When it comes to enhancing the security and convenience of your property, electric driveway gates offer a range of benefits that are hard to ignore. These automated gates are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners due to their functionality and aesthetic appeal and the fact they keep cars safe. In this blog post, we will explore the various advantages of electric driveway gates and why they are an excellent investment for your home.
Enhanced Security
Security is a top concern for homeowners, and electric driveway gates provide an effective solution. Unlike manual gates, electric gates are operated by remote controls, keypads, or even smartphone apps. This means you can control who enters your property, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access.
Additionally, some electric gates come with advanced security features, such as intercom systems and video surveillance integration. These features allow you to communicate with visitors before granting them access, further bolstering your home’s security.
Convenience and Ease of Use
The convenience offered by electric driveway gates is unparalleled. With just a push of a button, you can open or close the gate without having to leave your car. This is particularly beneficial during inclement weather when getting in and out of your vehicle to open a manual gate can be a hassle.
Moreover, some electric gates can be integrated with smart home systems, allowing you to operate them remotely through your smartphone or voice-controlled virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
Aesthetic Appeal
Electric driveway gates come in various styles, designs, and materials, adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to your property’s entrance. Whether you prefer the classic look of wrought iron gates or the modern appeal of sleek aluminum gates, there’s a design to complement any architectural style.
By choosing the right design and material, you can increase your home’s curb appeal and potentially raise its property value, making electric gates a worthwhile investment from both a functional and aesthetic perspective.
Increased Property Value
As mentioned earlier, electric driveway gates can boost your property’s value. Many homebuyers are willing to pay a premium for homes with enhanced security features and added convenience. By installing electric gates, you can make your property more attractive to potential buyers in the future.
Privacy Control
Electric gates offer an added layer of privacy for homeowners. You can control who enters your property and keep unwanted solicitors or strangers at bay. This is particularly beneficial if you live in a densely populated area or near a busy road.
Safety for Children and Pets
If you have children or pets, an electric driveway gate provides an additional safety measure. It reduces the risk of them wandering onto the road or into potentially dangerous areas outside your property. With an electric gate, you have better control over their movements, ensuring their safety within the confines of your home.
Low Maintenance
Modern tall driveway gates are designed to be durable and require minimal maintenance. Many gates are made from sturdy materials that can withstand various weather conditions without rusting or deteriorating. Regular lubrication and occasional inspections are typically all that’s needed to keep them operating smoothly.
Conclusion
Electric driveway gates offer many advantages, making them popular for homeowners seeking to improve their property’s security, convenience, and aesthetics. From enhanced security and privacy control to the added value they bring to your property, the benefits of electric gates are compelling.
If you’re considering enhancing your home’s entrance and security, look no further than electric driveway gates. Invest in these automated gates to enjoy their convenience, safety, and peace of mind. Upgrade your home with this modern and practical feature, and experience its many benefits.
The Houston truck industry has recently undergone significant changes, capturing the attention of both insiders and external observers. These dynamic shifts in operations, responsiveness to challenges, and capitalization of opportunities indicate an evolving landscape. This post will explore the emerging trends, challenges, and strategies that are shaping Houston’s future in the industry.
The Houston truck industry is currently undergoing a remarkable transformation driven primarily by technological advancements. Various innovative developments, including autonomous vehicles and telematics systems, are revolutionizing truck operations. The implementation of autonomous trucks harbors vast potential for enhancing efficiency and minimizing human errors. Furthermore, the integration of telematics systems offers real-time tracking capabilities, optimized route planning, and predictive maintenance solutions, resulting in enhanced productivity and significant cost savings for trucking companies.
The Houston truck industry is taking significant steps to enhance sustainability as global concerns about the environment grow. To comply with emission regulations and align with the increasing demand for greener practices, companies are increasingly exploring electric and hybrid trucks. These innovative solutions not only help reduce carbon footprint but also resonate positively with eco-conscious consumers who prioritize environmentally friendly initiatives.
Supply Chain Resilience in the Spotlight
The disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have strongly highlighted the vulnerability of supply chains, specifically in the Houston truck industry. As a result, there is now a renewed focus on resilience and agility within this sector. Trucking companies are currently reassessing their supply chain strategies and placing greater emphasis on local sourcing, multi-modal transportation, and efficient inventory management as key measures to mitigate potential future disruptions. For more insights into this, you can check out this https://www.classicelitebuickgmc.com/.
E-commerce Boom Fuels Last-Mile Delivery Demand
The rise in online shopping has created an exponential demand for efficient last-mile delivery services. In response, the truck industry in Houston is adapting by optimizing routes, utilizing smaller vehicles for deliveries, and investing in streamline warehousing solutions. This fierce competition to provide quick, reliable, and cost effective last-mile delivery is shaping the landscape of the industry.
Workforce Dynamics and Recruitment Challenges
The Houston truck industry is witnessing a transformation in its workforce landscape. As the existing workforce ages and the demand for skilled truck drivers exceeds supply, there arises an urgent need to attract and retain talented individuals. To address this challenge and ensure long-term sustainability, trucking companies are now offering competitive salaries, improved working conditions, and investing in comprehensive training programs. This concerted effort aims to nurture a thriving industry that can meet future demands effectively.
Regulatory Changes Impacting Operations
Regulatory changes play an important role in shaping the truck industry. From implementing hours-of-service regulations to enforcing safety protocols, compliance becomes paramount. Houston truck companies must stay constantly updated with these changes to avoid penalties and disruptions in their operations. It is essential for them to invest in continuous training and advanced fleet management software to ensure ongoing compliance.
Data-Driven Decision-Making for Efficiency
Data has become a pivotal force driving informed decision-making within the Houston truck industry. Big data analytics enable companies to optimize routes, anticipate maintenance issues, and enhance overall operational efficiency. By leveraging these valuable insights, businesses can reduce costs, elevate customer service standards, and gain a competitive edge in the industry.
Infrastructure Development and Congestion Management
Houston’s transportation infrastructure is undergoing changes to meet the demands of its rapidly expanding truck industry. Strategic investments in upgrading roadways, enhancing truck stops, and establishing intermodal facilities play a crucial role in alleviating congestion and improving overall operational efficiency.
Collaboration for Industry Reshaping
In the realm of Houston’s truck industry, cooperation between various stakeholders assumes a pivotal role in driving positive transformations. When trucking companies, technology providers, regulatory bodies, and academia unite through partnerships, they stimulate innovation and enable the adoption of best practices. This collaborative approach proves essential in tackling intricate challenges and securing a sustainable future for the industry.
Future Outlook
The Houston truck industry is currently facing emerging patterns, highlighting the importance of adapting and innovating for sustained success. The industry’s future trajectory will be shaped by technological advancements, sustainability efforts, and strategic collaborations. Companies that stay informed about these trends and embrace change will position themselves at the forefront of the evolving landscape.
The Houston truck industry is currently undergoing a transformative phase. The transformation is being propelled by advancements in technology, increasing environmental concerns, and evolving consumer demands. It is vital for businesses in this industry to adapt to these emerging trends in order to not only survive but also thrive and remain competitive.
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1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished third in the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan as Chris Buescher won his second consecutive race.
“That was a first,” Hamlin said. “No, I’m not talking about Buescher’s win; I’m talking about Kyle Busch taking full responsibility for an accident.”
2. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex was strong all day at Michigan, but couldn’t run down Chris Buescher late and settled for the runner-up finish.
“I just re-signed with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2024,” Truex said. “And it makes me feel good. It’s nice to know you’re ‘wanted,’ unless you’re Kyle Busch in Mexico.”
3. Chris Buescher: Buescher held off the charging Martin Truex Jr. late at Michigan to win the FireKeepers Casino 400, his second consecutive win.
“With two straight wins,” Buescher said, “I think everybody knows who I am now. Everybody also knows who Noah Gragson is, although he took a vastly different route for notoriety.”
4. Kyle Larson: Larson finished fifth at Michigan.
“I’m totally pleased with my race,” Larson said. “I had no contact with Denny Hamlin, neither in the car, nor in person, via text, with a phone call, or via carrier pigeon.”
5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick took eighth at Michigan, posting his 11th top 10 of the season.
“I’ll be in the Fox Sports broadcast booth next year,” Harvick said. “I’m looking forward to everything about this new part of my career, except the part in which I have to join 2-3 other men in a small, confined space.”
6. Joey Logano: Logano finished 14th at Michigan as Ford placed four cars in the top 10.
“Michigan is the home of Ford,” Logano said. “So, cars like mine had a home-field advantage. If Henry Ford could only see what kind of speed his invention is doing today, he would probably do 8000 RPMs in his grave.”
7. Ross Chastain: Chastain finished seventh at Michigan, his first top-10 result since a win at Nashville in late June.
“The playoffs are looming,” Chastain said, “and drivers are scrambling to get in. They call this time of year ‘crunch time,’ and that’s also what they call it any time you’re racing close to me.”
8. Christopher Bell: Bell started on the pole at Michigan but found trouble on Lap 65 when a spin into the wall seriously damaged his car. But with persistent work by his pit crew, Bell salvaged a 13th-place finish.
“Hats off to my pit crew,” Bell said, “because they worked their butts off, and didn’t crack under pressure.”
9. Kyle Busch: Busch started eighth but suffered an early spin and hit the wall after contact with Ryan Blaney on Lap 14. The damage ended Busch’s day and he finished 37th.
“That was quite an early exit,” Busch said. “But don’t blame me, my car was actually sponsored by ‘Kwik Trip.'”
10. William Byron: Byron retired early at Michigan after hard contact with the outside wall on Lap 46. He finished 35th.
“It was a rough day for Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “Me, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman all had problems and finished close to last. Ironically, Kyle Larson was the one that stayed out of trouble.”
Justin Haley qualified 26th for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
During the opening 10 laps of the race, Haley lost two spots, radioing that his No. 31 Chevy was too tight handling. When the first caution came out on lap 14, Haley reported he was better in the rubber but still tight. The No. 31 was one of the only cars to take four tires during the first caution. The next caution fell on lap 34 as Haley had made his way from the rear to 27th place. Haley stayed out and restarted as the fourth car on bottom with six to go in stage, going three wide during the final few laps before finishing the stage 14th.
Haley reported he had no grip in the front tires and pitted for four tires, fuel and a right-rear adjustment before starting the second stage as the 13th car on the outside. The first caution of the stage came out just after the restart before going back to green on lap 56. The stage went green for eight laps before the next caution came out with Haley sitting 20th. Under caution, Haley pitted for right side tires and fuel before restarting as the 13th car on the outside on lap 70. Rain began falling on lap 74, bringing out the caution and red flagging the race as Haley sat 28th. He radioed that he was way too tight. As the race resumed Monday, Haley pitted under caution for left-side tires and fuel before restarting as the 14th car on the outside on lap 83. The caution came back out on lap 104, and Haley relayed the handling on the No. 31 Chevy was handling fine but was slow in traffic. He pitted for qualifying scuffs before the green flag came back out on lap 108 for the remainder of the second stage. Haley finished the stage in 22nd.
After staying out during the second stage break, Haley started the final stage as the eighth car on the outside before the caution came out on the restart. The field went back to green on lap 134. As the green-flag pit stops cycled through, Haley made it as high as 11th before pitting on lap 173 for right-side tires. Haley was forced to save fuel for the remainder of the race, ultimately crossing the finish line 23rd.
“It wasn’t exactly the finish we wanted, but we’ll take it after the adversity we fought. We fired off super tight and were just slow in traffic. We finally got the No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet feeling pretty sporty by the end of the second stage; we just needed track position. Then at the end we were showing short on fuel, so we had to save quite a bit. Overall, not a bad finish.” – Justin Haley
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Camaro ZL1
AJ Allmendinger qualified 24th for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
In the opening stage, Allmendinger fell back to 26th by lap 13 when the first caution came out, reporting to his team that his overall balance wasn’t bad, but he lacked speed. Allmendinger came down pit road for fuel only and restarted 22nd on lap 19, before falling back to 27th by lap 35 when another caution came out. The team came down pit road for an air pressure adjustment to help Allmendinger with rear security. Restarting in 29th on lap 39, Allmendinger had more rear security after the adjustment, and he went on to finish stage one in 22nd.
Allmendinger stayed out under the stage break and restarted 11th on lap 50. When the caution came out on lap 51, Allmendinger was running ninth. After restarting ninth on lap 55, Allmendinger fell back to 12th by lap 62 where he was running when the caution came out on lap 64. Still overall happy with the balance of his No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Chevy, Allmendinger asked for more rear security as he especially struggled in dirty air. The team came down pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Allmendinger restarted 20th on lap 69 and moved up to 15th by lap 70 where he was running when the red flag came out for rain on lap 74. The reminder of the FireKeepers Casino 400 was postponed until Monday, due to inclement weather. When the race resumed, Allmendinger stayed out under caution and restarted ninth on lap 82, holding his position until the caution came out on lap 102. Staying out under caution, the No. 16 Chevy restarted sixth on lap 107 and went on to finish the second stage in eighth, earning three stage points.
Under the stage break, Allmendinger came down pit road for four tires and fuel and restarted in 26th on lap 126. The caution came out on the first lap back to green, and Allmendinger restarted 18th on lap 133. Allmendinger drove up to 15th on the restart but lacked grip when racing in traffic, causing him to fall back to 21st by lap 147. As cars began green flag pit stops, Allmendinger drove up to 12th before coming down pit road on lap 164. He came back down pit road under green to tighten a loose lug nut and went on to finish 26th.
“We had decent handling in our Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Chevy all weekend; we just struggled in traffic and overall lacked speed. Pit road mistakes definitely cost us today. We’re disappointed in our finish, but our focus right now is making our team better. We’re moving on to Indy; hopefully we can unload with speed and have a solid weekend.” – AJ Allmendinger
Cabo Wabo 250
Ross Chastain, No. 10 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro
Ross Chastain qualified 11th for the Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
The first caution of the day came early after only four laps complete. Chastain maintained his starting position and radioed that his No. 10 Jockey Chevrolet was too loose. The next caution fell just one lap after the restart. Chastain avoided a wreck, and moved up to ninth, adding that the car was beginning to tighten up. The caution flag would come out two more times before the end of the stage. Chastain went on to finish 13th and radioed that his No. 10 Chevy began handling extremely tight from possible nose damage.
Upon pitting for a right-side adjustment, the team found a small hole in the right front of the nose. Chastain came back down pit road to allow the team to fix the hole before starting the second stage at the rear of the field. The first caution of the second stage came out just two laps after the restart. Chastain said his No. 10 Chevy had better rear grip. After going back green on lap 43, the stage remained green until the end. Chastain finished 14th after coming from the rear, but radioed to the team his No. 10 Chevy was once again too tight handling.
During the stage break, Chastain pitted for four tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and an air pressure adjustment to free up the No. 10 Chevy. The No. 10 crew earned Chastain five spots on pit road to begin the final stage. With under 50 laps remaining in the race, Chastain continued furthering the gap to the cars behind him and was told his lap times were much better before making his final green-flag pit stop of the race on lap 98. The next caution came out with just 12 laps to go, as Chastain sat eighth. The race went back to green with seven to go. Chastain crossed the finish line in seventh place.
“It was a battle all day. We were loose to start the race, and then it built really tight after we got some right-front-fender damage, so we had come back down after our first pit stop to fix that. The guys did a great job patching that up, and we were super fast on pit road. We were tight the second run, and I felt like we were really behind the curve after that. Finally on the last green-flag stop in stage three, we got it freed up and had a couple of good restarts to hang on and finish seventh. I felt like it was a really productive day.” – Ross Chastain
Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Camaro
Daniel Hemric qualified 16th for the Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
The first caution of the day came out on lap four, and Hemric relayed to the team that his center-exit could be better. He was told to save fuel under caution before restarting 13th on lap 10. The caution came out again on lap 11, and the team elected to stay out. Hemric restarted as the fourth car on the inside lane with 14 laps to go in the opening stage. The caution came again on lap 19, and Hemric reported he needed front turn and help getting into the corner better. Hemric restarted 10th with seven laps to go in the stage. Still battling handling issues, Hemric finished the stage 12th.
During the stage break, Hemric came down pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He restarted 17th when the green flag flew on lap 36. The caution flag came out on lap 38 and went back to green on lap 42 with Hemric sitting 13th. Hemric went on to finish the second stage 15th.
Hemric pitted at the stage break for four tires, fuel and adjustments. The team did a track bar and air pressure adjustment to help the balance of the car before restarting as the eighth car on the outside lane on lap 67. By lap 90, Hemric sat 15th as the green-flag pit stops began. He made his scheduled, green-flag stop on lap 98 for four tires and fuel. As the green-flag stops cycled through, Hemric moved up to 13th before the caution came out with 12 laps to go. The green flag came back out with just seven laps to go, as Hemric restarted 12th. He quickly jumped to 10th after the restart but was shuffled back to 15th where he finished the race.
“It was a weekend of humbling experiences. We just struggled with the ability to make overall speed, as well as the ability to make speed with the balance. This weekend was a struggle, but I’m still proud of everyone on this No.11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet team. We get another opportunity to bounce back in the weeks ahead.” – Daniel Hemric
Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro
Chandler Smith qualified sixth for the Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway.
Smith jumped to fifth just after the initial start. The yellow flag flew on lap four, and Smith said under caution that his car was tight from mid-corner on. The race restarted on lap 10 with the No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevy lined up third on the outside. Smith took fourth place, but the yellow flag waved for a second time one lap later. He again lined up third on the outside and moved into the top three on the green flag, but another caution was called with the subsequent restart on lap 24. Smith dropped back to fourth in the seven-lap dash to the first green-white-checkered flag, where he would finish the first stage.
Smith pitted for tires and fuel during the stage caution, and crew chief, Bruce Schlicker, instructed the pit crew to make an air pressure adjustment to loosen up the car. The No. 16 restarted seventh on the outside line on lap 37 and moved into 11th before another caution was signaled on lap 39. Smith made up two spots quickly following the lap-43 restart, but fell back to 11th, where he finished stage two.
After more adjustments — including adding more tape to the grille – during the team’s penultimate pit stop, Smith began the last stage in 13th on lap 67. He moved up as high as 11th before coming down pit road for his final, full-service stop of the race on lap 97. The team made a trackbar adjustment, and Smith cycled back to 11th. The race’s final yellow flag came out with 12 to go, leading to a restart with seven laps remaining, and Smith lined up seventh on the outside. On the final lap, Smith was hit in the left rear and sent into the outside wall, while battling with the No. 21 for 12th. He nursed the car home for a 20th-place finish.
“We got the No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevy as good as it could be by the final restart, but having to line up just outside the top 10 put us right in the middle of the craziness. The car got really aero-tight all day when running in traffic, and it felt like we were behind the eight-ball after the first stage when we restarted in the pack. I’m not thrilled with where we finished and how we ended up there, but we thankfully got a chunk of points in the first stage to make the ending not hurt as much.” – Chandler Smith
About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
Austin Hill Finishes 28th at Michigan Handling Issues Plague the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevy in the FireKeepers Casino 400
Date: Aug. 6-7, 2023
Event: FireKeepers Casino 400
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/75 laps/80 laps)
Start/Finish: 30th / 28th (Running, completed 198 of 200 laps)
Note: The race’s first 76 laps were run on Sunday before rain forced the completion of the race to Monday.
Race Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Overview:
Austin Hill, driver of the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports, finished 28th in the rain-postponed FireKeepers Casino 400 on Monday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. After qualifying 30th, Hill was forced to drop to the rear for unapproved adjustments for the start of the 400-mile race. The rookie driver took advantage of the first caution of the race to pit for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment to combat a tight racecar. After going back green, Hill reported that he struggled with making passes and moving up through the field on the longer runs. As the first stage came to a close, Hill was scored in 31st place. Rain descended upon the racetrack on lap 74 before the end of second stage, forcing NASCAR to stop the event and ultimately postpone it to Monday. When the race resumed on Monday, Hill was forced to pit during the initial caution laps to switch out the steering wheel to repair a radio issue. He restarted at the tail end of the longest line but wasted no time in working his way back up through the field and was scored in 27th place by the time caution waved on lap 103. Hill went on to finish the second stage in 29th place. Along with a handful of other teams, the Beard Motorsports team elected to stay out for the start of the final stage, placing the No. 62 Chevrolet in ninth place. A loose-handling issue made navigating traffic a challenge for Hill and he eventually started to drop through the field. He was in 24th place when the team made what was planned to be their final pit stop. A fueling issue however resulted in the need for an additional trip to pit road to add more fuel. Hill was scored two laps down in 29th place once he returned to the track. Despite the setback, adjustments made to the car worked to the favor of the Winston, Georgia native allowing him to pick up a position by the time the checkered flag waved.
Austin Hill, driver of the No. 62 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports:
“It was nice playing a little bit of pit strategy there and getting up inside the top-10 for one of the restarts. We just struggled all day with getting really loose when racing behind other cars. I don’t know if it was the aero platform or what – I’m so new to these Cup cars and still trying to figure it out – bu it just felt like I was out of the race track really bad when I was behind other drivers. The car was loose on entry and that just killed us in the turns because we would fall back. It was just too loose. The team made a good adjustment during the green-flag pit stop, Darren (Shaw, crew chief) did a good job getting the car tightened up for me and I thought we were running some halfway decent lap times there at the end. It’s just a bummer that we couldn’t get all of the fuel in and had that issue. That just made it an uphill battle at that point because we didn’t get the cautions we needed to bunch up the field. But I think I learned a lot with our No. 62 Bennett Chevrolet. We definitely had a lot more speed than what the finish showed. I’m a little bummed out about the finish but at the same time we have the positive of having had decent speed so we just try to keep building more for these next few races.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 13 on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The next race for Hill and the No. 62 Chevrolet from Beard Motorsports will be the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
The one-day wait amid an extensive rain delay period was worth the wait for Chris Buescher and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing as both navigated their way to win the rain-postponed FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway that started on Sunday, August 6, and concluded on Monday, August 7.
The 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion from Prosper, Texas, led three times for a race-high 52 of 200-scheduled laps in an event where he rolled off the starting grid in fourth place and was coming off a breakthrough victory at Richmond Raceway. Amid a one-day postponement of the event due to precipitation and various pit strategies that ensued throughout the event, Buescher, who managed to cycle his way past dominant Martin Truex Jr. amid the final cycle of green flag pit stops with nearly 40 laps remaining, assumed the race lead with 18 laps remaining and, despite nearly losing the lead with 12 laps remaining, fended off a late surge from Truex to notch his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory in recent weeks and gain needed momentum with the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs looming.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, August 5, Christopher Bell notched his second Cup pole position of the season and the sixth of his career after posting a fast pole-winning lap at 193.382 mph in 37.232 seconds, which marks the fastest qualifying lap posted since the 2020 Daytona 500. Joining him on the front row was Ross Chastain, who posted the second-best qualifying lap at 193.242 mph in 37.259 seconds.
Prior to the event, the following names that included Corey LaJoie, JJ Yeley and Austin Hill dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries. Another competitor who also dropped to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments was Josh Berry, who was piloting the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club entry in place of the suspended Noah Gragson.
When the green flag waved and the race commenced amid a delay of more than an hour and a half due to precipitation, Bell and Chastain dueled for the lead through the frontstretch until Chastain, who restarted on the inside lane, received a huge shove from rookie Ty Gibbs to muscle his No. 1 Jockey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into the lead through Turns 1 and 2, where he then moved in front of Bell’s No. 20 Rheem Toyota TRD Camry entering the backstretch. As the field fanned out and jostled early for positions exiting the backstretch and entering Turns 3 and 4, Chastain proceeded to lead the first lap ahead of Bell while Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs followed suit.
Through the second lap, Chastain maintained the lead ahead of Bell while Truex battled Buescher for third place ahead of Ty Gibbs. Behind, Logano retained sixth ahead of Chase Elliott while William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney were in the top 10.
Through the first five scheduled laps, Chastain was leading by four-tenths of a second over Truex followed by Bell, Buescher and Ty Gibbs while Logano, Elliott, Wallace, Byron and Blaney were in the top 10. Behind, Denny Hamlin was in 11th ahead of Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick while Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski, Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell occupied the top 20. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick was mired in 21st ahead of Erik Jones, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Todd Gilliland and Corey LaJoie rounded out the top 30.
At the Lap 10 mark, Chastain stabilized his early advantage to four-tenths of a second over Truex while third-place Bell trailed by more than a second. With Buescher and Ty Gibbs remaining in the top five, Wallace was up to sixth ahead of Elliott and Byron while Logano fell back to ninth in front of teammate Blaney.
Four laps later, the first caution of the event flew when Kyle Busch, who was battling Blaney for 10th place, moved up the track and made contact with Blaney, where he then got loose, spun and made contact with the outside wall in Turn 2 on the driver’s side. The incident, which was enough to terminate Busch’s event early as he sustained his fifth DNF of the season, occurred as Chastain was being challenged by Truex for the lead. It also served as the competition caution period initially planned for Lap 20.
During the competition caution period, a majority of the field led by Chastain pitted for service while 11 competitors led by the race leader Truex remained on the track amid mixed strategy.
When the race restarted under green on Lap 19, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Truex and Ty Gibbs dueled for the lead until Truex muscled his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota TRD Camry into the lead through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. With the field fanning out, Truex maintained the lead by half a second over teammate Gibbs while Buescher followed suit along with Wallace and Blaney. Behind, Elliott was in sixth followed by Suarez and Reddick, but Reddick would overtake both by Lap 21 while Chastain, the first competitor who pitted during the competition caution, was in 10th.
Just past the Lap 25 mark and amid a series of on-track battles, Truex was leading by seven-tenths of a second over teammate Ty Gibbs while Buescher, Wallace and Blaney were scored in the top five. Truex would extend his advantage to more than a second over Gibbs by Lap 30. By then, Reddick, who started 15th, rocketed his No. 45 Rocket League Toyota TRD Camry into fifth place while Chastain was mired in ninth in between teammate Suarez and Keselowski. In addition, Bell was in 12th behind Byron, Larson, who nearly got loose entering Turn 4, fell back to 15th ahead of Hamlin and Logano was mired in 24th ahead of Aric Almirola and Harvick. In addition, Josh Berry was in 28th in between Kaulig Racing’s Haley and Allmendinger.
On Lap 34, the second caution of the event flew when Elliott, who was running in ninth after being overtaken by Trackhouse Racing’s Suarez and Chastain a lap earlier, slipped sideways after blowing a right-rear tire and wrecked against the Turn 2 outside wall. The incident not only terminated Elliott’s race amid extensive damage to his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but it hampered his hopes of gaining valuable points towards the 2023 Cup Series Playoff cutline. During the caution period, a majority of the field led by Buescher pitted while the rest led by Truex remained on the track.
With six laps remaining in the first stage period, the race proceeded under green as Truex and Wallace occupied the front row. At the start, Truex muscled ahead from Wallace while starting on the outside lane as the field fanned out to four lanes entering the first two turns and the backstretch. With Truex remaining ahead of Wallace on the track and amid a series of on-track battles between competitors on mixed strategies, Ty Gibbs was in third followed by Keselowski and Suarez while Larson was in sixth ahead of Corey LaJoie and teammate Alex Bowman.
When the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Truex, who announced his return for the 2024 Cup season with Joe Gibbs Racing on Saturday, claimed his fourth Cup stage victory of the 2023 season. Wallace trailed in second while Ty Gibbs, Keselowski, Larson, Suarez, Bowman, Hamlin, Erik Jones and LaJoie were scored in the top 10. By then, Byron, who was running ninth, got loose, slipped up and slapped towards the outside wall entering Turn 4 as he limped his No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 across the start/finish line in 13th.
Under the stage break, some led by Truex, who remained on the track during the two previous caution periods, pitted while the rest led by Bowman remained on the track. Amid the pit stops, Stenhouse was penalized for speeding on pit road and for an uncontrolled tire violation. Not long after, Truex made another pit stop as he was sent to the rear of the field.
The second stage started on Lap 50 as Bowman and Erik Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Bowman and Jones dueled for the lead entering the first two turns as the field fanned out. Bowman and Jones would continue to duel for the lead through the backstretch while Hamlin, Reddick, Bell and Blaney followed pursuit. Then as the field made their way through Turns 3 and 4, the caution quickly returned when Berry, who was running 16th and battling with Harrison Burton, got loose in front of LaJoie and spun backwards towards the outside wall as he slapped the wall while barely missing Todd Gilliland before the damaged No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 came to a rest below the turn’s grass as his event came to an end. By then, Byron, who was on the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock period spanning seven minutes as his pit crew attempted to repair the No. 24 car, ran out of their scheduled repairment time as his event also came to an end.
During the following restart on Lap 55, Bowman rocketed ahead with the lead from the outside lane as he then moved in front of Erik Jones to retain the top spot through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. With the battles ensuing through the backstretch, Bell rocketed his way around Erik Jones for the runner-up spot as he pursued Bowman for the lead while Chastain aggressively carved his way up to 11th.
Through the Lap 60 mark, Bowman was leading by a tenth of a second over Bell followed by Erik Jones, Hamlin and Reddick while Blaney, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon and Allmendinger were in the top 10. By then, Chastain, Wallace, Briscoe, Larson and Truex were in the top 15 while Logano, LaJoie, Almirola, Haley and Buescher occupied the top 20. Behind, Keselowski was mired in 21st ahead of Harrison Burton, Ty Dillon, Ty Gibbs and Suarez while Harvick was back in 26th.
Four laps later, Bell, who had just overtaken Bowman amid a battle for the lead through the frontstretch, slipped sideways entering Turns 1 and 2 amid close-quarters racing with Bowman with Hamlin joining the battle. This resulted with Bell spinning backwards towards the outside wall as he pounded the wall and sustained significant rear end damage to his pole-winning car. During the caution period, the entire field led by Bowman, expect for Josh Bilicki, pitted for service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, Bowman exited first followed by Truex, Reddick, Blaney, Larson, Austin Dillon and Cindric. Bilicki would pit prior to the restart as Bowman reassumed the lead.
When the race proceeded under green on Lap 69, where Bowman and Reddick occupied the front row, Bowman and Reddick dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Reddick managed to muscle ahead from the inside lane and assume the lead through the backstretch. As the field fanned out amid a series of on-track battles, including a pair of run-ins involving Blaney and LaJoie, Reddick maintained the lead by two-tenths of a second over Bowman while Larson was up in third followed by Truex, Cindric and Erik Jones.
Four laps later, the caution returned due to reports of precipitation occurring around the speedway. Soon after, the field led by Reddick was directed to pit road and the event was placed in a red flag period due to the ongoing precipitation on Lap 74. With the precipitation increasing and the delay spanning more than an hour, NASCAR ended up postponing the remainder of the event’s coverage to Monday, August 7, at noon ET on USA Network.
The following day on Monday, the field endured a brief 33-minute delay due to light mist before returning to the track under a cautious pace. During the caution period, Bell pitted even when pit road was closed for additional repairs to his pole-winning car amid his wreck from Sunday as he was still scored on the lead lap. Once pit road opened for the entire field to pit, some led by Reddick and including Bowman, Larson, Austin Dillon, Ty Gibbs, LaJoie, Stenhouse, Michael McDowell, Haley, Cole Custer and Bilicki pitted while the rest led by Truex remained on the track.
When the race resumed under green flag conditions on Lap 82 amid an extensive caution period due to reports of light precipitation, where Truex and Cindric occupied the front row, Truex and Cindric dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Bubba Wallace made a bold three-wide move on both through the backstretch to assume the lead in his No. 23 DoorDash Toyota TRD Camry. With Wallace leading the proceeding lap, Truex settled in second while Keselowski battled Cindric for third in front of Erik Jones, Buescher and Hamlin. Jones then overtook Keselowski and Cindric in a three-wide move through the backstretch to move his No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 up to third as Wallace retained the lead. As the field continued to jostle for positions through the Lap 85 mark, Wallace stabilized his advantage to within a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Truex.
By Lap 90, the top-three competitors were separated by nearly half a second as Wallace was still leading by two-tenths of a second over Truex followed by Erik Jones while Cindric and Suarez trailed in the top five by more than a second. Behind, Keselowski was in sixth ahead of teammate Buescher, Hamlin, Harrison Burton and Allmendinger while Blaney, Chastain, Logano, Reddick, Bowman, Larson, Briscoe, Harvick, Ryan Preece, Almirola and Ty Gibbs were battling within the top 20.
At the halfway mark on Lap 100, Truex cycled his way around Wallace, who continued to remain on the track and stretch his fuel tank to finish the second stage, to reassume the lead through the frontstretch while third-place Erik Jones trailed by six-tenths of a second. Behind, Suarez trailed in fourth place by more than a second while Hamlin was in fifth and trailing by more than two seconds.
Two laps later, the caution flew when Preece, who was running 22nd, blew a right-rear tire entering Turn 1, but he managed to avoid hitting the outside wall as he fell off the pace with light smoke coming out of his No. 41 United Rentals Ford Mustang. During the caution period, some including the race leader Truex pitted while the rest led by Wallace and including Suarez, Keselowski, Chastain, Allmendinger, Logano, Bowman, Larson, Stenhouse, Austin Dillon, LaJoie and Custer remained on the track amid mixed strategy ensuing. Amid the pit stops, Hamlin, who was running in the top five prior to the caution period, stalled his car while trying to exit his pit stall as he plummeted towards the rear of the lead lap field.
As the race restarted with 13 laps remaining in the second stage period, Wallace and Suarez dueled for the lead amid two tight-stacked lanes. Behind, Austin Dillon fell off the pace after nearly hitting the outside wall in Turn 1 and pitted under green due to a flat right-side tire, a move that pinned him a lap behind the leaders. Back at the front, Wallace and Suarez continued to duel for the lead until Suarez, who restarted beneath Wallace on the front row, managed to rocket his No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead entering Turns 3 and 4 as he assumed the lead from Wallace while Keselowski was in third.
Just past the Lap 110 mark and amid a series of on-track battles, Suarez retained the lead by three-tenths of a second over Keselowski while Wallace fell back to third in front of Bowman and Logano. Behind, Larson was in sixth ahead of Allmendinger while Truex charged his way up to eighth place while on four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel. Meanwhile, Hamlin carved his way up to 17th while battling Harvick for position.
At the conclusion of the second stage period on Lap 120, Truex, who overtook Wallace for third place on Lap 118 as he continued to rocket his way back to the front on fresh tires, surged past Keselowski entering the backstretch and managed to side-draft Suarez amid Suarez trying to block Truex to claim the stage victory, his fifth of the season, in a photo finish. Suarez, who came into the event 34 points below the top-16 cutline towards the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, settled in second followed by Keselowski while Wallace, Bowman, Larson, Logano, Allmendinger, Cindric and Buescher were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break, a majority of the field led by Truex while the rest led by Buescher and including Reddick, Blaney, Harvick, Almirola, Gilliland and McDowell remained on the track with more mixed strategy ensuing. Amid the pit stops, Bell was penalized for his pit crew jumping over the pit wall too soon.
With 74 laps remaining, the final stage started as Buescher and Reddick occupied the front row. At the start, Buescher and Reddick dueled for the lead as the field fanned out through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. The caution then quickly returned when Cindric rubbed McDowell up into teammate Gilliland as Gilliland got squeezed towards the outside wall. In the ensuing contact, Bowman, who came into the event 42 points below the top-16 cutline, received light contact from Briscoe that got Bowman loose and spinning as he hit Gilliland before spinning with front nose damage on his No. 48 Ally Detroit Pistons Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. During the caution period, some including Wallace, Briscoe, the Dillon brothers, Gilliland, Erik Jones, Larson and Haley pitted while the rest led by Buescher remained on the track.
With the race restarting with 67 laps remaining, Buescher surged ahead with the lead from the outside lane as he then fended off Reddick through the first two turns and entering the backstretch. Reddick maintained second in front of Blaney, Harvick and Cindric while Almirola was in sixth. Behind, Truex carved his way to seventh as he then battled Almirola for more while Hamlin was in eighth followed by Chastain and Burton.
Seven laps later, Buescher stabilized his lead to two-tenths of a second over Reddick followed by Blaney while Truex moved up to fourth in front of Harvick. Behind, Cindric was in sixth ahead of Hamlin, Almirola, Chastain and Burton while McDowell, Ty Gibbs, Keselowski, Logano, Suarez, Preece, Allmendinger, Wallace, Larson and Austin Hill occupied the top 20.
Down to the final 50 laps of the event, Buescher continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over Reddick while Truex trailed by less than six seconds as Hamlin moved up to fourth ahead of Blaney, Cindric and Harvick.
Seven laps later, green flag pit stops slowly commenced as Buescher surrendered the lead to pit followed by Reddick and Harvick as Reddick exited ahead of Buescher off of pit road. During the following lap, however, Reddick returned to pit road due to a flat right-rear tire on his No. 45 entry, an issue that left Reddick steaming towards his pit crew. By then, Hamlin and Almirola pitted under green before Truex surrendered the lead to pit with 41 laps remaining. Amid the pit stops, Buescher managed to cycle his No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang past Truex on the track as Keselowski assumed the lead with less than 40 laps remaining.
With 30 laps remaining, Keselowski retained the lead by over Suarez followed by Larson, Erik Jones and Logano, Bell, Wallace, LaJoie, Stenhouse and Preece were scored in the top 10. By then, Ty Gibbs, who was running in fifth place, pitted under green. Logano and LaJoie would pit a few laps later as Keselowski extended his lead to six seconds over Suarez and seven seconds over Larson. By then, Buescher worked his way up to 11th while Truex trailed behind in 12th.
With 25 laps remaining, Suarez surrendered the runner-up spot to pit under green along with Preece. Keselowski would then surrender the lead the following lap to pit his No. 6 Nexlizet Ford Mustang as Larson assumed the lead. With 23 laps remaining, however, Larson pitted his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 from the lead along with Erik Jones, Bell and Wallace as Ty Dillon cycled into the lead followed by brother Austin Dillon. Behind, Buescher and Truex moved up to third and fourth as the latter, who had a strong race car, continued to try to navigate his way around the former with both having enough fuel to finish the event.
Once the Dillon brothers pitted with nearly 20 laps remaining, Buescher cycled his way into the race lead with 18 laps remaining as Truex continued to intimidate and trail by two-tenths of a second. Buescher would continue to lead by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Truex while third-place Hamlin trailed by four seconds as Keselowski and Harvick were in the top five.
Then with 13 laps remaining, Truex, who gained ground to Buescher’s rear bumper through the frontstretch, made his move beneath Buescher for the lead through Turns 1 and 2 as both dueled for the top spot through the backstretch. Truex then side-drafted Buescher back through the frontstretch as he led the following lap by a hair before Buescher returned the favor by side-drafting Truex in a fight to reassume the lead. Despite leading with 12 laps remaining, Truex got loose entering Turn 1, which allowed Buescher to pull ahead with the lead by nearly a second.
Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Buescher stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Truex while third-place Hamlin trailed by more than three seconds. Keselowski and Larson remained in the top five while Harvick, Chastain, Blaney, Suarez and Cindric were in the top 10. Behind, Ty Gibbs was in 11th ahead of Erik Jones and Almirola while Bell carved his damaged car to 14th place ahead of Wallace.
With five laps remaining, Truex regained his ground on Buescher as he was only trailing by two-tenths of a second for the lead in his fast No. 19 Toyota. With Buescher retaining the lead, Truex kept Buescher’s No. 17 Ford close within his sights amid the draft as he tried to gain a run around Buescher with the laps dwindling.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Buescher remained as the leader by less than three-tenths of a second over Truex. Through Turns 1 and 2, Truex could not gain a run to draw even with Buescher as both entered the backstretch. Then entering Turns 3 and 4, Truex made a final lap charge to get alongside Buescher, but the run was not enough as Buescher managed to retain the lead and beat Truex to the finish line by a tenth of a second to notch his second consecutive checkered flag in recent weeks.
With the victory, Buescher, who ended up leading a race-high 52 laps, recorded his fourth career win in NASCAR’s premier series as this marks his first season notching multiple Cup victories, thus making him the sixth multi-race winner of the 2023 Cup Series season, and first time claiming back-to-back Cup race victories. The victory was also the 14th overall in the Cup circuit for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing at the Irish Hills, making RFK Racing the winningest organization at the speedway, and their first since Greg Biffle won in 2012 while Ford claimed its 21st Cup victory, ninth in a row, at Michigan.
Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“That was our plan [to win],” Buescher said on USA Network. “That’s what we come to do every weekend. It’s awesome. Glad we got to get this whole [race] in. I know it’s been a long weekend, but this Castrol Edge Mustang was so good in practice, qualifying. This team gave me a great car again. [I] Had to work for that [win], too. Hard racing there at the end. Martin [Truex Jr.] was very clean with me. I appreciate that. [I] Get to go to Victory Lane two weeks in a row, so that’s pretty awesome. We’ve got work to do, but that’s massive progress right there for us to do [and win at] two vastly different racetracks. We got road [course] races coming up. I’m excited for those two and Daytona. I look at the schedule we have ahead of us, and this is a heck of a time to get turned on and get rolling.”
Truex, who led six times for 47 laps, settled in second place for the second time this season amid a strong performance on the track. This also marks Truex’s fourth runner-up result at the Irish Hills as he continues his pursuit for his first Michigan win.
“I think we just needed maybe a little bit longer run to wear the tires some more,” Truex, who extended his lead in the regular-season standings to 57 points, said. “I felt like we were a little better, but it’s just really hard to pass the leader on equal tires. We had an unbelievable Auto-Owners Camry today and hats off to everybody that puts in the work on these things. It was a rocket. It’s just the leader in clean air is really, really hard to pass. Just didn’t quite have enough, but all in all, a good day.”
Hamlin came home in third place while Keselowski, Buescher’s teammate and co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, ended up in fourth place in his home track. The fourth-place result marked Keselowski’s fifth top-five result of the season as he is now 168 points above the top-16 cutline towards the Playoff standings, but he was also left satisfied from an owner’s perspective with Buescher winning the race and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing gaining momentum with the start of the Playoffs lingering.
“[I’m] Really happy for all the folks at Castrol and for [Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing],” Keselowski said. “There’s a lot of work going on here and we’re digging deep and getting the results. I’m just so thankful and proud for everyone at RFK. We’re letting our results speak for themselves and Chris [Buescher] has done a heck of a job driving the car. When you can win, it feels really good, but we got to keep some humbleness and keep our head down. There’s some great competition out here.”
Larson completed the top five in fifth place while Suarez, teammate Chastain, Harvick, Blaney and Erik Jones finished in the top 10. Notably, Ty Gibbs settled in 11th while Bell rallied from his early wreck on Sunday to finish 13th ahead of Logano and LaJoie. In addition, Wallace fell back to 18th ahead of Austin Dillon, McDowell ended up a lap down in 24th, Allmendinger settled in 26th, Reddick fell back to 30th and Bowman ended up 33rd after he was unable to finish due to a steering issue to his car stemming from his late wreck.
There were 26 lead changes for 16 different leaders. The race featured nine cautions for 43 laps. In addition, 21 of 37 starters finished on the lead lap.
With three regular-season events remaining of this year’s Cup Series schedule, Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the regular-season standings by 57 points over teammate Denny Hamlin and 96 over William Byron.
William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are currently guaranteed spots for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs based on winning at least once throughout the regular-season stretch. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and rookie Ty Gibbs occupy the remaining vacant spots to the Playoffs based on points, with Gibbs occupying the 16th and final vacant spots by three points over Michael McDowell, five over Daniel Suarez, 24 over AJ Allmendinger, 44 over Alex Bowman, 53 over Austin Cindric, 55 over Chase Elliott, 72 over Justin Haley, 81 over Aric Almirola and 89 over Ryan Preece.
Results.
1. Chris Buescher, 52 laps led
2. Martin Truex Jr., 47 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
3. Denny Hamlin, one lap led
4. Brad Keselowski, 15 laps led
5. Kyle Larson, two laps led
6. Daniel Suarez, 12 laps led
7. Ross Chastain, 16 laps led
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Ryan Blaney, one lap led
10. Erik Jones
11. Ty Gibbs, one lap led
12. Austin Cindric
13. Christopher Bell, one lap led
14. Joey Logano
15. Corey LaJoie
16. Aric Almirola
17. Harrison Burton
18. Bubba Wallace, 21 laps led
19. Austin Dillon, two laps led
20. Ty Dillon, two laps led
21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
22. Ryan Preece, one lap down
23. Justin Haley, one lap down
24. Michael McDowell, one lap down
25. Cole Custer, one lap down
26. AJ Allmendinger, one lap down
27. JJ Yeley, one lap down
28. Austin Hill, two laps down
29. Todd Gilliland, three laps down
30. Tyler Reddick, three laps down, seven laps led
31. Chase Briscoe, three laps down
32. Josh Bilicki, four laps down, one lap led
33. Alex Bowman – OUT, Steering, 19 laps led
34. Josh Berry – OUT, Accident
35. William Byron – OUT, Dvp
36. Chase Elliott – OUT, Accident
37. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Verizon 200 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, August 13, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Photo by Stephanie McLaughlin for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Even before the conclusion and the winner of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway took an extra day to be determined, Chase Elliott’s hopes of making the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs took a major hit during the event’s starting phases on Sunday, August 6, that prevented him from finishing the remainder of the event on Monday, August 7.
Rolling off the starting grid in 10th place on Sunday amid an early delay due to precipitation, the 2020 Cup Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, spent the opening 14 laps battling within the top 10 and was running in seventh place by the time the event’s first caution period occurred after Kyle Busch wrecked in Turn 2. During the caution period, Elliott was one of 11 competitors who chose to remain on the track as he moved up to fourth place prior to a restart on Lap 19.
After quickly falling out of the top five and stabilizing himself back into the top 10 during the proceeding laps, Elliott’s event went south on Lap 34 when the right-rear tire on the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 blew and sent Elliott, who was running 10th, spinning and rear-ending the car towards the outside wall in Turn 2. With Elliott making more contact and damaging the car against the wall, the damage was enough to terminate his event in the garage and in 36th place as he only completed 34 of 200 scheduled laps.
“[I] Hate [the wreck] happened,” Elliott said at the infield care center on USA Network. “It was just really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird. Bummer, but not surprised. No [warning of the flat tire], not at all. Obviously, we stayed out [during the previous caution period], but I don’t feel like I was being hard on [the car]. Unfortunately not, just add it to the list. I told y’all [the media I need to win] the week I got back, so nothing’s changed.”
With three regular-season events remaining on the schedule, Elliott, who came into the event 40 points below the top-16 cutline and in 20th place in the regular-season standings, is now down to 22nd place in the standings and 55 points below the cutline, which still places him within striking distance of reaching the cutline by points, but likely needing a victory to solidify a spot for the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs.
Since being absent for six events from early March to early April while recovering from a snowboarding accident and being suspended from the Cup event at World Wide Technology Raceway in early June amid a retaliatory incident with Denny Hamlin during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in late May, Elliott had managed to earn a stage victory at Talladega Superspeedway in late April, four top-five results, seven top-10 results and finish no lower than 13th in 13 events prior to Michigan. Currently, his best on-track result is a runner-up result that occurred at Auto Club Speedway in late February, with his latest Cup victory occurring at Talladega in October 2022, as Elliott attempts to extend his streak of making the Cup Playoffs to eight consecutive seasons.
Elliott’s quest to make the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs continues next Sunday, August 13, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. The event’s broadcast is scheduled to occur at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Date: Aug. 6-7, 2023 Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 (Round 23 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (2-mile oval) Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/75 laps/80 laps) Note: The race’s first 76 laps were run on Sunday before rain forced the completion of the race to Monday. Race Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford) Stage 1 Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Martin Truex Jr., of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
SHR Race Finish:
● Kevin Harvick (Started 22nd, Finished 8th / Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
● Kevin Harvick (5th with 663 points, 136 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (24th with 405 points, 394 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (25th with 397 points, 402 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (31st with 289 points, 510 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Harvick earned his 11th top-10 of the season and his series-leading 23rd top-10 in 43 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan.
● This was Harvick’s fourth straight top-10. He earned back-to-back fourth-place finishes July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon and July 23 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, and finished 10th July 30 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only one finish outside the top-15 at Michigan.
● This was Harvick’s 14th straight top-15 at Michigan.
Race Notes:
● Chris Buescher won the FireKeepers Casino 400 to score his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Michigan. His margin over second-place Martin Truex Jr., was .152 of a second.
● This was Ford’s 724th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory, its third of the season and its second straight. Buescher also won the series’ prior race at Richmond.
● This was Ford’s series-leading 44th win at Michigan, which is the most at any track currently on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Ford scored its first Michigan victory with NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson on Aug. 17, 1969.
● This was Ford’s ninth straight win at Michigan, a streak that started with former SHR driver Clint Bowyer in June 2018.
● There were nine caution periods for a total of 34 laps.
● Twenty-one of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Truex remains the championship leader after Michigan with a 57-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Verizon 200 at The Brickyard on Sunday, Aug. 13 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race begins at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT AUGUST 7, 2023
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS. DRIVER 5th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 6th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 7th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 10th Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1
TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS. DRIVER
Chris Buescher (Ford)
Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
Brad Keselowski (Ford)
Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, August 13, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 7th
“It was a grind all weekend. We started on the front row but didn’t have the balance or the grip level we needed when we got back in traffic. I felt like we were so fast and I just couldn’t get back up there. We just didn’t have the car to do it. The changes that we were able to make were small – air pressures and stuff – but helped the car today.
Thank you to everyone at Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet to be able to come back on a green race track and make the car better. It was a good run for the No. 1 Jockey Chevy team.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 5th
Top-Five finish for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. Is that where this car was or did you think you had some more?
“I felt like we were a little bit better, and then after that wreck off of (turn) two, the No. 14 (Chase Briscoe) and I hit pretty decently, and I just felt like we were a little slower after that. I think the handling was still similar, but just a little bit slower overall. We took what we could get out of the day. Happy with the pit strategy there at the end to get some track position and come away with a top-five for the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. We’ll take it.”
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.
Finished: 37th
“I put myself in a bad spot. I really hate that I did that. I wish the results were better for the day for our entire RCR team. They work so hard and do so much for me to put myself in a bad spot like that and get crashed. Hate it for Kwik Trip and everybody involved, it was a really short day.”
Did your car just snap on you as you got beside him?
“We touched a little bit and that’s when you lose all the air and you spin out.”
You put yourself in a bad position? Did you feel like (Ryan) Blaney did anything wrong there?
“They all run hard. They all want to race to crash. I tried to make a move and in the old days, guys that you were racing would let you go and have that spot and work for it later. But in this day in age, it’s completely different. So I got a guy that ran on my outside and took the air off.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One.
Finished: 36th
That was a hard hit there. Are you feeling alright?
“Yeah, I feel good. I hate that it happened. It was really early in the day to have a tire blow like that. It was really weird. It’s a bummer, but not surprised.”
Was there no warning that the tire was going?
“No, not at all. Obviously we stayed out, but no I didn’t even feel like I was being hard on it. Unfortunately not.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.
Finished: 35th
“I just got loose trying to get stage points there. We were dicing it up. We didn’t have the best restart, so we were gaining spots back, but just tried too hard. We’ll just regroup and try to get a good couple of weeks before the playoffs. Just made a mistake – was just trying hard and got loose.”
JOSH BERRY, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1
Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two.
Finished: 34th
Any warning that the car was coming around?
“No, I had no idea. Just wild restarts here and just trying to learn as much as I can. I just got loose there and backed it into the wall. Just hate it that we didn’t get to run all the laps today because that was the main goal.
Was it traffic, aero-effects or just no warning?
“I’ll have to go back and watch it. Obviously it’s a lot to learn here with everything going on back there. I’ll just go back and look, learn and see what I can do better.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 10th
“It was a good day for the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy team. I thought our Chevy was a top-five car. We just got shuffled around on some restarts. When the No. 48 (Alex Bowman) got wrecked there, we had to come in and change tires; got shuffled to the back and we had that long green-flag run there at the end. To drive from the back up to 10th, it’s good. Obviously we wish it was better, but we had good speed and a good car all race yesterday and today. The balance was just a little tighter today and kind of held us back. We’ll see moving forward. We’re getting faster, we just need to capitalize on these days and go try to make the most of them to get the finishes that we can. Happy with the way we’re going.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1
Finished: 6th
“Proud of my No. 99 Worldwide Express Chevy team. This is exactly what we needed after a couple of rough weeks. The team did an amazing job with execution and the car was fast. It wasn’t easy – we had to work for this one. Two days ago in practice, I knew our car had the speed, but we were just very off on balance. Once we found the balance, the car was pretty fast so I’m happy with that. I feel like we still have maybe one more step to go to be able to win races, but it was definitely a race that we needed, especially heading into two road course races. Now we have a little momentum on our side and I’m optimistic for the final three races of the regular season.”
STAGE ONE:
· Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain led the NASCAR Cup Series to the green flag in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway – his ninth top-10 start of the season and his first career top-10 qualifying effort in NASCAR’s premier series at the two-mile oval. Chastain drove his No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 to the top position in the opening lap – leading the race’s first 16 laps.
· Two of Team Chevy’s former champions faced trouble in Stage One with Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott making an early exit due to damage sustained in accidents in the race’s first 35 laps.
· Under caution with 11 laps to go in the stage, crew chief Cliff Daniels opted for track position – calling for Larson to stay out when pit road opened. With varying pit strategies among the leaders, Larson lined up in the seventh position for the final six laps of Stage One.
· Larson went on to lead Team Chevy to the green-white checkered flag – collecting top-five points at the conclusion of Stage One. The No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team led the manufacturer to four of the top-10 positions in Stage One:
6th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
7th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally x Detroit Pistons Camaro ZL1
9th Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1
STAGE TWO:
· During the Stage break, Larson visited pit road for four tires and fuel. With much of the field staying out, Larson was forced to start in the 21st position for the start of Stage Two.
· Coming to the end of Stage One, William Byron made contact with the wall while in a three-way battle for top-10 stage points. Crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron down pit road to assess the damage on the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1. Unable to make repairs by the end of the DVP clock, Byron was forced to make an early departure from the race for a 35th-place finish.
· Shortly after the start of Stage Two, the fourth caution of the day flew involving Team Chevy’s Josh Berry following a spin and contact with the wall. With too much damage to continue, the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1 team ended the race in the 34th position.
· LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones was in a battle for the lead when the caution flew. Taking the green flag on lap 56, Jones settled his No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 into the third position on the restart.
· A trio of Camaro ZL1’s were running in the top-five (Alex Bowman – 2nd, Kyle Larson – 3rd and Erik Jones – 5th) when the caution flew for precipitation, ultimately bring the race to red flag conditions for approximately 85 minutes before being postponed until Monday.
· Restarting the race with 38 laps left in the Stage, a caution flew for debris in Turn Two at lap 102. Many drivers looking for stage points chose to stay off pit road with seven Team Chevy drivers lining up in the top-10 for the restart with 14 laps left in the Stage.
· Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez led the manufacturer to the end of Stage Two, driving his No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 to a second-place finish in the Stage.
· Four Team Chevy drivers collected top-10 points in Stage Two:
2nd Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1
5th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally x Detroit Pistons Camaro ZL1
· Kyle Larson led Team Chevy to the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway – driving his No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Camaro ZL1 to a fifth-place finish.
· Four drivers from three different Chevrolet teams took top-10 finishing positions at the two-mile oval with Larson leading Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’S Erik Jones rounding out the top-10.
About Chevrolet Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
