NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Motor their way to Michigan Victory Lane?
Now the lone two-mile oval on NASCAR’s schedule, Michigan International Speedway holds a lot at stake on Sunday. Nine drivers have secure Playoffs berths, while 27 more try to turn their seasons around with a breakout win. Michigan is known for high speeds and higher pressure from all three manufacturers. Here are a few who hope to bring the heat in the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Kyle Larson
‘Two Mile Kyle’ and Michigan International Speedway were a perfect pairing not long ago. Larson earned his maiden Cup Series victory in the Irish Hills back in 2016. This led to a three-peat of Michigan trophies, forever cementing Larson as a Michigan master.
“I always love going to Michigan,” Larson said. “It’s the track I got my first NASCAR Cup Series win at. I’ve had quite a bit of success there and I think it’s a track that Hendrick Motorsports is usually strong at. With it being in (Chevrolet’s) backyard, we all want to be the one to get them that win. Hopefully we can this weekend.”
In the seven years since 2017, however, driver 5 is 0-8 on the two-mile oval. Larson has been close to another win here in recent years, though. 2024 alone saw Larson lead a race-high 41 laps before crashing out just past halfway.
A blue collar top-10 run in Nashville did secure the 5 team a preferred late qualifying run for Michigan. Should Larson start up front and have a clean race, expect the 5 to be in contention by the closing laps. The man with a Michigan hat trick is the favorite for Sunday’s triumph. A fourth Michigan win would tie Larson for seventh-most in this track’s storied history, alongside some all-time greats.
Ryan Blaney
Momentum is as real in NASCAR as any sport, and nobody’s riding into Michigan on more of a high than Ryan Blaney. A week removed from his breakout first win of the season at Nashville, the Penske 12 has a prime opportunity at back-to-back checkered flags. Having both a home state manufacturer and team owner, Blaney loves performing in Motor City’s shadow.
“Michigan is kind of a unique place,” Blaney said. “But I feel really good about how our kind of mile-and-a-half program has been this year. It’s bigger than a mile-and-a-half, but a lot of the same tendencies as some mile-and-a-halves that we go to. So I’m curious to see where we’re going to be at next weekend. The run that we had at Pocono last year was definitely good, getting to Victory Lane there. So you just hope to keep building off those things. It definitely makes me look forward to next week.”
“I always try to look forward to the next week. That’s no matter if we win the race or run 35th. I always try to close the book Monday morning and move on to next week and look forward to having a shot at winning, running well.”
“I think it bodes well. Like I said earlier, I think our speed is really good, and that is kind of across short tracks and speedways and mile-and-a-halves and two miles. So hopefully we can have a good run — big weekend next weekend for Ford and RP being in their backyard.”
Only owning one past Michigan trophy (2021), Blaney is still one of the most consistent drivers here. 16 career MIS starts have netted a perfect .500 batting average of eight top-10s for the 12. Last year ended a streak of three-straight Michigan top-10s for Blaney, but still saw him lead laps. No longer chasing an elusive first win of the season, Blaney has nothing on his mind past more checkered flags and bonus points. Expect the 12 to lead the Penske trio on Sunday, and perhaps give ‘The Captain’ another home track victory.
Tyler Reddick
A year ago Tyler Reddick gave Toyota their first Michigan triumph in almost a decade. Can the 23XI Racing driver run it back and keep the famed Heritage Trophy? Intermediate stats so far in 2025 have Reddick as second-fastest man in the series. Nashville proved this a week ago; the 45 was a front running car and led laps before finishing ninth.
Much like Blaney, Reddick’s team has been knocking on victory lane’s door all season long. Nashville erased a stretch of poor results for team 45, allowing them to enter Michigan with pep in their step. Out of all Toyotas, Reddick should be the one closest to the front on Sunday.
William Byron
Still atop the regular season standings, William Byron appears due for another date with victory lane. Winless since February’s Daytona 500, top-fives have been the name of the 24’s game in recent weeks. Nashville was a microcosm of this, with Byron taking an admittedly slower car to a fifth-place result. Michigan is surprisingly a track Byron has yet to conquer; that may easily change in a matter of days.
“We were so close to getting it done last year, and a few years before that as well,” Byron said. “I’m really confident in what our No. 24 team has been doing this year and how we’ve been executing. If we show up with the speed we’ve been having, I feel like we’ll definitely be in the mix Sunday and that’s what we hope for. I think this is a race that we can really show what we’re made of.”
Across 10 career Michigan starts, Byron has two runner-up results including last year. Reddick’s second-best intermediate speed falls short of only Byron, who leads this category despite no wins yet this season. It’s likely a mere matter of time until the 24 puts another entire race together, Michigan may just be where everything clicks for this title-contending team.
Brad Keselowski
2025 has largely been a forgettable year to date for Brad Keselowski. Offseason reorganization within RFK Racing has their flagship No. 6 Ford 32nd in points, with only one top-10 through 14 races. If anywhere is to offer BK a glimmer of hope, though, it’s Michigan. Keselowski, a Rochester Hills native, has gone on record saying he wants a Michigan win more than a Daytona 500.
Charlotte two weeks ago saw Keselowski finally earn a decent result in fifth. Top-five in two of the three Next Gen Michigan races are also reason for optimism in the 6 camp. RFK Racing always puts extra pride in running well at their boss’ home race. Keselowski hopes the 28th time’s the charm at Michigan.
Carson Hocevar
One of the most fun drivers to watch on a weekly basis in 2025, Carson Hocevar has a realistic shot at his first Cup win. The last month alone have seen the Spire No. 77 win the pole at Texas, run top-10 before issues at Kansas and Charlotte, win the All-Star Open, and finish second at Nashville. Another Michigan-born driver, Hocevar is excited to possibly better last year’s 10th-place run in front of his hometown crowd.
“I’m really excited to get to Michigan and have a chance to improve on our race from last year,” Hocevar said. “I’ve been saying for a few weeks that we’ve improved so much and, thankfully, we finally put a race together where that shows. There are definitely some lessons and things that we learn each week that will only continue to make us better down the line, but I think we have a good chance to keep things going to get another top five or top 10 this weekend.”
“There is for sure a balance that has to happen in terms of showing appreciation to fans and friends who come to the track and staying aware of the job that we’re there to do. I work on that every weekend just as much as I work on my race craft. It’s an ever-evolving process and we have a solid group that holds me accountable to make sure I’m giving my attention to all of those different areas.”
This recent consistent stretch has Hocevar as the first man currently outside looking in on the provisional Playoffs. Intermediate speed has been there for the sophomore driver across multiple races this season. Hocevar has a chance to become the Irish Hills’ first-ever Michigan-born winner. He will need a fair amount of luck on his side, though, if he is to get the right breaks from his competitors.
Riding a four-year streak of different winners, Michigan International Speedway has almost become a wildcard race. While on paper this track should benefit typical contending drivers, it’s proven to be equally attrition-heavy. The Michigan green flag will fly Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Whoever pulls off the FireKeepers Casino 400 will surely have a winning hand and a strategic card up their sleeve.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
