap 75, Byron takes over the race lead with Bell, Reddick, and Brad Keselowski running in the top four. With leaders starting to pit on lap 106, Bell makes it out fine, and Ryan Blaney spins coming to pit road from 12th position, bringing out the caution flag. He has a flat rear tire and a bent toe link. At the end of Stage Two, it’s Byron, Austin Cindric, Hocebar, and Tyler Reddick.
Final Stage
With most machines coming in between the Stages to pit, teams will need one more pit stop before the final lap. Thirty-two of 36 drivers are still on the lead lap. Byron continues tolead the field with Hocevar going around Cindric. Hamlin, Reddick, and Bubba Wallace round out the top-five.
Kyle Larson, running in tenth position, begins to report an issue with voltage on lap 140. Reddick goes around Hamlin for third place on lap 141. On lap 145, Todd Gilliland blows a left rear tire and goes into the wall in 17th place. This is the 5th competitive caution of the day.
All drivers will top off their tanks on lap 147 with their final scheduled stops. The sun was out for most of the first 130 laps and it is now overcast and improved grip on the track is back for the homestretch. Hocevar outduels Zane Smith and Kyle Larson for the lead, and he goes up by .020. Byron, who has led 84 laps, is closing on Hocevar. Teams are watching fuel mileage, and Hocevar is short on fuel to the end. With 34 laps to go, it’s Hocevar, Byron, and Larson.
By lap 178, Byron has caught Hocevar but is using the draft to stay in second place for a last-lap pass. Hocevar needs a caution as he is very low on fuel. Hocevar blows his left rear tire and pits on lap 181. It’s Byron, Larson, and Ty Gibbs. Hamlin goes around Larson on lap 187 and now challenges Byron for the lead. Gibbs is now third, with Larson 4th. Hamlin catches Byron and they fight each other for the lead. Hamlin clears Byron on turn three and there are three laps to go. Hamlin holds off Byron and wins his third race of the season.
Checkered Flag
Denny Hamlin led only five laps at the Firekeepers 400, but it was his work in the Top 5 that set up his victory. Hamlin earns 51 points with the win. Hamlin is in third place, 88 points behind William Byron, and 41 points behind Kyle Larson. His three wins this season tie, Christopher Bell, and Larson. We caught up to Denny in Victory Lane. . Denny, your team told you had a quarter to half a lap to the good, but you raced it out with Byron. Any point during that battle you were nervous you would run out of fuel? DENNY HAMLIN: No, not really. I wanted to get the lead. Obviously he was doing a great job defending.”
They Said It
Alex Bowman is ok. What a relief. He took a hard hit. Bowman on the accident that ended the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team’s day early at Michigan International Speedway:
“It just looked like the No. 2 (Austin Cindric) got into the No. 41 (Cole Custer) or he was in a bad aero spot, something like that. The No. 41 got loose and at that point, being on the outside, when they get into you, you’re just along for the ride. Really quickly turned the car into the outside wall and it was a massive crash. Hate it for our No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. We just have to keep digging. It’s been a really bad two months for us, but we just have to keep working hard.”
Quote # 2- Steve LeTarte from Amazon Prime on Carson Hocevar. “Winning quiets a lot of criticism.” Hocevar finished 29th after blowing a left rear tire. His fuel was very low and he might not have finished anyway.
Hamlin on pit road to heckling fans. Denny: I’m sorry, but I beat your favorite driver, folks.
Q. I got to ask, who is that? DENNY HAMLIN: All of ’em (smiling).
Factoids that may interest only me
Not a factoid, but Steve LeTarte and Carl Edwards said Hocevar’s driving is coming to a boiling point in the garage.
RFK Racing has all three drivers in the Top Ten at Michigan. Buescher 2nd, Preece 9th, and Keselowski 10th.
Bowman has slid from fourth to out of the playoffs in the last eight races. He has finished 27th or worse in seven out of the previous nine races.
Joe Gibbs Racing has not won at Michigan since 2015, when HOF driver Matt Kenseth won until Sunday.
Fantasy
Felt great about my team this week. Hamlin wins. Elliot, Byron, and Hocevar led most of the race. Logano started on the bench and stayed there. My team stayed away from early stumbles. Hocevar’s late blown tire sends him to 29th place. That happens. Larson would have been in the lineup, but he has only four starts left. Final points. 170
Tale of the Tape
Final Standings
Roy J. Akers covers NASCAR for www.skyviewsports.net
