Matt Johnson
Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 delivered excitement and chaos, fitting for a battle at Michigan International Speedway. In a race that saw drivers ripping Carson Hocevar on the radio and some big names involved in wrecks, there’s plenty to take away from this race.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the NASCAR race today.
Winner: NASCAR’s SAFER Barriers
NASCAR draws criticism for plenty of things, but Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 is a testament to how seriously the safety of drivers is taken. On Lap 149 at Michigan, Chase Elliott’s car got a little loose and yanked right into Christopher Bell. At nearly 200 mph, that sent the No. 20 car slamming into the wall and utterly destroying the car and turning it into a heap of wreckage. The collision literally caved part of the wall in, requiring a red flag just to perform significant repairs. The force of the impact on replay was the kind that would make everyone fear for Bell’s safety. Thankfully, advancements over the years to both the car but especially the safer barrier took the brunt of the damage and allowed Bell to get out of the car and walk away.
Loser: Connor Zilisch
The disastrous rookie season for Connor Zilisch continues. Frankly, the NASCAR race today might be his worst-ever in the Cup Series. On Lap 3, the No. 88 car got loose getting to the outside and spun out to drop to the back of the field. Moments later, on Lap 9, Zilisch again got loose entering the turn and then lost full control and slammed into the wall. He’s now finished 38th or worse in three consecutive races, totaling just 3 points in the last three weeks. Viewed as a generational talent coming into the year, this has been an all-time bad year for the rookie.
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin does it again. For the second consecutive week, this time due to repairs to the car after winning the pole on Saturday, Hamlin had to work from the very back of the field. At times, it seemed like the No. 11 car was certainly struggling with the dirty air. It’s a testament to one of the best NASCAR drivers ever that he navigated his way through the field, avoiding some massive wrecks, and outraced his peers in the final laps before cruising to Victory Lane. In a fitting tribute on his celebration lap, Hamlin honored Kyle Busch by carrying the 18 Flag out of his car as he drove around the track. A great race and a classy act.
Related: Insider Reveals Likely Denny Hamlin Successor at JGR
Loser: Drivers Complaining About Carson Hocevar
Whether you view the big wreck Carson Hocevar caused in the NASCAR race today as a racing deal or another example of his overaggressive actions behind the wheel, one thing is clear. Hocevar’s peers clearly don’t have much, if any, respect for his style and are growing increasingly frustrated by his actions ending days for others. Here’s the thing, though. NASCAR has made it pretty clear this season that it won’t penalize drivers for payback unless they outright admit their intent on the radio. Even with that evident, no one is willing to get payback on Hocevar. So, if no one is going to do anything, Hocevar should just keep racing his way because he’s been given no reason to change it and the respect of his peers is way down the list of his priorities.
Related: NASCAR Drivers Blast Carson Hocevar for Big Wreck
Winner: Erik Jones
Erik Jones, ladies and gentlemen. He came into Sunday with consecutive top-13 finishes, most recently placing 11th at Nashville. Clearly the No. 43 team and Legacy Motor Club have something going for them right now and Jones is giving them everything they could dream of and more. Jones, who placed second in Stage 2, passed the likes of Kyle Larson, Carson Hocevar and Bubba Wallace in the closing laps to take second. Jones is really starting to make some noise and we’re excited to see what he does next.
Related: Latest Intel on Daniel Suarez’s Future with Spire
Loser: RFK Racing
RFK Racing will want to forget all about the FireKeepers Casino 400. Things initially started promising, with Chris Buescher finishing eighth in Stage 1 (3 points) and Brad Keselowski in 16th. It all went downhill after that. After the first pit stop under a stage caution, Buescher had to come back in to replace a missing hood pin and that dropped him from fourth to being at the rear of the field. Moments later, Brad Keselowski had a flat tire that forced him into the wall and he spent time a lap down. He then suffered race-ending damage in the big one. During the pit stop under that caution, Ryan Preece came down pit lane and got slammed into by Ty Gibbs while the No. 60 tried to enter its stall. That forced Preece to go back around before pitting. It was just a no good, very bad day for RFK.
Related: The Chase Contender with RFK Faces Uncertain Future
Winner: Zane Smith
Zane Smith is making a name for himself this season. Coming into the NASCAR race today, the 26-year-old had already tied his career-high for top-10s (five) and he had nearly three times as many laps led (59) as he did last season (22). The excellence from the driver of the No. 38 car continued Sunday. Smith finished sixth in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2, picking up 6 total stage points. Unfortunately, a flat tire on Lap 141 spun him out while sitting ninth and effectively ended his day when he collided with the wall.
Related: Teams Eyeing Zane Smith in NASCAR Silly Season
Winner: Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team desperately needed this one. After seemingly a month-plus of Wallace’s car suffering major damage in wrecks he didn’t cause, fate seemed to find him again in the big one. Fortunately, the contact he took wasn’t too bad and he was able to keep racing. After some tweaks to the car, Wallace raced his way back to the front and snagged a third-place finish with 40 points on the day. This is a huge step forward for Wallace’s hopes of making The Chase.
Related: Insider Sheds Light on Bubba Wallace’s Future with 23XI
