NASCAR
Clint Bowyer’s 10th Career Win Comes in Rain Shortened Michigan Race on Daring Strategy Call
With a threat of rain all weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series took to the Michigan International Speedway, for race 15 of the 2018 season. The entire weekend was defined by weather, as the Xfinity and Cup races had lengthy delays for track drying. After 2 complete stages on Sunday, the FireKeeper’s Casino 400 ended 67 laps early due to rain. This gave Clint Bowyer his second win of the season, as he took the lead on a strategy call in this rain shortened Michigan race.
Delayed Start Changes Driver’s Mindsets for Cup Series Race
The main focus heading into the weekend was on the 3 drivers who have dominated all season: Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. Many are calling them all locks for the championship race in November, but a 4th driver will make the fight. One of those prospects for the Championship 4 is Kyle Larson. Larson has been the most consistent Chevrolet driver in 2018, and was also going into Michigan with 3 straight wins at this track.
Sunday morning saw persistent rain at Michigan International Speedway. The race would start 3 hours behind schedule. Radar maps also predicted a rain shortened Michigan race. With this in mind, everyone wanted to complete Stage 2 as soon as possible, in order to make the race official.
Early Race Highlights
Kurt Busch started the race from the pole position, as he set a blistering qualifying lap at over 203 mph. The elder Busch brother would lead the opening laps, which included a competition caution. During this time, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson all made major gains. All 4 of them started deep in the field. Lap 47 saw Ryan Blaney pass Busch for the lead. The Penske 12 car would hold on to win Stage 1.
Just before the end of Stage 1, Matt Kenseth spun on the front stretch, bringing out a quick caution. Michigan is Kenseth’s last ride in the 6 car until September, as Trevor Bayne will return. This set up a 1 lap shootout to end the first stage.
Intensity Ramps Up in Stage 2
After getting underway in Stage 2, Daniel Suarez went for a spin on the restart. In turn 4, Martin Truex Jr. had to check up because he got loose. This resulted in a chain reaction that saw Suarez make contact with Paul Menard, and spin to the inside. Luckily, Suarez had minimal damage, and was able to continue.
Kevin Harvick took the lead for the first time at Michigan on lap 72, showing the dominance of his Ford. At one point, Harvick was leading the field by over 3 seconds. This would briefly change on lap 87, as Kyle Larson went for a spin in the front stretch grass. Larson’s quest for 4 straight Michigan wins would end here. This caution would hand the lead to Paul Menard, but Harvick motored around him on lap 91. Harvick would go on to win Stage 2, his 8th stage win of 2018.
While the final stage did get underway, rain was quickly closing in on the speedway. With 2 stages complete, the race was official, and any inclement weather would likely result in a rain shortened event. On a major strategy gamble, Clint Bowyer’s crew chief Mike Bugarewicz put 2 right side tires on the 14 car. This gave Bowyer the lead over Kevin Harvick. Racing would resume for all of 4 laps, as the caution fell once again on lap 130. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the outside wall after making contact with Kasey Kahne.
Rain Brings Communication Error for Drivers
Under this caution, the 8th of the day, the rain moved in at Michigan International Speedway. Turn 2 and the backstretch were quickly covered in a downpour. The pace car was initially told to bring the field down pit road for a red flag condition. However, this command did not make it to each team. This resulted in the pace car and roughly a dozen cars going down pit road, while many more stayed out on the track. After a couple confusing moments, the entire field was finally brought into the pits.
When the race was declared official, Clint Bowyer was leading ahead of teammates Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. Not only was this rain shortened race a win for Bowyer, but it was also a 1-2-3 effort for Stewart-Haas Racing. Michigan marked Bowyer’s 2nd win of 2018, as well as SHR’s record 7th victory.
Beyond the impressive results for SHR, 7 of the top 8 drivers were also Fords. This shows a great deal of manufacturer dominance in the Motor City. The remaining top 10 finishers from the rain shortened Michigan race were Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Jamie McMurray.
How to Watch the Next Race
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is off next weekend for Father’s Day. In 2 weeks, the Cup Series will head to Sonoma Raceway, for the first road course event of the year. Coverage of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be on June 24, at 3 PM EST. You can catch it on Fox Sports 1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
