Denny Hamlin winning NASCAR Michigan race, Carson Hocevar blowing tire among winners and losers
Denny Hamlin earned his third win of the NASCAR Cup Series season in the FireKeepers Casino 400 on June 8 at Michigan International Speedway.
Hamlin is the 10th NASCAR Cup Series driver to win a race after his 700th start. His 700th start came in the June 1 race at Nashville, making the NASCAR Michigan race his 701st-career start.
William Byron and Carson Hocevar, who each had a chance to win the race late, had separate issues leading to poor finishes.
Here are winners and losers from the NASCAR Michigan race.
NASCAR Michigan race winners and losers
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin ran toward the front of the field most of the day during the Michigan race. Hamlin found himself in a battle with William Byron in the closing laps. Hamlin, still on baby watch, flew back-and-forth from North Carolina to Michigan throughout the weekend to be with his fiancée, Jordan Fish, ahead of the birth of their third child.
Winner: Ty Gibbs
Ty Gibbs had a strong showing at Michigan, finishing third in the race. Gibbs is working on building on his points standing but will have to get a win to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs. Gibbs showed that he can compete for wins and might be able to get the job done before this season is over.
Winner: Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher finished second in the NASCAR Michigan race after making a strong move to get past Ty Gibbs for his second top five and sixth top 10 of the season. Buescher is now 14th in the playoff standings with 20 points to work with over the cutline. Buescher doesn’t necessarily need a win to qualify for the playoffs, but a win could sure make life easier for the No. 17.
Loser: Alex Bowman
Alex Bowman really needed a good run in Michigan to solidify himself in the playoff picture. He crashed hard in a multi-car incident on lap 67 and has now finished outside of the top 25 in seven of the last nine races. Bowman is just 13 points over the cutline in the NASCAR playoffs and needs to find better results to earn a playoff spot.
Loser: William Byron
William Byron led 98 laps in the NASCAR Michigan race and found himself on a fuel-saving strategy late in the race. He had the lead with 19 to go but a battle with Denny Hamlin ended with Byron running out of fuel coming to the white flag, pitting from second and finishing 30th.
Loser: Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar, a Michigan native, had a huge chance to win his home race, but cut a tire with 19 to go. Hocevar finished a disappointing 29th after running toward the front all day, including leading 32 laps in the final stage of the race.
Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at [email protected].
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