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NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
How changes before 2025 season are paying off halfway through the year
More than three-fourths of the 15 full-time Cup organizations had either a driver or crew chief change to one of their teams entering this season. With the NASCAR Cup Series hitting the halfway point in the 36-race schedule this past weekend at Atlanta, here is a look at the results of those changes so far. 23XI Racing Charles Denike joined the organization to be Bubba Wallace's crew chief, taking the role over from Bootie Barker. 'I truly believe he's going to be a game-changer for 23XI,' team owner Denny Hamlin said early in the season. One of the focuses with Wallace was to have a better start to the season. He did. Wallace was seventh in the points after six races this season (last year Wallace was 18th in points after six races). Dustin Long, Wallace got off to quick start by often scoring stage points. His 61 stage points in the first six races ranked third in the series and were the most he had scored so early in the year. Four accidents in the last eight races have dropped Wallace to the final playoff spot. He holds that position by 23 points with eight races left in the regular season. Front Row Motorsports Zane Smith and Noah Gragson joined the organization in the offseason, while Todd Gilliland was reunited with Chris Lawson, his former Truck crew chief. Gilliland is 28th in points this season. He was 20th last year at this time. He has six top-15 finishes this year compared to seven at this time last year. Gragson is 33rd in points this season. He was 25th at this time a year ago for Stewart-Haas Racing. Smith has made a big jump. Last year he was under contract to Trackhouse Racing but since there wasn't room for him there, he ran for Spire Motorsports. He was 34th in points at the halfway point last year. Coming off last weekend's seventh-place finish at Atlanta — his second top 10 in the last four races — Smith is 25th in the standings. His best finish in the first half of last year was 13th. Smith has had six finishes better than that this year. Haas Factory Team Stewart-Haas Racing, a four-car operation, shut down after last season and Haas Factory Team emerged. Haas Factory Team runs one car in Cup with Cole Custer, who returned to Cup after spending the previous two seasons in the Xfinity Series. Custer won the 2023 Xfinity title and finished second in the points last year. Custer has been paired with first-year Cup crew chief Aaron Kramer. Joe Gibbs Racing This organization saw four major changes heading into this season. Last year was Martin Truex Jr.'s final full-time season of racing. Joe Gibbs Racing hired Chase Briscoe to drive the No. 19 car with crew chief James Small. Briscoe won at Pocono to give the No. 19 team its first victory since July 2023 at New Hampshire. Briscoe's victory snapped a 68-race winless drought for the team. Briscoe also claimed the pole for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. He has four poles this season. In another key move, Joe Gibbs Racing moved Chris Gabehart — who had won 22 Cup races with Denny Hamlin from 2019-24 — to competition director. That started a string of events. Chris Gayle moved from his role as Ty Gibbs' crew chief to become Hamlin's crew chief. Tyler Allen, who won eight of 33 Xfinity races in 2024 while working with six different drivers, moved up to Cup to be Gibbs' crew chief this season. Gayle has helped Hamlin win three races. Hamlin has 19 playoff points — the same amount he had at this time last year. Gibbs was 11th in points halfway through last year. He is 24th in points this season. Gibbs is the only JGR driver yet to claim a playoff spot this season. Gabehart was on Gibbs' pit box last weekend at Atlanta, serving as the race strategist. He was on the radio with Gibbs and orchestrated strategy with Allen in an effort to help get Gibbs into the playoffs. Kaulig Racing Ty Dillon, who ran five races with the team last year, joined Kaulig Racing full-time this season. He took over the ride Daniel Hemric had last year. Hemric was 31st in points at the halfway mark last year. Dillon is 31st. Dillon has scored 34 more points than Hemric had at this time last year. Trent Owens, who had been Hemric's crew chief, was moved to Allmendinger's team this season with Allmendinger returning to Cup full-time. Allmendinger had three top-10 finishes in six starts at this time last year. He has four top-10 finishes in 18 starts this year, including a season-best fourth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600. The last time Allmendinger ran the full series was 2023. He was 19th in points at the halfway mark. He is 17th in points this season. Legacy Motor Club The team brought in crew chief Travis Mack from Kaulig Racing to be paired with John Hunter Nemechek. Nemechek has scored six top-10 finishes this season — his most in a Cup season. His passer ranking after the first 13 races was 29th but has improved to 16th in the last five races. He was 27th in points last year at the halfway point and is 23rd this year. Nemechek is 10 points from 20th in the points. He is 20 points from 18th in the standings. 'I think Travis and I gelled really well from the very beginning, hold each other accountable when it comes to situations,' Nemechek said. 'We spent quite a bit of time during the offseason communicating, looking at different races, talking about past races, simulation time, kind of just getting to know each other.' Richard Childress Racing After spending the past two years as Chase Briscoe's crew chief at the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, Richard Boswell joined RCR to be Austin Dillon's crew chief. Dillon ranked 32nd in points at this time last year. He is 26th in points this season. Dillon's average finish this year is 20.1 — up five spots from last year. Rick Ware Racing After running select races last year, Cody Ware is running the full schedule for the team. Ware is coming off a season-best 13th-place finish at Atlanta. Justin Haley was the team's full-time driver last year before he moved to Spire Motorsports in a swap with seven races left that brought Corey LaJoie to RWR. LaJoie has run a limited schedule for the team this year. RFK Racing The organization expanded to three teams, adding the No. 60 car for Ryan Preece and pairing him with crew chief Derrick Finley. Preece is the first driver outside a playoff spot, 23 points below the cutline. He already has a career-high seven top-10 finishes this season, including four in the last seven races. 'Last year, we put that team together and ran a partial schedule with Derrick Finley and we had a handful of different drivers and matured a lot of that team and a partial schedule, whether it be pit crew as well, and that team has fired off with putting Ryan in as the driver full-time and shown a lot of strength,' team owner Brad Keselowski said last weekend at Atlanta. Spire Motorsports This team had a few moves last season. With Stewart-Haas Racing closing, Rodney Childers moved from there to be Justin Haley's crew chief. That partnership lasted nine races before the two sides parted ways and Ryan Sparks, who had served as Haley's crew chief for the final seven races of last season, returned. Michael McDowell and crew chief Travis Peterson left Front Row Motorsports to join Spire. A year ago, McDowell was 22nd in the points. His average finish this year is 19.1. Last year at this time it was 20.9. Trackhouse Racing The organization expanded to three teams this year, adding Shane van Gisbergen to the Cup lineup and pairing him with crew chief Stephen Doran. While the Cup rookie continues to learn the ovals, van Gisbergen has been strong — as expected — on the road courses. He won at Mexico to claim a playoff spot and was sixth at Circuit of the Americas. Wood Brothers Racing Josh Berry joined the team after Stewart-Haas Racing closed last year. He replaced Harrison Burton. Crew chief Miles Stanley joined the team. The pairing worked. Berry won at Las Vegas in his fifth race of the season with the team, putting the Wood Brothers back in the playoffs after making it last year through Burton's victory at Daytona in August. Berry has three top-10 finishes, which is one short of his career-best in Cup. He's led 169 laps, his most in a season. Berry is 19th in points. That's where he was a year ago. He has 363 points this season — six more than he had at this time last year.
NBC Sports
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup drivers ahead of Atlanta weekend
Nine races remain before the playoffs begin, as the NASCAR Cup Series goes to EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, this weekend. Saturday night's race has the chance to disrupt the playoff standings. Four times in the seven races since the track was reconfigured, there have been at least 26 cars involved in a crash in a race. Twenty-eight cars were involved in accidents in February's event. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup drivers heading into the weekend. 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick makes his 200th career Cup start this weekend. Bad news: Bubba Wallace has finished 33rd or worse in four of the last seven races, dropping him to 29 points above the playoff cutline. … Wallace's six DNFs leads the series. … Since starting the season with three consecutive 17th-place finishes (Daytona 500, Atlanta and COTA), Riley Herbst has only one finish better than 17th in the last 14 races. … Tyler Reddick has three top-five finishes this season. He's on pace for his fewest number of top-five finishes in a season since 2021 (also the last time he went winless in a season). Front Row Motorsports — Good news: The organization has won the pole for six of the last eight races at drafting tracks. … Noah Gragson's best finish of the season came at a drafting track when he placed fourth at Talladega. … Gragson has gone a series-best 60 consecutive races without a pit road speeding penalty. … Todd Gilliland ranked third in passing in the Atlanta race in February. … He has started in the top 10 in each of the last four Atlanta Cup races. … Zane Smith has five top-20 finishes in the last eight races. … Smith finished 11th in February, his best Cup finish there. Bad news: Gilliland has finished 22nd or worse in each of the last four races. … Gilliland has never scored a top-five finish in 21 Cup races on drafting tracks. Haas Factory Team — Good news: All four of Cole Custer's top-20 finishes have come in the past eight races. … Custer started a season-best fifth last weekend at Pocono. Bad News: Custer has made 134 Cup starts since his win at Kentucky in July 2020. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: Chase Elliott heads into this weekend with back-to-back top-five finishes, the first time he's done that this season. … Elliott has the best average finish this season at 10.8. … Kyle Larson has won 13 of his last 82 Cup starts for a 15.9 percent winning percentage. … William Byron has two wins on the reconfigured Atlanta track. … Byron's four drafting track wins (two Daytona 500s and two at Atlanta) are the most in the Next Gen car. … Alex Bowman has six top-10 finishes in the last 11 races on drafting tracks. Bad news: Bowman dropped one spot in the playoff standings and now holds the final playoff spot with nine races left in the regular season. … Larson has failed to finish five of the last seven races at Atlanta due to accidents. … Larson has not won in 50 starts at drafting tracks. … Larson's five-race winless streak matches his longest of the season. Dustin Long, Hyak Motorsports — Good news: All four of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Cup wins have come on drafting tracks. … He finished fifth at Atlanta in February. … Stenhouse ranked second in passing in the February Atlanta race. Bad news: Stenhouse has placed 27th or worse in three of the last four races this season. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Christopher Bell won the most recent Atlanta race in February. … Bell has three top-five finishes in his last five Atlanta starts. … Chase Briscoe is coming off his first Cup win with JGR, taking the checkered flag at Pocono. … Briscoe has four finishes of seventh or better in the last six races. … Denny Hamlin has won nine of his last 77 Cup starts for an 11.7 percent winning percentage. … With eight top-five finishes in his first 16 races, Hamlin is on pace to have his most top-five finishes in a season since 2021. … Ty Gibbs led a race-high 32 laps at Talladega in the most recent race on a drafting track. Bad news: Hamlin's average finish in the last seven races at Atlanta is 18th. … Hamlin is winless in 21 starts on drafting tracks in the Next Gen era (since 2022). … Briscoe has one top-10 finish in the last eight races at drafting tracks. Kaulig Racing — Good news: AJ Allmendinger has an 11.0 average finish at the reconfigured Atlanta track, a total that is tied for third among drivers who have made at least three starts at that track. Bad news: Ty Dillon has not finished better than 19th in five Cup starts at the reconfigured Atlanta track. … Allmendinger has finished 20th or worse in five of the last eight races. … Allmendinger is winless in 48 career Cup starts on drafting tracks. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: John Hunter Nemechek has finished sixth in each of the last two Cup races. … Nemechek has four top 10s in the last seven races. … Nemechek's six top 10s this season are a career high in Cup. …He finished 10th at Atlanta in February. … Nemechek ranked fourth in passing in that Atlanta race. … Erik Jones has five top-15 finishes in the last seven races. Bad news: Jones has two top-10 finishes in his last 12 starts on drafting tracks. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch has finished in the top 10 in all five races at Atlanta with Richard Childress Racing, his most at a track since moving to the team. … Busch ranks second in the series in passing at drafting tracks this season. … Busch has eight top-10 finishes in his last 14 Cup starts at drafting tracks. Bad news: Austin Dillon has finished 19th or worse in six consecutive races. … Dillon has only two top-10 finishes in his last 16 starts at drafting tracks. … Busch has one top-10 result in the last nine races this season. … Busch has lost 63 points to the playoff cutline in the past two races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Corey LaJoie is back with the team this weekend in the No. 01 car. … LaJoie has two top-five finishes in the last seven Atlanta races. … Nine of LaJoie's 11 career top-10 finishes in Cup have come on drafting tracks. … Both of Cody Ware's two top-10 Cup finishes have come at drafting tracks. Bad news: Ware has finished 30th or worse in six of the last nine races. RFK Racing — Good news: Chris Buescher has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races. … Buescher has nine top-10 finishes this season, his most through 17 races in a Cup season. … Brad Keselowski has three top-10 finishes in the last five races. … Ryan Preece has five top 15s in the last six races, including four top 10s. Bad news: A penalty for pitting when pit road was closed (a team miscommunication) and then a caution coming out before he had pitted prevented Keselowski from having a chance to win last week at Pocono and claim a playoff spot. … Keselowski, who has seven drafting track wins, last won on such a track in 2021. … Preece finished second at Talladega in the most recent race on a drafting track but was disqualified when his car failed post-race inspection. Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar finished second in the most recent Atlanta race in February. … He ranked first in passing in that race, via Racing Insights. … Hocevar has finished in the top 10 in the last two races on drafting tracks, placing second at Atlanta and sixth at Talladega. Bad news: It has been 158 starts since Justin Haley's lone Cup win at Daytona in July 2019. … Michael McDowell has placed 21st or worse in seven of the last 10 races. Team Penske — Good news: The organization led 131 of 266 laps at Atlanta in February. … The team has won seven of the 14 stages since the Atlanta track was redone. … Ryan Blaney has six consecutive top 10s at Atlanta, his longest streak at any track. … He has led in all seven Atlanta races on the reconfigured track. … Blaney has four wins on drafting tracks. … Blaney has six top-five finishes in the last 10 races this season. … Since the track's reconfiguration, Austin Cindric has led 193 laps at Atlanta (second most among all drivers). … Joey Logano has two wins on the reconfigured Atlanta track. Bad news: Logano's Atlanta win during last year's playoffs is his only top-10 finish in the last 10 races on a drafting track. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Daniel Suarez has placed in the top two, including a win, in three of the last four Atlanta races. … Suarez is tied with Ryan Blaney for the most top-five finishes at the reconfigured Atlanta track with four. … Ross Chastain has four top 10s in his last seven Atlanta starts. … Connor Zilisch will make his third career Cup start this weekend, driving the No. 87 car. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen's 31st-place finish last week at Pocono was his lowest since Bristol in April. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry led a career-high 56 laps at Atlanta in February. … Berry ranked second in defense in the Atlanta race, according to Racing Insights. … Berry started third at Atlanta and won the opening stage in February. Bad news: Berry has one top-10 finish in the 12 races since his Las Vegas win.
NBC Sports
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Winners, losers from NASCAR weekend in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY — A look at the winners and losers from Sunday's NASCAR Cup race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. WINNERS Shane van Gisbergen — His rookie Cup season has been a struggle on the ovals but van Gisbergen did what he was hired by Trackhouse Racing to do — he won a road course race and put himself in a playoff spot. He did it easily, leading a race-high 60 laps and winning by 16.567 seconds — the largest margin of victory since Texas in November 2009 (25.686 seconds) and the largest margin of victory on a road course since Riverside in 1979 (32.9 seconds). Nate Ryan, Hendrick Motorsports — Placed three of its cars in the top 10. Chase Elliott was a season-best third, Alex Bowman fourth and William Byron ninth. Christopher Bell — He finished second, giving him seven top-three finishes in 16 races this year. He has three wins, three runner-up results and a third-place finish. Michael McDowell — His fifth-place finish was his best of the season. He has placed in the top 10 in four of the last six road course races. John Hunter Nemechek — His sixth-place finish is his third top 10 in the last six races and gives him a career-high five top 10s on the season. Cole Custer — After travel snafus led to him and a few others from Haas Factory Team to drive from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta so they could fly to Mexico early Friday, he placed a season-best eighth Sunday. Daniel Suarez — While he finished 19th in Sunday's Cup race, his victory in Saturday's Xfinity race in his home country was an electric and emotional moment he won't forget. #NASCAR … Crowd reaction when @Daniel_SuarezG won the Xfinity race LOSERS Carson Hocevar — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. confronted Hocevar after their second on-track incident in the last three races. Also, Hocevar's spin led to the final caution that came in the middle of a green-flag pit cycle and impacted the race for some drivers. On top of that, Hocevar finished 34th. He has finished 25th or worse in four of the last five races. Dustin Long, Kyle Busch — He entered the race tied for the last playoff spot (but outside the playoffs due to a tiebreaker). He crashed in the opening laps and finished last in the 37-car field. Busch now is 50 points out of the final playoff spot with 10 races left in the regular season. Kyle Larson — His car was damaged in Kyle Busch's incident and lost several laps for repairs. Larson finished 36th. He has finished 36th or worse in two of the last four races.
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Bizarre Cross Border Air Travel Turmoil Shakes Up Mexico NASCAR Schedule
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASCAR ran into problems on Thursday when it tried moving teams and equipment into Mexico City for this weekend's race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Several personnel, including the Haas Factory Team, reported hurdles and delays in departure, a problem that has affected the race weekend's schedule. A technical problem on an aircraft meant NASCAR personnel had to find a plane that was authorized to fly to the race venue. According to journalist Matt Weaver, the plane aborted takeoff after the captain reported a suspected bird hit that took out the second engine. He stated on X: The captain of a grounded plane carrying NASCAR industry people to Mexico as it aborted a takeoff said "I dont know if we took a bird but engine 2 blew." The industry personnel are off that plane and have their luggage back. — Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) June 12, 2025 "The captain of a grounded plane carrying NASCAR industry people to Mexico as it aborted a takeoff said "I dont know if we took a bird but engine 2 blew." [sic] "The industry personnel are off that plane and have their luggage back." Haulers arrive for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Mexico City at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 12, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. Haulers arrive for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Mexico City at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 12, 2025 in Mexico City, later, he posted again on X that the sport was trying to arrange for a plane that was authorized to cross the border. He wrote: "The consensus from those flying right now is that they are waiting to find a plane that is authorized to fly across the border. "Again, NASCAR says they're aware of the situation and working on getting everyone here to CDMX." The consensus from those flying right now is that they are waiting to find a plane that is authorized to fly across the border. Again, NASCAR says they're aware of the situation and working on getting everyone here to CDMX. — Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) June 12, 2025 Xfinity driver Ryan Ellis posted on the same platform that his flight kept getting delayed. He wrote: "Heading back home again (lol). My commercial flight, which has a connection afterward, keeps getting delayed. @AmericanAir" Heading back home again (lol). My commercial flight, which has a connection afterward, keeps getting delayed. @AmericanAir — Ryan Ellis (@ryanellisracing) June 13, 2025 Weaver reported on X that the Haas Factory Team booked tickets on a commercial flight after they were unable to fly in their charter plane. He wrote: "Haas Factory Team personnel are driving to Atlanta to pick up a commercial flight to Mexico after the issue with their charter plane." Elaborating in another post, Weaver opened up on the Haas team personnel who drove to Atlanta to board their flight to Mexico. He wrote on X: "Specially from Haas, three drivers, three crew chiefs and two car chiefs across both divisions are those driving to Atlanta Airport to pick up a commercial flight to Mexico City." Specially from Haas, three drivers, three crew chiefs and two car chiefs across both divisions are those driving to Atlanta Airport to pick up a commercial flight to Mexico City. — Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) June 12, 2025 While the exact reason for multiple air travel issues remains unclear, the delayed arrival in Mexico prompted NASCAR to modify the race weekend schedule. NASCAR confirmed that the Xfinity Series will be permitted to carry out all track sessions on Saturday. The time for the Cup Series qualifying and the NASCAR Mexico Series race was also revised. FOX Sports' Bob Pockrass posted the updated schedule for the NASCAR race weekend in Mexico on X. He wrote: Friday • NASCAR Mexico Series race #1 will shift to 11:30 a.m. (MRN Radio) • Two NASCAR Cup Series practices will shift to 2:05 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively (Amazon Prime, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) • NASCAR Xfinity Series practice will move to Saturday Saturday • NASCAR Xfinity Series will hold a 50 minute practice at 9:05 p.m. (CW App) • NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying will be held at 10:10 a.m. (CW App) • NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying will shift to 12:05 p.m. (Amazon Prime, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) • NASCAR Mexico Series race #2 will shift to 5 p.m. (MRN Radio)
NBC Sports
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
Good news, bad news ahead of Michigan weekend for NASCAR Cup teams
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to one of its fastest tracks this weekend with a trip to Michigan International Speedway. Qualifying was canceled at the 2-mile track by rain last year, but the pole speed of 193.382 mph in 2023 was the fastest pole speed of the season. It's not uncommon to see speeds at or above 200 mph entering the corners. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway. 23XI Racing — Good news: The organization placed multiple cars in the top 10 last weekend at Nashville, marking only the second time this season, 23XI Racing had done that. … Bubba Wallace was sixth at Nashville and Tyler Reddick was ninth. … Reddick won last year's race at Michigan. Bad news: Riley Herbst was one of four full-time drivers not to qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland has placed 18th or better in six of the last eight races. … Zane Smith has four top-20 finishes in the last five races. Bad news: Noah Gragson was eliminated by a crash at finished 38th at Nashville, the second time in the last four races he's placed 34th or worse. Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer is coming off a 19th-place finish at Nashville. … All three of his top-20 finishes this season have come in the last five races. Bad News: Custer was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: The organization is the only team to have a car finish in the top five in all 14 points races this season. … Kyle Larson has four finishes of seventh or better in the last five Michigan races. … Larson's three wins at Michigan tie him with Joey Logano for most there among active drivers. …William Byron has scored two consecutive top-five finishes and four in the last seven races. … Byron's average finish of 9.2 this season is best in the series. … That is Byron's best average finish through 14 races in his Cup career. Bad news: Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in six of the last eight races, dropping him from third in the points to 12th. … Larson has failed to score any points in the last five stages after winning six of the previous eight stages. … While Chase Elliott has 10 top 10s in 14 Cup starts at Michigan, he has no top 10s in his last three starts there. Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 18th in the points after 14 races; last year he was 27th in points after 14 races. Bad news: Stenhouse suffered his first DNF of the season last weekend at Nashville after contact from Carson Hocevar wrecked him. … The resulting 39th-place finish at Nashville dropped Stenhouse out of a playoff spot with 12 races left in the regular season. Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Denny Hamlin has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan, the longest active streak among all drivers. … Chase Briscoe has won the pole for the past two races. … Briscoe has three poles this season, most in the series. … Christopher Bell has seven top 10s in the last nine races, including four in a row. … Ty Gibbs has two top-10 finishes in three Cups starts at Michigan, including a third-place result last year. … Gibbs ranks first all-time in best average finish at Michigan for those with three or more starts there. Gibbs has an average finish of 8.0 in three career starts there. Bad news: The organization last won at Michigan in August 2015 with Matt Kenseth. … Bell's best finish in six Michigan Cup starts is 13th, making it the only active oval he has not scored a top 10. … Ty Gibbs has finished 17th or worse in each of the last five races. … While Hamlin is a two-time winner at Michigan, his last victory there came in June 2011. Kaulig Racing — Good news: Although AJ Allmendinger dropped to 19th in the points after Nashville, he is only seven points from the final playoff spot. Bad news: Allmendinger has finished 20th or worse in four of the last five races. … Ty Dillon has not scored a top-10 finish in 12 Michigan Cup starts. Legacy Motor Club — Good news: The organization's three top-five finishes are more than it had the last two seasons combined. … The team's seven top-10 results are already more than it had last year (six). … Erik Jones finished seventh at Nashville, giving him two top-10 finishes in the last four races. … Jones' average running position of 9.4 at Nashville was his best since Texas in September 2023. Bad news: John Hunter Nemechek's average finish at Michigan is 29.3, his worst among active oval tracks. Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Kyle Busch moved into the final Cup playoff spot after last weekend's race at Nashville. … Busch has 10 top 10s in the last 12 Michigan Cup races. Bad news: Austin Dillon has finished 20th or worse in each of the last three races. … Busch has one top-10 finish in the last 10 races. Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware's 21st-place finish in last year's race at Michigan is his best result there in four Cup starts. Bad news: Ware was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski's nine top-five finishes and 15 top 10s at Michigan are his most at any Cup track where he's winless. … Chris Buescher has finished sixth or better in each of the last two Michigan races, including a win. … This organization has won 14 times at Michigan, most among any teams. Bad news: Ryan Preece has finished 20th or worse in five of the last seven races. Dustin Long, Spire Motorsports — Good news: Carson Hocevar tied his career-best Cup finish of second last weekend at Nashville. … Hocevar has scored points in eight of the last 13 stages. … Hocevar finished 10th last year at Michigan in his only Cup start there. Bad news: Justin Haley has finished 30th or worse in each of the last three races. … Michael McDowell has placed 21st or worse in five of the last seven races. Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney comes into the weekend after his victory at Nashville Superspeedway. … All three Penske drivers have won a race this season. … Team Penske has won three of the last five points races. … Blaney has three top 10s, including a win, in his last four Michigan starts. … Joey Logano placed fourth last weekend at Nashville. … Logano's three wins at Michigan tie him with Kyle Larson for most there among active drivers. Bad news: Austin Cindric's Talladega win is his only top 10 in the last nine races. Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Ross Chastain has five finishes of seventh or better in the last eight races, including his Coca-Cola 600 win. … Daniel Suarez has top-10 finishes in each of his last two Michigan starts. Bad news: Shane van Gisbergen was one of four full-time drivers who did not qualify for the in-season tournament, which will begin later this month. … Chastain has six finishes of 24th or worse in seven Michigan starts. Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has started in the top 20 in five of the last six races. Bad news: Berry has not finished better than 22nd in three Michigan Cup starts. Hear from Erik Jones, Carson Hocevar, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell following the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
