From Kyle Larson’s Redemption to Michael Jordan’s $150 Million Team Losing Their Respect: 5 Winners and 5 Losers From FireKeepers 400 at Michigan

On Monday, the NASCAR Cup race at the Michigan International Speedway concluded. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher soaked up the pressure from a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr, to win. Behind them, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Larson completed the Top 5 drivers in the race. Admittedly, this race was supposed to be on Sunday but was called off after 70+ laps due to heavy rain.

When it resumed the next day, Buescher and Truex Jr were really on a charge. Initially, it looked like Truex Jr was going to win because he seemed to be much faster than the RFK Racing star. But remembering the words of Fernando Alonso, Buescher “defended like a lion” all the way until the end. Of course, just as drivers like Buescher and Truex enjoyed their spoils, there were others who wallowed in defeat.

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Winners at the Firekeepers Casino 400

Chris Buescher

This is a no-brainer since he is the race winner. The 30-year-old qualified in fourth place and was right up among the leaders for a while. He led a race-high of 52 laps and put up an excellent defense against the #19 Joe Gibbs Racing car of Truex Jr. This victory also marks his second back-to-back win, following his triumph at the Richmond Raceway, since 2009. It brings his total win tally to four, adding to his 2016 win at Pocono and last year’s win at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr

Off late, Truex Jr has been driving with a chip on his shoulder. At the age of 43, questions are slowly cropping up about his future in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, his recent performances and three Cup wins in 2023 have been more than enough to silence any critics. It also helps that he led 47 laps and won the first two stages, cementing his rock-solid form. Additionally, he kept the race winner, Chris Buescher, on his toes for much of the race. There were times when it looked like he would overtake, but couldn’t make it stick.

Denny Hamlin

Like his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin was also in good form. While he was not at the same level as Truex Jr and Buescher, he did manage to keep the lead two drivers in his sights. He could have been in with a shout of victory, but a botched pit stop made things a lot harder. As it happened, Hamlin stalled his engine on pit road and struggled to get out of his pit box. Luckily, he got it fired up and he was back in the race, and the recovery drive was on.

Brad Keselowski

Buescher’s teammate, and home hero, Brad Keselowski also had a solid day in the office at Michigan. In this way, the 2012 Cup Series champion proved that the #17 car is not alone. Keselowski was a solid teammate and showed that the RFK pace was not just down to one car. The best part was that they were flying the flag for Ford, well ahead of the likes of Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Kyle Larson

Finally, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was another big winner. To be fair, it was a nightmarish weekend for Hendrick Motorsports, and Kyle Larson was the only saving grace. Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and William Byron, all ran into trouble, with just Larson surviving the distance. The organization is in a desperate situation because two of its drivers are still trying to reach the Playoffs.

Losers

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William Byron

As mentioned before, it was a rough day in the office for Hendrick Motorsports. At the end of Stage 1, Byron slid into the wall and came back with heavy damage. He was able to limp back to the pitlane to get the car repaired. Unfortunately, the #24 team ran out of time to repair the car, so the poor driver was unable to participate in Stage 2 and he was another Hendrick driver out of action.

Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott was the first Hendrick Motorsports victim to head for an early shower. Since he crashed out in Sunday’s halted race, he was not allowed to compete when it officially resumed on Monday. As a result, he was stuck watching from the sidelines as a helpless spectator as HMS’s day went from bad to worse. At the time of his crash, he was tailing Trackhouse Racing duo, Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain. Unfortunately, his rear end stepped out from under him after a puncture, and he slid backward into the wall.

Alex Bowman

There is an old saying, that trouble often comes in threes, and that rang true for Hendrick Motorsports. This time it was Alex Bowman who had trouble in the race. He barely avoided getting caught up in Christopher Bell’s wreck while they fought for the lead. To his credit, he lasted as long as Stage 3 but got caught up in Todd Gilliland’s wreck. Gilliland wrecked on his own, and Bowman got tagged by Chase Briscoe, to end his miserable race.

Kyle Busch

It wasn’t just the Hendrick Motorsports drivers who had trouble during the race. Richard Childress Racing star Kyle Busch was an early crasher, but his incident occurred on Sunday. While battling with Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney, they had minor contact that sent Busch spinning into the wall. His race was done, and he couldn’t even take part in the continuation on Monday after Sunday’s event was halted by rain.

Tyler Reddick

This was a real shame for Reddick because he was right there in contention for the win. After all, the lead battle was between himself, Buescher, and Truex Jr. Sadly, the 23XI Racing driver had his right rear wheel go flat and he lost valuable time in the race. Although he did not crash out like the three Hendrick drivers and Kyle Busch, his chance of winning a race had diminished.

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