Michigan International Speedway’s FireKeepers Casino 400 was won by Tyler Reddick on Monday. It was his second victory of the 2024 season and his ninth overall in the NASCAR Cup Series. Additionally, it ended Ford’s nine-race winning streak at MIS.
“Excellent teammates,” Reddick remarked. “The main thing is that Ty Gibbs gave me an amazing push. The Toyota racing family makes an effort to look out for one another.
Brad Keselowski came in fifth, Ty Gibbs third, Kyle Busch fourth, and William Byron in second.
The race resumed on lap 52 of the 200 planned laps on Monday after being stopped by rain on Sunday. After 206 laps and two extra periods, the race was eventually ended.
After Busch passed him for the lead on lap 127, Byron lost it to Chase Elliott, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, on a lap-141 restart that came after Corey LaJoie’s lap-135 caution. After coming into contact with Noah Gragson, LaJoie’s car barrel-rolled. LaJoie’s automobile eventually landed upright after many flips, and he was able to get out of it on his own.
LaJoie remarked, “That’s just about how the year has gone.” “I manage to turn our nice automobile around on its side. We’ve been upside down twice this year, which has never happened to me in my whole career. Regretfully, it has been the No. 7 team’s season the entire time. Though we haven’t been able to put it together, we have speed.
“A few occasions, the No. 10 (Graggson) chopped me, especially off (turn) two when I would have a run. If he had ripped it off the wall while I was attempting to approach his left rear in an attempt to slow him down, I hadn’t viewed the replay yet. But, my friend, it was a ride. Sparks, dirt, and other objects were flying in. I’m sorry that our Garner Trucking Camaro was somewhat damaged. We ended up on our roof today, but I believe we had ten or twelve cars total.
On lap 161, Elliott lost the lead after a protracted sequence of green-flag pit stops. After a two-tire change on lap 166, Busch appeared to be in position to cycle to the lead, but Reddick overtook him on the track to seize the lead when the cycle finished on lap 188.
On the first overtime restart, which came after Martin Truex Jr.’s lap-193 yellow, Byron took the lead. In the last retart that came after a warning for a spin by Ross Chastain, Reddick reclaimed the lead for the last time.
Byron declared, “I’ll definitely relive that restart and choose the top overnight.” “You want to be at the top as the leader, but I’ve been beaten by the bottom twice when I was in the lead.” However, Reddick was marginally faster than us since he was driving a better automobile. Although it’s a second, I’m quite proud of the effort.
On Monday, at lap 120, Busch won the second stage, which lasted 75 laps under caution. Chastain came in second, followed by Gibbs.
Due to a multi-car incident on a lap-115 restart caused by Kyle Larson’s spin, which also included Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Joey Logano, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., and Christopher Bell, the race was run under caution.
Yes, I simply made a mistake, admitted Larson. “On restarts, you strive to get as much as you can. All I was doing was attempting to push myself up the racetrack. I did not want to become trapped on the three-wide bottom. I lost it when I found myself in an unpleasant aero place. It’s regrettable. We lost a lot of points today due to an error I made.
After leading a race-high 41 laps, Larson finished in 34th place.
Following a lap-108 yellow brought on by blown tires for Todd Gilliland, Logano, and A.J. Allmendinger, the race was restarted.
Seven drivers remained outside during the tire caution, including Chastain, Busch, and Gibbs. Chastain returned to the lead.
As soon as the green flag was raised again, Busch passed Chastain to grab the lead.
After a sprint to the lead against Truex, Larson held the lead before to the caution.
On lap 57, Busch overtook Elliott in the lead, and on lap 65, Truex took the lead. On lap 85, a series of green-flag pit stops began, and Truex was still leading.
On lap 92, Truex lost the lead and pitted. After pitting, Larson overtook him on the racetrack and took the lead on lap 102.
The first 45-lap stage was won by Ryan Blaney on Sunday, with Elliott and Byron coming in second and third. After Denny Hamlin spun out of second place on lap 38, the first caution was called, and Blaney and Byron were among the seven drivers who remained out of the race. Elliott left pit road first and restarted eighth.
Hamlin started the race on the pole but lost it to Larson after a nearly two-and-a-half-hour rain delay. Wallace, from the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin, passed Larson and Hamlin as they battled side by side for the lead on lap 36.
Wallace lost the lead to the pit during the cautionary period.
When the race began on Monday, the drivers who had stayed out of the first caution pitted after stage one, putting Elliott at the head of the restart for stage two.
While pit road was closed, Hamlin pitted and restarted in the rear.
After the FireKeepers Casino 400, Buescher finished sixth, followed by Zane Smith in seventh, Daniel Suarez in eighth, Hamlin in ninth, and Carson Hocevar in tenth.
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