Winners and losers from a thrilling NASCAR Cup race at Michigan

The NASCAR Cup race at Michigan featured some big hits, lots of fuel-saving, and Denny Hamlin’s third victory of the year as he inches closer to 60 career Cup wins. It was another missed opportunity for Carson Hocevar as a cut tire derailed his day, but the biggest story from Sunday came before the green flag even flew as Ram announced its return to the the Truck Series.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Michigan…

WINNER: Hamlin beat your favorite driver….again

Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team did a remarkable job making it to the checkered flag with plenty of fuel to spare. Even more impressively, he restarted at the back end of the top ten, but steadily marched through the front-runners while they desperately tried to save gas. In the end, he didn’t even have to wait for the leader to run out as he took the top spot by force with just four laps to go. But the real winning move came in his post-race interview where Hamlin brought back his “I beat your favorite driver” taunt, much to the chagrin of the booing crowd.

LOSER: William Byron is running on empty

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

William Byron and Kyle Larson were in a great spot on Sunday, but unfortunately, leading the pack isn’t the best place to save fuel. Their track position cost them dearly as Larson dropped back to fifth as he tried to make the distance while Byron ran out one lap shy of the finish, falling from second to 28th in the final running order. He had led 98 of 200 laps before that.

WINNER: RFK puts all three cars in the top ten

Chris Buescher, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

RFK Racing overcame a few hiccups (including a speeding penalty) to leave Michigan with their best-combined result of the 2025 season. All three drivers finished inside the top ten with Chris Buescher second, Ryan Preece ninth, and Brad Keselowski tenth. The only negative is that Buescher appeared to have a winning car, but a loss of track position mid-race forced him to spend a lot of time making up the lost ground. Even still, it was a great rebound and Buescher’s best finish of the year.

LOSER: Bowman can’t catch a break with another big (points) hit at Michigan

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Alex Bowman has had miserable luck in recent weeks as the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet free-falls down the standings. Bowman has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races including five finishes of 35th or worse. At Michigan, he finished last after a head-on impact that he described as one of the worst hits of his career.

WINNER: Zane Smith gambles for his best result of the year

Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota, Brad Keselowski, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

Zane Smith’s team rolled the dice at Michigan during the final pit stop, taking the lead for the final restart after a two-tire call. Of course, he wasn’t able to hang onto the lead, but Smith maintained a decent running position, ultimately finishing seventh. It was Smith’s best finish of the year, bettering his ninth-place finish at Phoenix in March.

LOSER: Hocevar’s first win remains just out of grasp

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

Carson Hocevar has been knocking on the door of Victory Lane all year, and he’s only getting closer with every week that passes. But whenever a win is within arm’s reach, something seems to go wrong. He was in the middle of a potential pass for the win at Atlanta when the race-ending caution flew. And the young racer could have realistically won any of the last three races. Hocevar blew an engine while battling for the lead in the Coca-Cola 600, finished second at Nashville after being stuck in traffic, and a cut tire took him out of contention while leading the way late at Michigan. He was probably going to run out of fuel even without the tire issue, ensuring he was not going to get his first career win at his home track.

WINNER: NASCAR secures a fourth manufacturer in Ram

NASCAR Truck Dodge RAM

Photo by: Dodge

It was a big weekend for NASCAR as they finally brought in a fourth OEM with the return of Ram to the Truck Series in 2026. It’s an exciting moment for the sport and potentially the beginning of a path that could lead to Dodge’s return to the Cup Series. Officials also indicated that they are “very close” a fifth manufacturer coming into the sport. And while Ram didn’t do the best job at keeping the announcement secret as leaks were plentiful, the announcement itself was done well with a Ram 1500 concept race truck doing burnouts on the frontstretch at Michigan.

LOSER: The squirrel who crossed pit road in the middle of stops

We’ve all encountered a squirrel that chooses to cross our path at the worst possible moment while on the road, and one such squirrel appeared in the pit lane in the middle of pit stops at Michigan. “I think I just murdered a squirrel getting into my pit box,” radioed Ty Dillon as he was unable to avoid the unfortunate rodent. Of course, there have been plenty of tributes for the little guy on social media since then.