FireKeepers Casino 400
Brooklyn, Mich. – June 7, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 31ST STAGE 1: 26TH STAGE 2: 15TH FINISH: 11TH POINTS: 16TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Discount Tire team overcame an early setback to earn an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. After sustaining underbody damage from a tire failure during Saturday’s practice session, Cindric was forced to start from the rear of the field. The No. 2 car quickly began working its way forward, climbing into the top 20 within the first 25 laps. As the race progressed, Cindric battled a loose-handling condition. Crew chief Brian Wilson and the No. 2 team made a series of adjustments throughout the afternoon, steadily improving the balance. The adjustments paid dividends in Stage 2 as Cindric positioned himself inside the top 15 and reported the car was becoming more drivable. After finishing Stage 2 in 15th, the team continued making changes in preparation for the final segment. A late caution with fewer than 60 laps remaining saw Cindric pit from the 10th position for four fresh tires and fuel while several competitors opted for two tires. Following a brief red flag for wall repairs and late-race incidents, Cindric avoided trouble and maintained track position inside the top 15. When the checkered flag flew, Cindric crossed the line in 11th, capping off a resilient afternoon for the No. 2 team.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “Yeah, glad we were able to hold on. It felt like we had more, honestly, than a P11 day, just kind of the way the strategy shook out and everything, but Brian Wilson and the guys did a great job with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang making adjustments during the race. We really missed out on a lot of practice time to kind of adjust on our package for this weekend. I’m proud of the effort and it’s what we need to continue to do. It’s nice not to be wrecked like we have the last couple weeks, so that’s a positive. So plenty of positives, but yeah, definitely wanted more than 11th.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/RICHMOND FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 19TH STAGE 1: 21ST STAGE 2: 14TH FINISH: 8TH POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang Dark Horse team made a late charge Sunday at Michigan to turn in an eighth-place finish, marking the team’s third-straight top-10 result and fourth in its last five races. After starting 19th, Blaney struggled with the balance in traffic during the first run of the afternoon in a 21st-place finish in Stage 1, prompting a major swing on adjustments prior to the restart. Blaney worked his way into the top-20 prior to the caution on lap 65 when crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the call for right side tires and fuel – gaining seven positions on pit road in the process – as the Menards/Richmond Ford lined up 11th to take the green flag. Three cautions over the final run of the second segment continued to reset the field before a 27-lap run to the end of the stage eventually saw Blaney cross the line scored 14th. Blaney continued to hover just outside the top-10 during the final stretch of the 400-mile event and eventually took over the 10th spot in the running order by the time of the final caution of the afternoon with 46 laps to go. After restarting with 39 laps remaining, Blaney worked his way as high as seventh over the course of the final run before taking the checkered flag eighth for his 10th top-10 effort of the season.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “We just stuck with it all day. We kind of struggled after practice and didn’t qualify great. We were just kind of stuck in the 15th to 25th range depending on where you dropped us. We got working on it a little bit more and more and got it a little bit better for the day. We stayed out of some of the messes – a couple wrecks – and was able to scrap together an eighth. I’m proud of everybody for sticking with it all day, for sure. We definitely continue to work and try to get better. That’s all we can really do. We have a ways to make up to get to the 11 [team]. They’re on it right now, but second, third, fourth – they were within striking distance from us, so we’ll just try to keep working with it. I appreciate Menards, Richmond, Ford Racing for what they do with our program.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 18TH STAGE 1: 13TH STAGE 2: 9TH FINISH: 7TH POINTS: 17TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse team fought to a seventh-place finish Sunday at Michigan – the team’s second top-10 result in the last three races. After starting 18th, Logano worked his way towards the top-10 by the halfway point of the opening stage before ultimately coming away with a 13th-place finish in Stage 1. The No. 22 team gained three spots on pit road with its first four tire stop of the day, allowing Logano to take the ensuing restart from the outside of row five. Despite falling to 14th during the following run, crew chief Paul Wolfe’s call for right side tires only saw the Autotrader Ford jump to sixth on the leaderboard prior to the restart with 50 laps remaining in Stage 2. Following another caution on lap 78, the ensuing restart resulted in a multi-car incident on the frontstretch as Logano brushed the outside wall before the No. 54 slid up the track and into the right side door of the No. 22. The contact did not prompt a trip to pit road as Logano reported that everything felt normal in the car, allowing him to maintain track position en route to a pair of stage points with a ninth-place result in Stage 2. A caution early on in the following run saw Wolfe make another two-tire call to gain seven positions on pit road as Logano took the green flag from the outside of row three with 53 laps to go in an effort to establish their track position for the rest of the way. Logano maintained top-10 pace from then on, climbing as high as fifth in the running order with 26 laps to go while holding off cars coming off of four tire stops before ultimately taking the checkered flag seventh to close out the 400-mile event.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We’ve got the ball rolling again. That’s about what we had for speed in the car was right around there. We’ve just got to try to find a little more speed. These are the type of tracks that everything is going to show up. We executed a really good race. Paul [Wolfe] called a great race. The pit crew did great. I executed one restart good of them all. All the rest of them I was hanging on to, but, overall, we’re at the point where we’re proud of top 10s, which is not a good place to be, but we’re proud of a top 10. Confidence is a real thing. That’s what momentum is – just confidence within the team. It seems like we’re back to our old ways where at least we can maximize finishes and that’s back to what the 22 [team] is good at. That confidence is regaining for sure.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 14 for the Great American Getaway 400. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
