NASCAR: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway: Full Weekend Schedule
Michigan takes center stage next weekend as the final four races of the regular season put even more pressure on teams and drivers.
For the first time since May, Ford was able to celebrate in victory lane today at Richmond Raceway. Chris Buescher earned his first win of the season as he and team co-owner Brad Keselowski led 190 of the 400 laps in the race. The manufacturer will have a good shot at going back-to-back next weekend, as NASCAR heads to Michigan International Speedway. Ford has won the last eight Cup races at the 2-mile oval.
Most of those victories have come from Kevin Harvick, who has six total victories at the track. Harvick has won five out of the last seven races at Michigan, and enters the weekend as the defending race winner. It was there that the Stewart Haas Racing driver snapped his 65-race winless streak last year. He will be aiming for something similar next weekend, as he aims for his first win of the season in what is his final year of Cup racing.
Harvick has been dominant at Michigan in recent years, to the tune of 737 total laps led. Only one other active driver has led more than 279 laps at the track. That driver is Joey Logano, who happens to be a three-time Michigan winner. The Team Penske ace is also the last driver to win a race from pole position there, back in 2019. Looking through the field, there will be plenty of contenders next Sunday.
Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch have all won at Michigan, along with Harvick and Logano. Chase Elliott has the best average finish (8.0) among all drivers at Michigan. He finished runner-up in his first three races there, but has never found victory lane. He will certainly need to do that next Sunday if he wants to be a Playoff driver this season.
There are a handful of drivers like Elliott who will be desperate to win in order to solidify their place in the Playoffs, as just four races remain in the regular season. The two-day event kicks off on Saturday with practice and qualifying at 12:35 PM, setting the stage for the 200-lap race on Sunday.
Race weekend schedule (Eastern Standard Time)
Saturday August 5
12:35 - Practice
1:20 pm - Qualifying
Sunday August 6
2:30 pm - Race
