NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Michigan

June 9, 2025

FireKeepers Casino 400 - Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Mich. – June 8, 2025

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG

START: 11TH STAGE 1: 13TH STAGE 2: 2ND
FINISH: 31ST POINTS: 16TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Discount Tire team showed resilience throughout Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, battling through multiple setbacks in a race that offered both opportunity and frustration. After starting 11th, Cindric reported a tight condition in the opening run and finished Stage 1 in the 13th position. A concern for a potential loose wheel forced the team to make an extra stop, dropping Cindric to the rear of the field for the restart. As the race unfolded through a series of cautions and restarts, Cindric maneuvered his way forward and cracked the top 10. Crew chief Brian Wilson made the call to stay out late in Stage 2 in a bid for the Stage win and a valuable playoff point. Cindric was battling in the lead on the last lap before finishing second in the segment. Varying pit strategies shuffled the field again, and Cindric was working his way forward when a flat left-front tire forced an unscheduled stop with 26 laps remaining. The issue took the team off sequence and left them with a 31st-place finish in the lone trip to the two-mile track this season.

CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "It seemed like one of those days that it wasn't meant to be. We were just a little bit tight for the first run and that kind of took us by surprise, but we made the car a little better and took the strategy to stay out and try to win the stage on old tires. I felt more would stay, but we got passed there on the last lap. All in all, it was a good recovery from the back of the field and then we had a left-rear tire fail on that green flag run. I feel like we probably would have been able to make our way back up close to the top 10. Like I said, there was a lot of good, but a lot of bad, too. There's plenty to clean up and ready for a new adventure in Mexico."

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/KNAUF FORD MUSTANG

START: 13TH STAGE 1: 6TH STAGE 2: 33RD
FINISH: 32ND POINTS: 7TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Despite a strong start to Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400, Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards/Knauf Ford Mustang Dark Horse were relegated to a 32nd-place finish at Michigan following an incident in Stage 2. Coming off his first win of the 2025 season a week ago, Blaney worked his way into the top-10 in the opening laps of Sunday's 400-mile event before fighting his way to a sixth-place finish in Stage 1. The No. 12 team's four tire stop at the stage break won Blaney the race off of pit road as he lined up to restart from the outside of row one before a pair of cautions during the first 20 laps of the run presented differing pit strategies throughout the field. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the call to bring the Menards/Knauf Ford to pit road for four tires and fuel under the latter of the two cautions while a mix of teams opted for two tires as Blaney lined up 21st for the ensuing restart. Blaney worked his way back up to 12th on the following run, but broke loose in turn three on lap 109, sending him into the outside wall and sliding down the track towards pit road to bring out the caution. The No. 12 team made repairs to a bent right rear toe link on pit road but went down five laps in the process as they ultimately settled for a 32nd-place finish.

BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "Tough way for us to end the weekend especially with the speed we showed early on. The 12 boys brought another fast car this week and appreciate all their work to get us back out there. We'll put this one behind us and see what Mexico has in store for us."

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 HUNT BROTHERS PIZZA FORD MUSTANG

START: 15TH STAGE 1: 11TH STAGE 2: 23RD
FINISH: 22ND POINTS: 9TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang Dark Horse came away with a 22nd-place finish Sunday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. After starting from 15th, Logano worked his way up to 11th by the end of Stage 1 as the balance began to settle in. An early caution in Stage 2 prompted crew chief Paul Wolfe to bring Logano to pit road for fuel only before another caution seven laps later saw the leaders hit pit road, allowing the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford to move up to row three for the ensuing restart. Logano battled a loose-handling condition through the end of the second segment, resulting in a 23rd-place finish in Stage 2. Logano continued to fight his way through traffic in the final stage before taking the checkered flag 22nd at the end of the 400-mile event.

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "We fired off with decent pace, but just struggled to maintain it over the course of the day. Track position was so key all day and we made the right calls to get us in the mix in the second stage but couldn't keep it up there."

The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Mexico's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez stands as the next stop on the schedule on Sunday, June 15. Coverage of the Viva Mexico 250 begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.