Michigan Event Info:
Track Info: Michigan International Speedway, 2-mile D-shape
Date: Sunday, Aug. 6
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Brooklyn, Michigan
Format: 200 laps, 400 miles, Stages: 45-75-80
TV: USA
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 12:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 1:20 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 2:30 p.m. ET, Race (USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
- RFK is coming off a dominant effort in Sunday’s race at Richmond as Jack Roush earned his 139th win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Brad Keselowski earned his second as co-owner.
- Chris Buescher’s dominant performance clinched his spot in the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs with now four races remaining in the regular season – Michigan, Indianapolis Road Course, Watkins Glen, Daytona.
- RFK rolls into Michigan – both Keselowski and Roush’s home state – with momentum as MIS stands as Jack’s best track all-time statistically, with 13 wins in the Cup Series alone, more than any track on the circuit.
6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: NEXLIZET (bempedoic acid and ezetimibe)
17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Castrol Edge
Keselowski at Michigan
Starts: 25
Wins: —
Top-10s: 13
Poles: 2 (2017, 2019)
- Keselowski is in line for his 26th Cup start from MIS where he has a 12.6 average finish with 13 finishes inside the top-10.
- Despite no wins at his home track, Keselowski has seven results inside the top five with three runner-up finishes (2012, 2018, 2020).
- The Rochester Hills native has five top-10s in his last eight starts, including a P9 finish two years ago. He finished runner-up in the first of two doubleheader races in 2020, and outside of a crash in the second race, Keselowski has completed all but four laps at the 2-mile track in his 25 starts there.
- He has two career Cup poles at MIS (2017, 2019) and 10 overall starts inside the top-10.
- Keselowski has an additional nine combined starts at MIS in the Xfinity and Truck Series with two NXS wins (2009, 2010).
Buescher at Michigan
Starts: 12
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: 1 (2020)
- Coming off the third win of his Cup career at Richmond this past weekend, Buescher will make his 13th Cup start at MIS this weekend. He has a career-best sixth-place run back in 2017 and overall has a 20.2 average finish. Last season he finished 16th.
- Two seasons ago he ran 15th, one of his three top-15s in his 12 starts.
- By way of the starting lineup metrics used during the COVID season (2020), Buescher started on the pole in the second race of a doubleheader that summer. Otherwise, he carries an average starting position of 19.8.
- Buescher also made three NXS starts at MIS and finished top-10 in all three with a best finish of P4 in 2015.
RFK Historically at Michigan
Cup Wins: 12 (Mark Martin, 1990, 1993, 1997, 1998; Matt Kenseth, 2002, 2006; Kurt Busch, 2003; Greg Biffle, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013; Carl Edwards, 2007, 2008)
- Home Sweet Home: Michigan International Speedway serves as ‘home’ for Jack Roush and RFK Racing, located just an hour from Roush Industries in Livonia, Michigan. MIS has naturally been one of the organization’s most successful tracks on the circuit, with the team earning a total of 23 wins across NASCAR’s three major touring series.
- I Said Welcome to Detroit City: In 221 NCS starts at Michigan, RFK has recorded 13 wins, 56 top-fives and 102 top-10 finishes with 2,453 laps led. Former driver Greg Biffle earned the organization’s most recent victory in June 2013 after starting 19th and leading 48 laps. Biffle’s win was also the 1,000th NASCAR victory for Ford Performance.
- Roush vs. Everyone Else: RFK’s 13 wins in the NCS at Michigan are the most of any track on the NCS schedule. Five different drivers have earned victories for RFK at the two-mile oval with former drivers Mark Martin and Biffle both taking the checkered flag on four separate occasions. RFK drivers Matt Kenseth (two), Carl Edwards (two) and Kurt Busch (one) have also gone to victory lane for the organization in Michigan.
- Consistency in the Motor City: Michigan ranks first overall among all tracks that RFK has competed on in the NCS in top-five finishes, top-10 finishes and in average finish among tracks that they have run two or more races. RFK has recorded 56 top-fives, 102 top-10s and has an average finish of 14.5 at the two-mile oval.
RFK Michigan Wins
1990-2 Martin Cup
1993-2 Martin Cup
1993 Martin NXS
1995 Martin NXS
1997-2 Martin Cup
1998 Burton NXS
1998-1 Martin Cup
1999 Biffle Truck
2000 Biffle Truck
2002-1 KensethCup
2003-1 Busch Cup
2004-2 Biffle Cup
2005-1 Biffle Cup
2006-2 Kenseth Cup
2007-1 Edwards Cup
2007 Kvapil Truck
2008-2 Edwards Cup
2008 Edwards NXS
2008 Darnell Truck
2009 Braun Truck
2011 Edwards NXS
2012-2 Biffle Cup
2013-1 Biffle Cup
Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Richmond: RFK led a combined 190 laps Sunday at Richmond as Buescher earned his third career Cup win. Keselowski won the second stage and led the most laps of any car in the field (102), finishing sixth.
Points Standings (6: 11th, 17: 13th): Buescher joins the list of 11 other winners and is 13th in overall points, but 11th amongst the teams with a win. Keselowski is 11th in overall points with three drivers behind him with a win.
By the Numbers at Michigan
Race Win T5 T10 Pole Laps Led AvSt AvFn Miles
217 13 56 102 4 41288 2452 18.1 14.4 82576
59 5 27 37 4 6459 703 11.7 12.1 12918
21 5 8 12 1 2021 260 10.9 11.3 4042
297 23 91 151 9 49768 3415 17.9 13.6 99536
