GFT Facts & Stats Friday: NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway
16 AUGUST 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
BROOKLYN, MI — Following another thrilling Richmond Raceway NASCAR Cup Series event, the points battle for the Regular Season Championship has tightened with four drivers within 21 points of the standings lead with just three races to go in the regular season.
Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson is currently atop the Cup driver standings, up five points on 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in second, and six points ahead of his HMS teammate Chase Elliott in third. Reddick has moved into second following Richmond and posting his sixth straight top-10 finish and ninth in his last 10 races. Lurking in the tire tracks of the three front runners is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, just 21 points back from Larson and within striking distance.
All four will look to maximize their points this weekend at Michigan International Speedway to better their chances at taking home the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship trophy, and the 15 bonus Playoff points that come with it following the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 1.
At Michigan International Speedway — Stats & Tidbits:
Track Size: 2-miles
Banking/Turns: 18 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 5 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 2 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,600 feet
Backstretch Length: 2,242 feet
Season Race #: 24 of 36 (08–18–24)
Race Purse: $7,902,750
Race Length: 200 laps / 400 miles
- Stage 1 Length: 45 laps
- Stage 2 Length: 75 laps (Ends on Lap 120)
- Final Stage Length: 80 laps (Ends on Lap 200)
QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS
Track Qualifying Record:
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 206.558 mph, 34.857 secs., August 17, 2014
Track Race Record:
Dale Jarrett, Robert Yates Racing Ford, 173.997 mph, (2:17:56), June 13, 1999
2023 Michigan Pole Winner:
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 193.382 mph, 37.232 secs., August 5, 2023
2023 Michigan Race Winner:
Chris Buescher, RFK Racing Ford, 131.159 mph, (03:02:59), August 6, 2023
WINS
· A total of 40 different drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway, and 23 of the 40 drivers have won multiple times at the 2-mile track.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway driving for Wood Brothers Racing in a Mercury on June 15, 1969.
· This weekend, six of the 40 NASCAR Cup Series race winners at Michigan International Speedway are active.
Team Stats
Top 16 DRIVER RATINGS for MIS
Playoff Outlook after Richmond
Initial GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live Picks for Michigan
**NOTE** Be sure to follow us on X (aka Twitter) to see the updated GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live picks AFTER our AI models ingest the Practice and Qualifying data. For a Sunday race, this usually happens overnight Saturday and is published Sunday morning at least 2 hours before the green flag.
