Track: Michigan International Speedway
Location: Brooklyn, Michigan
Track length: 2 miles
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $11,055,250
Race distance: 200 laps | 400 miles
Stages: 45 | 120 | 200
Defending winner:Tyler Reddick, August 2024
Starting lineup:Chase Briscoe on pole
RELATED: How to watch on Prime Video
In-Season Challenge positioning begins at track not to be taken lightly
Plenty is on the minds of the NASCAR Cup Series field ahead of Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. From playoff jockeying to the looming trek across the border to Mexico City, there’s much for drivers and their respective teams to digest.
Then there’s the inaugural In-Season Challenge — and a $1 million prize — to factor into the slam-packed equation, with Michigan acting as the first of three seeding races before the five-race challenge begins on June 28 at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).
MORE: Cup Series standings | Full 2025 schedule
“I think it’s in the back of people’s minds,” Ryan Blaney said when discussing the In-Season Challenge. “I wasn’t sitting around this week, like, alright, In-Season [Challenge] time, like, you just try to run the best you can. And then I think when you get into that five-week stretch of the [challenge], you’re going to be aware of who you’re racing, like, who am I up against this week? You’re definitely going to be aware of that, because there is a lot of, you know, money and pride if you win the thing. It’s like a five-week All-Star Race, kind of.
“… Honestly, these next three (races) of just kind of, I guess, seeding yourself … it’s like the March Madness bracket, right? You want to do well to seed yourself against an easier opponent.”
Michigan, the asphalt 2-miler, will provide a stiff test for drivers in the first seeding race, beginning with its banking. The 18-degree corners, most notably in Turns 3 and 4, have provided plenty of action, including last year when a Stage 2 wreck involved big-time contenders Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and 2023 Michigan winner Chris Buescher.
Although Larson — who finished 34th at Michigan after the incident — believes aero positioning resulted in the crash, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports pilot does think mayhem can still occur … if you aren’t careful.
“I think just that maybe it’s so big and long and you can draft and stuff like that,” Larson said. “So, restarts for the first few laps are a bit chaotic, but that’s really every track we go to. I think the grip here is very high, but when you get like an awkward spot, you can lose the grip really quick. So I think that’s why you see spins and wrecks and accidents happen here.”
Michigan’s track surface also brings its uniqueness to the forefront. Repaved ahead of the 2012 season, the surface remains largely intact, allowing for speeds that eclipse 195 mph.
“I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s just stayed very similar year over year, so you’re able to really fine-tune little detail stuff to continue to get better,” Buescher said.
MORE: Full Saturday recap
From atop the pit box …
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday’s race?
“Strategy is quite a bit different here, right? Fuel is more important than tires, I’d say,” Ryan Sparks, crew chief for Justin Haley’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “So we kind of just focus on spending as much time on pit road as much as we need fuel, right? So, just a little different mindset. The track’s big enough to where you’re super close to the leaders, you can maybe short a stage, or, you know, kind of get creative with strategy as well. But restarts are crazy, so you got to make sure it turns that first corner for the driver and him be able to maneuver. So a lot of things happen here. It really takes a car that is good at everything.”
“I guess the best part is there’s so many lanes that you can run,” Jeremy Bullins, crew chief for Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, told NASCAR.com. “You can run down to the bottom, run the middle, run the top. Kind of gives you some options if you try to find a lane that your car works the best in, and hopefully good enough to be able to pass some guys.”
With such high speeds and an abundance of racing lanes, gauging fuel and positioning becomes important, especially in the race’s middle and late segments.
“It’s a big track position race,” Bullins said. “There’s a lot of right-side tire stops and a lot of fuel-only stops. I don’t think I put tires on here last year past halfway on the left, put rights on a couple times. But just trying to figure out, you know, what you can do to set yourself up to have decent track position in the last stage and later in the race and try to be up front.”
RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday’s race
History tells us …
Long-run speed goes a long way. This can be expected at a track as fast as Michigan, but this is especially true in the Next Gen era. Per NASCAR Insights, the three winners at this track since the Gen 7’s introduction — Kevin Harvick in 2022, Buescher in 2023 and Tyler Reddick in 2024 — all ranked inside the top three in long-run speed in their respective races.
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for …
ERIK JONES. The Michigan native possesses two top 10s at his home track in the Next Gen era, and the No. 43 pilot is on an upward wave of momentum. In addition to his statistical masterclass last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, Jones is sixth in Passer Rating over the last five races after ranking 29th in the same category over the first nine Cup contests.
Fantasy update
NASCAR Fantasy Live expert Dustin Albino provides insight for your Sunday lineup.
Speeds were blistering fast during Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, which could be a tad deceiving for race conditions. I’ve broken away from the norm this week and have changed one-third of my lineup. Out are former Cup champions Logano and Chase Elliott in favor of William Byron and Kyle Busch. The No. 24 team is the most consistent team in the Cup Series this season and will start from the second row. Busch surprised with a runner-up qualifying effort, trailing only Chase Briscoe, who notched his third consecutive pole. Both drivers cracked the top five in last year’s rundown at Michigan. Contemplated using Ty Gibbs, who was the best car on 10-, 15- and 20-lap averages, but we’ve seen this story before in 2025. Denny Hamlin was also under strong consideration, but with only four uses left, I’m saving the No. 11 Toyota for down the road.
Lineup: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar.
Garage: Kyle Busch.
MORE: Get lineup advice in Fantasy Fastlane
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• NASCAR at Michigan: Key information, links, results through the weekend | Read more
• In-Season Challenge: Seeding format, schedule, additional information | Read more
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 | Read more
• Field of 16: Fords look to reclaim Michigan dominion, clinch another playoff berth | Read more
• Turning Point to Michigan: Why this weekend is a major wild card | Read more
• At-track photos: Best shots from Brooklyn 2-miler | View gallery
• NASCAR Classics: All the thrills and intense moments from Michigan | Watch races
• Paint Scheme Preview: Schemes set to shine in the Irish Hills | View gallery
• Power Rankings: How the Cup Series field stacks up ahead of Michigan |Read more
