Dell Sports – Nascar News

After moving to second place with two to go, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver -- winless through 17 races -- slipped below Keselowski's No. 6 Ford and beat it to the checkers for his 20th career win and just his second in three seasons.

The seven-time Most Popular Driver Award winner topped Keselowski by 0.168 seconds and earned a spot in NASCAR's 10-race postseason.

Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones completed the top-five finishers.

In the track's first race under its new name, Team Penske racer Joey Logano took the green flag and led seven more Fords in the season's 18th race.

Logano's No. 22 led every circuit as Fords owned the top six positions through 25 laps, but the No. 77 Chevrolet of Carson Hocevar was the biggest mover, climbing 23 spots to get to fourth on Lap 27.

The first caution on Lap 35 for rain resulted in a nearly 15-minute red flag. Logano led the first 49 laps, but the first melee occurred on Lap 57 as Christopher Bell lost control of his No. 20 Toyota to trigger a wreck with Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.

That ended the 60-lap Stage 1 under caution with Austin Cindric as the winner. Fellow Fords driven by Keselowski and Logano trailed him.

The third caution on Lap 70 nearing Turn 3, from about eighth on back, created an even bigger mess.

Denny Hamlin, Logano, Ross Chastain, Cindric, Hocevar, William Byron and last week's winner Chase Briscoe all suffered major damage in the 23-car accident that brought out a second red flag.

Stage 2, a 160-lap segment, produced the 1.54-mile tri-oval's best racing -- action that looked like recent finishes at the superspeedway as a hornet's nest of drivers 10-deep fought for the bonus points.

At the end, a photo-finish showed Reddick clipping Elliott for the maximum amount, while Chris Buescher, Bowman and Jones rounded out the top five.

With 34 laps left, seventh-place Justin Haley was tapped by Ty Dillon's No. 10 in a single-car incident for the 10th caution to set up the finish.

Logano clocked in at 30.979 seconds (178.960 mph) in Friday's qualifying session to secure his first Busch Light Pole Award of the season, his third at EchoPark and the 32nd of his career.

Logano matched the time posted earlier by Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing, but the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford got the nod for the pole on an owner points tiebreaker.

Ryan Blaney posted the third-fastest lap at 178.937 mph, followed by Austin Cindric at 178.626 mph, as Team Penske drivers and the Penske affiliate Wood Brothers locked out the first two rows for Sunday's race, the opening round of the 32-driver In-Season Challenge.

Logano faces ninth-place qualifier Alex Bowman in the first round.

"Being up front and controlling this race is the name of the game," said Logano, who won last year's second Atlanta race, which was held in September. "If you can get up there and solidify the top position, I feel like you can stay there. The thing is, there are a lot of ‘What ifs?' that play out in this race, a lot of cautions that may be timed in a different way, where it can jumble up the field.

"It's hard to say you're going to be leading every lap... The good thing is that we controlled what we could today. I'm super proud of Team Penske, Roush Yates (Engines), Ford, obviously to keep our Mustangs up there. It really shows the ability to repeat from car to car, which is really hard to do.

"We tied with the 21 (Berry) and the other cars were within a couple hundredths of a second."

Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer and Zane Smith completed the Ford sweep of the top eight starting spots.

Bowman drove the fastest Chevrolet to ninth on the grid, and Pocono Raceway winner Chase Briscoe was 10th in the quickest Toyota.

Denny Hamlin, top seed in the In-Season Challenge, qualified 33rd but expects his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to fare better in race trim. Nevertheless, Hamlin starts 19 spots behind Ty Dillon, the driver he has to beat to advance to the second round of the tournament.

Briscoe, the second seed, starts 17 positions ahead of close friend Noah Gragson, his first-round opponent.

Qualifying was interrupted by a 30-minute lightning hold, but no rain hit the track despite storms in the area.

The five-week, 32-driver, bracket-style challenge features a grand prize of $1 million, but why should fans bother to pay attention to yet another storyline in a sport full of them?

Perhaps it is not the shameless gimmick that it seems to be at first glance.

The idea of having an in-season tournament is not exclusive to NASCAR. The NBA introduced one in 2023 as a way to spice up the first half of the schedule. That's exactly what NASCAR is attempting to do with its In-Season Challenge.

Despite several bold scheduling initiatives, including the addition of the Chicago Street Race, a return to Nashville Superspeedway and the return of the Brickyard 400, NASCAR's summer stretch has seemed relatively stale compared to the rest of the season for years.

Fans annually endure one of the longest seasons in professional sports, and races in the dog days of summer generally don't generate the same hype that races over the first and final quarters of the season do.

NASCAR's In-Season Challenge is an attempt to remedy that stale feeling and get fans excited well in advance of the postseason.

The five-race tournament begins Saturday, where half of the 32-driver field will be eliminated. Those 32 drivers were seeded based on their best finish over the last three races: Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono.

Following the Chicago Street Race on July 6, the field will be chopped to eight. Following Sonoma on July 13, the field will be whittled down to four before the July 20 race at Dover decides the final two drivers left standing.

From there, the winner of the tournament is decided in a crown jewel event, as the Brickyard 400 on July 27 crowns the champion of the inaugural In-Season Challenge.

So scoff at the creation if you must, but on the surface, the In-Season Challenge is a harmless storyline that has the potential to liven up the summer. If anything, it will place a spotlight on fights for position that otherwise would have seemed pointless.

A battle for 27th place may be the battle to advance to the next round. If the race leader is running away with the win at Indianapolis, a spirited tussle for 14th could determine who gets an extra $1 million.

Advancing in the tournament carries with it the knowledge that you beat another competitor head-to-head in a pressure-packed situation, regardless of the circumstances.

Bragging rights and a big check may be on the line for competitors, but fans will get to see different strategies and calls be made as teams attempt to do whatever they can to advance. Without the In-Season Challenge, certain strategies or decisions may not seem noteworthy. But during the In-Season Challenge, they could be the difference between $1 million and the wrong kind of blank check.

Saturday's race at Atlanta is pretty much guaranteed to feature soap opera levels of drama with or without the In-Season Challenge. But pitting 32 drivers against each other in head-to-head matchups, in a race where working together is the key to winning, makes the fourth superspeedway race of 2025 appointment viewing.

Fans also have the opportunity to win their own $1 million if they can fill out a perfect bracket. It adds a March Madness wrinkle to the viewing experience.

Throw in a street course, a road course, a unique one-mile oval in Dover and a crown jewel race at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a chaotic slice of the schedule is ready to offer even more twists and turns.

The In-Season Challenge won't be the sole focus of teams as they try to win races and position themselves to make the Cup Series playoffs. But it's a chance for NASCAR's summer stretch to cut through the noise of a busy entertainment world and give fans a reason to be on the edge of their seats for every lap of the next five races.

With a million bucks on the line, you can bet the drivers will be on the edge of their seats, too.

Driving in his first season for JGR, the 30-year-old Briscoe, who led 72 laps, held the point most of the final stage but appeared to be short on fuel after leaving his pit box early on Lap 119.

However, the Mitchell, Ind., native held a consistent half-second lead over Hamlin's No. 11, beating him by 0.682 seconds for his third career win in 161 starts and earning a postseason playoff berth.

Following Hamlin in the seven-caution race were Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott.

Returning to his No. 11 Toyota after missing the Mexico City race due to his child's birth, polesitter Hamlin had to wait out inclement weather and took the green flag at 4:30 for the 160-lap competition, the 17th race on the Cup series schedule.

With a week's rest behind him, Hamlin was tough right away on the 2.5-mile tricky tri-oval. Fellow Row 1 starter Buescher kept within striking distance early in his No. 17 Ford, but Hamlin outdistanced Buescher easily to lead all 30 laps of Stage 1.

With some drivers short-pitting a few laps before the end, Buescher held on to second for valuable stage points. Tyler Reddick finished third, followed by Briscoe and Erik Jones.

On Lap 83, four-time Pocono winner Kyle Busch was squeezed in the tunnel turn and spun to spark the fifth caution just past the Turn 2 area. Last week's winner Shane van Gisbergen, Ty Dillon and Christopher Bell all spun but received almost no noticeable damage.

However, winless Reddick took his No. 45 Toyota to the garage with brake problems, which also failed teammate Bubba Wallace earlier.

Briscoe's No. 19 Toyota came alive in the second stage and won the 65-lap segment, his first stage victory since 2022. Josh Berry, Elliott, William Byron and Buescher secured top-five bonus points.

With 36 laps to go, the seventh caution for van Gisbergen spinning off Turn 1 was a bad break for leader Brad Keselowski, who had earlier been penalized for entering a closed pit and had yet to pit in the late cycle of stops.

Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will take the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series race and historically-speaking, no one has led the field to more checkered flags; his seven wins at Pocono are most in history. And he's finished first or second in five of the last eight races on the 2.5-mile unique three-turn track.

Hamlin's lap of 172.599 mph was .083-second faster than Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Ford. Spire Motorsports' Carson Hocevar (Chevrolet), Legacy Motor Club's John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota) and Haas Factory Team's Cole Custer (Ford) rounded out the top-five in qualifying.

It marks a big return for the season's three-time race winner Hamlin who is back on the grid after receiving a waiver from NASCAR, missing last weekend's inaugural race in Mexico City to be home for the birth of his son.

"We typically can step up from practice," said Hamlin, who was not even among the top-10 fastest drivers in the afternoon's practice session. "We had good adjustments so never really panicked too much

"And obviously because I was a little more rested than the rest of the field right there, I was able to show a little more speed," he added with a smile and nod to missing last week's race.

"Every week we have a good shot to win and this team just knows what I need out of the car. The cars and tires have changed over time, but you still make speed at this track the same way. I was able to execute there in qualifying and that's a good start for us."

Of note, the current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron crashed his No. 24 Chevrolet late in the qualifying session. The team had to roll out a back-up car for Sunday's race so Byron will start from the rear of the field.

Hamlin's JGR teammates, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs will start sixth and seventh and Tyler Reddick, who drives the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Hamlin was eighth fastest. JRG's Christopher Bell will line up ninth on the grid and Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez will roll off 10th. Six of the top-10 cars were Toyotas.

Defending race winner, Ryan Blaney was 20th quickest in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

Four drivers did not make qualifying runs, including Reddick's 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, whose team rolled his car off the line just before his run. Wood Brothers' Josh Berry, Rick Ware Racing's Cody Ware and NY Racing's Brennan Poole also did not make qualifying laps.

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying -- The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM

Pocono Raceway

Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Saturday, June 21, 2025

1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 172.599 mph.

2. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 172.325 mph.

3. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 171.825 mph.

4. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 171.789 mph.

5. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 171.638 mph.

6. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 171.612 mph.

7. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 171.546 mph.

8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 171.429 mph.

9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 171.347 mph.

10. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 171.002 mph.

11. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 170.999 mph.

12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 170.866 mph.

13. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 170.691 mph.

14. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 170.516 mph.

15. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 170.445 mph.

16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 170.419 mph.

17. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 170.413 mph.

18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 170.390 mph.

19. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 170.338 mph.

20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 170.335 mph.

21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 170.258 mph.

22. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 170.046 mph.

23. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 169.933 mph.

24. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 169.920 mph.

25. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 169.882 mph.

26. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 169.507 mph.

27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 169.469 mph.

28. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 169.364 mph.

29. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 169.303 mph.

30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 167.720 mph.

31. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 156.128 mph.

32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 152.076 mph.

33. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 140.456 mph.

34. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 0.000 mph.

35. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 0.000 mph.

36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 0.000 mph.

37. (44) Brennan Poole(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

"Yes," he conceded, he fully expects Stenhouse to exact revenge after a dust-up the two had on track in Mexico -- the second time Stenhouse has been miffed at the 22-year-old in a race. And "yes," Hocevar said, posting a negative review online before actually getting a chance to experience Mexico, was also wrong. Both things are a learning experience.

Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, said he had not yet spoken with Stenhouse since the trip to Mexico, but doubted, at this point, there was anything he could say that would make a difference to the veteran as they came to Pocono for Sunday's The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

"I feel like we have a good relationship or had one," Hocevar said. "I was just running behind him, just kind of logging laps and just locked up in a very dumb spot. And it was just so dumb, really. Just a mistake that didn't need to happen and didn't want it to happen.

"But there's nothing that I could do or say. You know, I can't buy him a Hallmark card and, really make things better. So, it sucks. It sucks for me because he's the only NASCAR driver that owns a sprint car team, and I love sprint cars. So, it sucks because I want to go talk to him about sprint cars. So, yeah, hopefully everything can be set, but I know that the scorecard has me ahead right now, unfortunately."

As for the social media post, initially uncomplimentary of his early Mexico experience, Hocevar was fined $50,000 by his Spire Motorsports team. He explained that his words were written before really having an opportunity to explore Mexico City.

"The issue wasn't for the team having their kind of frustrations that I'm giving my opinion and putting it out there -- it's just the fact that, you know, my opinion wasn't my opinion," Hocevar said. "It was just based off everything else, you know, that I've heard or seen, right? I didn't go do my own homework and voice my own opinion. I didn't give it a shot. I didn't give it a chance. I didn't go walk around. I didn't go see it.

"When I did then hindsight's 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I've already put it out there. So, I think that was the biggest thing was like -- I wasn't doing what I pride myself of doing. I was just having my own opinion, putting it out there and being me. I just didn't give it a fair shot, so I think that's where it all stems from."

DENNY HAMLIN BACK AT TRACK

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, a three-race winner this season, missed last week's race in Mexico City so he could be home with his family for the birth of his first son, Jameson Drew. Hamlin revealed it was a tough labor for his wife Jordan and was glad he could be there for her -- and their two daughters.

His son's name was thoughtful and purposeful -- Jameson is "James' son" and James is Hamlin's first name. And Drew gives him JD initials -- a nod to both the late JD Gibbs, a cherished friend of Hamlin and the person credited with hiring him at JGR. JD are also the initials of James Dean, the car owner earlier in Hamlin's career providing his big opportunity to be seen -- and eventually hired -- to a major NASCAR operation.

"He's been great, slept through the night the last three nights in a row. ...he's behaving good early," Hamlin said with a smile of his son.

Hamlin said he watched the Mexico City race from home last weekend and was very impressed with the Amazon Prime broadcast and the extended time the network uses. But he's ready to race at Pocono -- where his seven wins is most all-time. He finished runner-up (2024) and scored that seventh win (2023) in the last two visits.

"Just a track that no matter what the car we drive or the tires we have on or the aero package, none of that really matters," said Hamlin, who earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono, sweeping both races -- from pole position no less -- in his 2006 rookie season.

"You still make speed at this race track the same way no matter what car you're driving.

"It's been one of the few tracks that I haven't had to change my approach to it, depending on the car I'm driving. So, I think that's why the success has been sustained."

SVG PLAYOFF BOUND

With his win in the inaugural Mexico City race last weekend, Trackhouse Racing's Shane Van Gisbergen has punched his first career ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet won last week by more than 16-seconds, the largest margin of victory in a NASCAR Cup Serie race since 2009.

The 36-year-old New Zealander -- a three-time Australian Supercars Series champion -- insisted that having that "ticket" into the Playoffs would not really change the way he goes about competing this year -- his first time running a full season.

Although he famously became the first driver in NASCAR history to win in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicago in 2023 -- the Mexico City win was only his second top-10 of this season.

"I don't think it really has (changed his mindset)," Van Gisbergen said of the victory. "It was always our goal to win. There's probably less pressure on road courses now. We can play with our strategy if we want to try and get playoff points now and stuff like that.

"But yeah, probably less pressure. We can enjoy the road courses a bit more. But yeah, the ovals, we just need to keep doing what we've been doing; keep our head down, keep improving every week, and try and keep getting good results. We've been frustrated with top-20s the last couple of weeks, which is a huge improvement for us for how we started. Our potential is getting a lot better, and hopefully we keep getting close to that back-end of the top-10. That would be good."

CAN'T MISS PROGRAMMING ON AMAZON

This may be the last NASCAR Cup Series race of the Amazon Prime broadcasts, but the network still features some compelling must-see NASCAR storylines in the four-part "Earnhardt" documentary and, similarly the single-episode "American Thunder," which chronicles NASCAR's Garage 56 project from inception to race debut in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Earnhardt docu-series on Prime Video has received a hugely positive response and features some never-before-seen video and certainly some compelling interviews with those that knew the late seven-time champion best. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt are featured prominently and their stories about their dad heart-felt and captivating.

The "American Thunder: From NASCAR to LeMans" documentary is also intriguing, whether you are a race fan or not. It chronicles the remarkable project from idea to post-race celebration. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, Formula One champ Jenson Button and sports car legend Mike Rockenfeller shared the seat of the No. 24 Chevrolet.

And so many of NASCAR's heavy-hitters from series executives Jim France and Steve O'Donnell to the Hendrick team's Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon to a former NASCAR-to-Le Mans competitor Hershel McGriff are all featured in this behind-the-scenes look at the massive effort it took to develop the car, make the huge-logistical lift in travelling to the small French town of Le Mans and ultimately the drama of the actual race and what the involvement meant to all involved.

According to NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy, things are looking up down below the United States' southern border. Still, he was non-committal on Mexico's place in stock car racing after the inaugural event.

"We're very hopeful to be back here in the future," said Kennedy, NASCAR's Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer. "This was the next milestone for us."

That's not a yes in terms of returning in 2026 -- but it's not a no, either, especially with rumors out there that NASCAR wants a road race in San Diego or Philadelphia and potentially bring back Chicagoland's tri-oval at the expense of the Chicago Street Race.

Mexico was perfect for left-and-right-turn specialist Shane van Gisbergen, who obliterated the field for his second Cup Series victory in 30 starts. Those checkers were the New Zealander's second road victory and cut a path for getting to the postseason.

Championship seekers can run inside the top 15 most of the day and pick up a few positions and grab a top 10, which makes for a solid points day.

Or they can do what SVG did on the 15-turn track: Annihilate the field, win from the pole and seize a playoff spot, all despite entering the race 33rd in the points -- a far stretch from just having one of those "good points days" that we hear of often.

With the series rolling to Pennsylvania's Pocono Raceway on Sunday for the lone visit to the "Tricky Triangle," here are a few drivers who could break out at the 2.5-mile speedway and answer the question, "Who will win for the first time in 2025 in the season's 17th race?"

TOYOTA

Tyler Reddick -- 23XI Racing Camry XSE

A three-time winner in 2024, matching his season-best in 2022, Reddick rides sixth in points and is the second-highest driver without a win, gridding two spots below Chase Elliott, the ‘22 winner on the uniquely designed track who is also looking for those first checkers.

While the 29-year-old Reddick is winless in his last three starts in the Keystone State, he holds the highest average finish (3.3) including two runner-ups and last season's sixth-place showing, leaving him with a pair of top-fives and three top-10s.

FORD

Ryan Preece -- RFK Racing No. 60 Dark Horse Mustang

In a good inaugural season with RFK, the 34-year-old Berlin, Conn., driver finds himself in the worst spot in the playoff standings: In 17th, one spot south of the cut line and trailing teammate Chris Buescher by 19 spots for the final spot.

The former modified champion has one top five (3rd, Las Vegas) and six top 10s and 53 laps led. A 38th at Talladega was damaging, but it would be no surprise to find Preece recording his first Cup victory at a track like Pocono.

CHEVROLET

Kyle Busch -- Richard Childress Racing No. 8 Camaro ZL1

The two-time Cup champion's numbers at Pocono speak for themselves: Four wins during his Hall of Fame career, including three in four starts from 2017 to 2019. His last win was in 2021 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. The Las Vegas native could really jump-start his season with his first victory since June of 2023.

Here are five big-name drivers who have yet to win this season -- and the track where they're most likely to break through.

--Chase Elliott

Elliott has been consistent this year, as he sits fourth in points and has yet to finish outside the top-20. But that consistency hasn't translated to race-winning speed very often, as Elliott has only led 95 laps. This is a rare situation where numbers do lie -- statistically, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has looked the part of a championship contender, but he's failing the eye test.

Pocono history: 15 starts, one win (2022), four top-fives, 10 top-10s

Track where's most likely to break through: Watkins Glen (Aug. 10)

Elliott has won twice before at Watkins Glen, and while his last victory at the New York road course came in 2019, it remains one of his best tracks. Eliott has not won on a road course in the Next-Gen car, but he's finished top-five in both road course races this season.

--Tyler Reddick

Big things were expected of Reddick after a Championship 4 appearance in 2024, but those expectations are yet to be realized. The No. 45 team has shot itself in the foot several times in recent weeks, and while Reddick is all set to coast into the playoffs on points, it's slightly worrying that he's been unable to get back to victory lane in the 23XI Racing Toyota.

Pocono history: Seven starts, zero wins, two top-fives, four top-10s

Track where he's most likely to break through: Chicago Street Course (July 6)

Reddick was the runner-up in Chicago a year ago and has turned into a fantastic road racer in recent years. Chicago is as big of a wild card as any race on the schedule, but that may be exactly what Reddick needs in order to see the checkered flag.

--Chase Briscoe

Briscoe's first year at Joe Gibbs Racing has seen its share of highs and lows and his playoff positioning is in jeopardy, but a win would solve that problem. A lack of overall pace hasn't been the issue, seeing as Briscoe won three consecutive poles at Charlotte, Nashville and Michigan, but being unable to put an entire race together has cost the No. 19 Toyota team.

Pocono history: Five starts, zero wins, zero top-fives, zero top-10s

Track where he's most likely to break through: Dover (July 20)

Dover hasn't been great for Briscoe, who doesn't have a top-10 at the track in four starts. But the No. 19 team with Martin Truex Jr. knew how to get around the "Monster Mile," as Truex won at the one-mile oval in 2023 and finished third in 2024. If crew chief James Small can use those notes, Briscoe could snag his first win with JGR.

--Ryan Preece

Preece and the brand new No. 60 team have put together a solid season so far for RFK Racing. He is only 19 points out of the playoffs going into Pocono, and has shown winning speed in several races this season. With a cut line that will be constantly moving over the next 10 weeks, a win is his best bet -- and his only sure one -- to make the playoffs.

Pocono history: Eight starts, zero wins, zero top-fives, one top-10

Track where he's most likely to break through: Richmond (Aug. 16)

Short tracks are clearly Preece's best track type, and while Richmond doesn't appear to be a great track for him on the stat sheet, it's probably his best shot to win at a non-superspeedway.

--Kyle Busch

For the second straight year, Busch is in danger of missing the playoffs. With his winless streak officially eclipsing two full seasons, a win for Busch in one of the last 10 races would be one of the biggest of his career.

Pocono history: 37 starts, four wins (2017-19, 2021), 11 top-fives, 18 top-10s

Track where he's most likely to break through: Daytona (Aug. 23)

It's hard to trust that Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy will have winning pace at any track other than the drafting ovals of Atlanta and Daytona. Daytona in particular seems to be a better track for Busch, who had a runner-up finish at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in August 2024.

Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen punched his 2025 Playoff spot with a dominating victory on the Mexico City road course last weekend, the 10th driver to earn a bid by virtue of a win. There are 10 regular season races remaining now to set the 16-driver Playoff field.

Back on the grid this week is Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, who was awarded a championship waiver after missing the Mexico race to be home for the birth of his son. The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota is the winningest driver in Pocono Raceway history. Hamlin earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono in 2006 and his seven wins are the most for the perennial championship contender at any single track on the schedule.

To that end, Hamlin is the only repeat winner in the last eight Pocono races -- hoisting a trophy three times in that stretch. His JGR team has won a series-best six of the last 10 Pocono races.

As with Hamlin, defending race winner, Team Penske's Ryan Blaney earned his career first victory at Pocono -- in 2017.

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who finished 14th at Mexico City, said this summer's race lineup, in particular, is enjoyable because of the varying tracks. From the inaugural Mexico City road course race, to the 2.5-mile three-turn Pocono track to the Chicago street race and Sonoma, Calif., road course in just the next month.

"It's a fun part of the schedule where you're going to very different places each week, and I think teams really enjoy that -- at least I enjoy it because it really switches it up and keeps it fresh," said Blaney, who claimed his first win of the season three weeks ago at the 1.33-mile Nashville oval.

"It can also be frustrating if you're not very good at those places. You could have a stretch of some bad weeks. Hopefully, we're not on that boat, but I like this part of the schedule. There's a lot of different things going on this summer."

There are eight former Pocono winners in the field. And three of the last five race winners are still looking for their first trophy of the 2025 season -- Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman (2021), Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch (2022) and Hendrick's Chase Elliott (2023).

Elliott -- who was declared the 2023 race winner when first and second place drivers Hamlin and Busch were disqualified following post-race inspection -- leads all drivers in points earned at Pocono in the Next Gen car era.

His teammate, NASCAR Cup Series' championship leader William Byron boasts the best average finish (9.36) at the track. Defending race winner, Blaney joins four-time Pocono winner Busch as the only other multi-time Pocono winners.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champ Elliott is coming off his best finish (third place at Mexico City) of the season -- his second top-10 in the last six races. Bowman turned in a stellar fourth-place showing in Mexico City.

Busch was involved in an early race accident and finished last in the 37-car field in Mexico. The two-time series champion has only a single top-10 -- eighth at Michigan -- in the last eight races. But he is a four-time winner at Pocono -- a win tally second only to Hamlin's among this weekend's field. From 2016-21 he had nine top-10s in 10 races, including four wins and a runner-up finish. He hasn't had a top-10, however since his win in 2020.

This is the last of three races to set the seeding for the In Season Tournament that will start with the June 28 night race at Atlanta's EchoPark Speedway.

Practice followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying starts at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain started from pole position last year.

According to the report, the two sides are finalizing details on a street-course race to be held in the area. An announcement is tentatively expected in July.

Both NASCAR and Sports San Diego, the area's sports tourism arm, declined to make a statement to The Athletic.

NASCAR has not held a non-exhibition race in Southern California since 2023 when the speedway in Fontana closed.

A street race in San Diego could offer a chance to drive with the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop, although The Athletic reported an exact location for the race has not been finalized.

NASCAR already has gotten off the oval, with a street race held in downtown Chicago since 2023. The Grant Park 165, as it is called on the 2025 schedule, will be run in Chicago on July 6.

NASCAR's first Cup Series points race outside the United States since 1958 apparently didn't sit well with Hocevar, who took issue with Mexico's capital city during a livestream on Friday night.

Hocevar, 22, labeled it a "s---hole" while also raising concerns about safety in the city.

He issued an apology over social media following his 34th-place finish (out of 37 drivers) in Sunday night's race.

"Maybe a kid that had never been out of the country until Thursday should ever give an opinion about what any place is like other than Portage, Michigan," Hocevar wrote on X, referring to his hometown.

"When I answered that question on a stream, I was skeptical about the trip so far and believed everything I read or heard about Mexico City from people who more than likely also had never been here. Now that I've actually left my hotel a couple times and raced here in front of some of the most passionate fans I've ever seen, my opinion has changed. I am embarrassed by my comments, by the race I ran."

"... Count this as another lesson for me in a season I've learned so much. Don't believe everything you hear without seeing it yourself. If anyone should give anyone or any place the benefit of the doubt it's me. I'm sorry Mexico City. Consider me an ally going forward and an example of getting off Twitch and seeing things with my own two eyes."

Spire Motorsports was swift with its response, issuing mandatory cultural sensitivity and bias awareness training for Hocevar. Spire also said the $50,000 fine will be distributed among the Mexican Red Cross, the United Way Mexico and Un Kilo de Ayuda, a nonprofit that helps childhood nutrition and development in rural communities across the country.

"These actions are consistent with Spire Motorsports' core value of respect, which is something we proudly display on every race car, team uniform, trackside hauler, and digital channel," the team's statement said. "Respect is not a slogan. It is a daily expectation that we ‘walk the walk' in how we speak, compete and serve the communities that welcome our sport.

"Carson Hocevar's recent comments during the livestream fell short of that standard. They did not represent the views of Spire Motorsports, our partners, or NASCAR. He has acknowledged his mistake publicly, and his prompt, sincere apology demonstrated personal accountability. We now take this additional step to underscore that words carry weight, and respect must be lived out loud."

The Auckland, New Zealand, native, who won three titles in the Supercar Series, clinched his second NASCAR Cup Series victory by easily distancing his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet over Christopher Bell's No. 20 Toyota.

The first-year full-time Cup driver won by 16.57 seconds in his 16th start this season and earned a spot in the 10-race postseason despite being 33rd in points entering the race.

The season's second of six twisting layouts was the first points-paying international Cup event since 1958 when the series competed in Toronto.

Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell rounded out the top-five finishers.

Subbing for last week's winner Denny Hamlin (birth of child), Ryan Truex was 23rd in his first Cup start since 2014.

Hamlin's absence snapped his consecutive start streak at 406 Cup races, dating back to missing at Auto Club Speedway in California in March 2014.

The 20-lap Stage 1 was marred right away as rain began to fall on Lap 1. That brought polesitter van Gisbergen and almost the entire field to pit road for rain tires, though Chris Buescher and Austin Cindric stayed on slicks to no avail.

As cars slipped on the 2.42-mile, 15-turn track, Busch lost control of his No. 8 Chevrolet on Lap 7 and sparked a wreck in Turn 1 that also collected Kyle Larson, Zane Smith, Justin Haley, AJ Allmendinger and Chase Briscoe.

With the rain ceasing in the segment's second half and van Gisbergen passing Ty Gibbs for the lead, the No. 88 driver built a five-second lead but pitted with two laps remaining to change back to slicks.

Ryan Preece claimed Stage 1 and was followed by Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain.

Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota led most of Stage 2, but he pitted with two laps to go. van Gisbergen beat Bell and Bowman for the segment win at Lap 45.

With van Gisbergen having already pitted, the battle between the 88 and 54 took a twist when Carson Hocevar brought out a caution in a blind corner on Lap 66. That caused Gibbs to finally pit, lose multiple positions and end his chance of earning his first Cup victory.

The scheduled 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year-old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field -- his pole-winning lap of 93.904 mph improving notably from his speed in Saturday afternoon's two practice sessions.

Smiling and referring to road courses as his "natural habitat," van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet -- especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the venue.

Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his very first series start.

"It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday (in practice) with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night -- a couple I thought were maybe too much -- and started my lap and the car felt magic right from the start," van Gisbergen said.

The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as Van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoffs field.

"Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in," he said with a smile about the pole helping produce a victory Sunday.

"Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff," he continued. "We're very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone."

Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing's Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row alongside Van Gisbergen. Preece was second fastest -- and ran only a single lap in the session.

Van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs who earned a front row start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race earlier in the day.

One of NASCAR's most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season's three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson on the third row.

Mexico native -- and huge crowd favorite -- Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet.

NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick's William Byron will start 27th.

--PODIUM CELEBRATION

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is among the most versatile -- and well-travelled -- competitors in the NASCAR garage. And he had nothing but compliments for the organizers of the Mexico City race, noting it was kind of "fun" staying at the same hotel and sharing bus rides to the circuit with his competitors.

One of the unique features of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course is that the top three drivers in the race will stand on a podium to receive trophies -- similar to the traditional Formula One victory celebration.

Larson likes the idea and thinks maybe it's something the sport would consider elsewhere as well.

"Maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I'm not sure," Larson said, adding, "Although it stinks sometimes when you're frustrated and you've got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot.

"You look at other forms of motorsports, and the post-race podium celebration -- like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you're from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that's a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there's ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own."

--RESPECTING SUAREZ

Many of the drivers this weekend remarked about the huge local support shown to Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez, a Mexico native and the number leader of promoting NASCAR's race in Mexico City.

Asked what he would do if it came down to him and Suarez for the victory, veteran and road racing talent, Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell smiled and conceded he'd already thought about that scenario.

"I was reminiscing about that. I was like, you do not want to spin out (Daniel) Suarez here, I can tell you that," McDowell said. "You do not want to do that. That is not a part of your strategy for the weekend.

"But my crew chief and I were talking about it and he said, what do you mean? You're telling me last lap, last corner, you're not going to move him out of the way? I'm like, no, I'm not. I think that when it comes to that, in the moment, things happen. If you're side-by-side and you're racing hard and you're doing all those things, our sports like that, I'm not going to give up a win. You guys know how much wins mean in this sport and getting into the playoffs and everything that comes with it.

"You're never going to lay over for anybody. At the same time, I'm not going to go out of my way to rough him up, that's for sure. I think that goes the same for everybody. I think that's part of the weird etiquette at road course racing."

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace conceded the grid was definitely going to be aware of the huge crowd favorite Suarez.

"I've seen (Team Penske driver) Ryan's (Blaney) video this morning, and if there is one rule this week -- is to not wreck Suarez, and I'm like I didn't think about that, but definitely adopting that rule too," Wallace said smiling.

--CHANGES IN ALTITUDES

Mexico City sits at 7,349 feet above sea level and is surrounded by mountains on three sides -- it's a vastly different setting than what the NASCAR national series regularly experience.

Some drivers even used a hypoxic tent to help them acclimate easier, others arrived early to get used to the climate and altitude.

"When it comes to the driver and the altitude training, there's a lot of different strategies and a lot of different philosophies," McDowell said. "I, by no means, feel like the scientist that has got it right, but I've been here a few times and I've experienced it a few times, so I know what works for me.

"It is a challenge. Honestly, it's part of the reason why I decided not to run the Xfinity race was because I felt like this is a really physically demanding weekend, getting acclimated to the altitude and road racing in general. Yes, extra laps and extra seat time would be great to be more familiar, but I felt like you're going to be at your limit on Sunday and I want to make sure that I have the best possible day of the week."

NASCAR makes history Sunday when it holds the first points-paying international Cup Series race in the modern era at the tricky Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, featuring 15 turns that drivers will battle over 100 laps (242.9 miles) at 7,350 feet.

It will be the first international points event since 1958 when Lee Petty won in Toronto driving an Oldsmobile in a 19-car field that featured son Richard in his racing debut.

One hotshot looking forward to a few right turns to go along with the lefts is Chase Elliott, the active leader in wins at the Cup Series' snaking layouts from New York to California to Mexico and points in between.

Owner of seven road wins, third to all-time leader Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight), Elliott has had no luck on them since 2022.

His only two victories in 2021 and the last on the winding courses were at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex., and the lengthy Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., which only made two appearances on the Cup schedule (2021, 2022) before being replaced.

The seven-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award winner is having an incredibly consistent but completely unremarkable regular season in his 10th full campaign after running five races in 2015.

Through 15 races so far, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports pilot is winless -- he has had just one victory (Texas, 2024) since grabbing the checkers at Talladega on Oct. 2, 2022 -- but he is the only driver to finish every race in the top 20, placing him fifth in points (minus-112 to leader William Byron) with an 11.7 average finish.

However, Elliott had made a habit of winning in the Cup Series -- 19 total times, including five each in his championship season of 2020 and also in 2022.

But drivers generally have to lead to win -- though Denny Hamlin, who will miss the Mexico race for his child's birth, only led five laps Sunday on the way to career victory No. 57 at Michigan.

Elliott, 29, has paced the way on just 95 laps, while Byron, Kyle Larson and Hamlin -- 1-2-3 in points -- have combined for a whopping 2,074 circuits led.

Usually for Elliott, it has been a different story, one of flashy, checkered success, not just a good points day with no chance of glory, when it comes to racing on the slithering asphalt.

In 36 career road events, Elliott has nabbed seven wins, three poles and 20 top fives. He has led 489 laps with an average finish of 9.0.

The Dawsonville, Ga., driver is optimistic -- despite fans' criticism of crew chief Alan Gustafson and the team.

"We care a lot about each other," Elliott said. "I think it's important that we've stuck together through this, and I think there is light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. I also think we're going to be way better for it once we do get on the other side because we've had to learn some hard lessons."

Currently saddled with an 0-for-43 winless streak in points races, could the top racer on road courses desperately use a win Sunday and tie Stewart for second in wins?

Let's just say he would have no problem bringing a trophy through customs when he returns.

Hamlin will stay in North Carolina with his fiancee Jordan Fish, two daughters and baby son. Ryan Truex will drive in his stead.

"See you guys in Pocono," Hamlin posted on social media. "We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five."

Fish was nearly two weeks past her due date and Hamlin was prepared to abandon the Michigan race if she went into labor. But the call never came and the veteran posted his third victory of the season and 57th of his career. He became the all-time wins leader for Joe Gibbs Racing, breaking a tie with Kyle Busch.

Hamlin currently ranks third in the Cup Series standings after 15 races. His streak of getting behind the wheel in 406 consecutive races -- which dates back to 2014 -- will come to an end in Mexico City.

NASCAR is expected to grant Hamlin a waiver so he can compete in the playoffs for the Cup Series Championship.

Truex is Gibbs' reserve driver and will compete in a Cup series event for the first time since 2014.

Bowman, 32, made contact with Cole Custer on Lap 67, causing him to crash into the wall and lifting the rear tires off the ground. As a result of hitting the wall at approximately 150 mph, Bowman was done for the day.

Bowman, who is dealing with soreness in the aftermath of the incident, missed five races late in the 2022 season after sustaining a concussion in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway. Two years ago, a sprint car crash injured his back and caused him to sit out three Cup races.

Hendrick lined up Anthony Alfredo to be ready to fill in for Bowman as a precaution. Alfredo, a regular on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and a simulator driver for Hendrick, has 42 Cup Series starts under his belt, including this year at Talladega. He has logged two top-10 finished in the Cup Series.

Bowman, whose most recent Cup Series win came last summer at the Chicago Street Course, looks to return to the winner's circle at another road course this weekend. After 15 races this season, he is 13th in the championship standings despite finishing 27th or lower in seven of the past nine races. Five of those races saw Bowman come in 35th or higher.

Sunday's race is aptly named Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The industry has long been preparing for this inaugural visit to the renowned 2.42-mile, 15-turn road course in the middle of bustling Mexico City. And perhaps no one is more eager for NASCAR's Mexican arrival than Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suarez, who has made multiple visits to his home country in support of the event.

"I'm super excited, regardless of what happens on Sunday," said the Monterrey, Mexico-native, who has competed -- and won three times -- on the track's oval-configuration while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will also be competing this weekend.

"I'm super excited for the event. I'm super excited to live in the moment because the first time is going to only happen once. I'm really trying to be as present as possible; enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that's not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part."

Suarez, who scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win on a road course at Sonoma, Calif., in 2022, has been a vital supporter of this initiative. For months, the popular driver has starred in the NASCAR commercials promoting the Mexico race -- the script depicting him trying to teach fellow racers how to speak in Spanish.

"At first, I thought man, I don't know if this is going to work out, like, I don't think this is going to be funny," Suarez said smiling. "And honestly, it turned out amazing. I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for trying all these different things.

"I think people are liking it. Drivers are embracing it. And, obviously, I'm having fun with it. I'm the one teaching the language, so for the first time, I feel like I'm in my zone, so that's good."

Suarez is certainly among the group of drivers hoping a new venue may produce different results. The driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet is ranked 28th in the championship with 11 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver playoff field.

Others traditionally considered road course aces similarly see this as a big opportunity to punch a playoff ticket.

Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, Kaulig Racing's A.J. Allmendinger, Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell and Suarez' Trackhouse teammate Shane Van Gisbergen are all some of the most talented road racers in the sport and all are still looking to earn a victory this season. Many sit well below the 16th-place playoff cut line.

Six of the 14 regular-season races in the Next Gen Era have been won by drivers ranked 16th or worse in the standings at the time of their victory.

"Everyone expects us to perform on road courses," said New Zealand's Van Gisbergen, who made the ultimate NASCAR debut winning at the Chicago street race two years ago in his very first start.

"Not that we have been hanging out for (road courses), but the ovals have been a big learning process the last couple of months. It will be nice for sure to have a bit of a break and races on the types of courses I'm used to which means turning right."

Hendrick Motorsports has won at eight different road courses - the most in NASCAR history. And four of the remaining 11 races will be on road courses.

Hendrick's William Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings -- up by 41 points on teammate Kyle Larson -- and both are considered favorites this weekend. Hendrick drivers -- Byron (two), Larson (two) and Bowman (one) -- have won five of the last eight road course races.

If Elliott wins this weekend, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart for second most road course wins all-time (eight).

Last week's race winner, Denny Hamlin claimed his first career Xfinity Series win at the Mexico road course in 2006. Hamlin, Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Brad Keselowski are the only drivers to have raced at the circuit - competing in the Xfinity Series there. Busch won the 2008 Xfinity Series race there.

RFK's Chris Buescher, who finished runner-up to Hamlin last week at Michigan, boasts the best road course average finish (8.7) in the Next Gen cars.

--NASCAR Xfinity Series set for Mexico return

The NASCAR Xfinity Series marks its return to Mexico with Saturday afternoon's The Chilango 150.

The series has held four previous races at the famed Autodrome Hermanos Rodriquez - that Busch won.

This is the second of seven road course races on the schedule. Series rookie, JR Motorsports' Connor Zilisch won at Circuit of The Americas from pole position.

JR Motorsports' Justin Allgaier earned his third win of the season in the series' most recent race, two weeks ago at Nashville. Allgaier is the reigning series champion.

It marks the fifth time in the last eight years the veteran has scored at least three victories in a season. He holds a 92-point advantage in the championship standings over fellow three-race winner, Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill.

The Illinois native has answered his first career title run with another top-shelf season in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet. He leads all drivers in laps led (638) and top-10 finishes (10). He's only eight top-10 finishes from 300 in his career -- a feat never before accomplished in the series.

With 12 regular-season races remaining and six playoff spots still to be claimed, Mexico City certainly presents all the makings of an ultra-competitive weekend.

Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs have the most road course wins (four) in this weekend's field. Interestingly, nine of the series' last 11 road course races have been won by just three drivers (Mayer, Van Gisbergen and Zilisch). And Mayer, who is ranked third in the standings, is still looking for his first win of the year.

Gibbs (No. 19 Toyota) is among three NASCAR Cup Series regulars -- also Suarez (No. 9 Chevy) and Christopher Bell (No. 24 Toyota) -- racing Saturday. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie, Andres Perez De Lara will be making his Xfinity Series debut.

Qualifying is slated for Saturday morning and historically has proven very significant on road courses with the polesitter winning 10 of the last 18 road course races.

--By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service

The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota No. 11 caught Byron's No. 24 Chevrolet with four circuits left on the two-mile track, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver ran out of gas coming to the white flag, landing in 28th place.

Hamlin beat Chris Buescher by 1.09 seconds for his third Cup Series win this season and third at MIS. His last victory there came in June 2011.

JGR teammates Ty Gibbs and Bubba Wallace were third and fourth. Kyle Larson finished fifth.

Byron grabbed the lead away from polesitter Chase Briscoe on Lap 12 of Stage 1, but Buescher passed Byron on Lap 36 of the 45-lap segment and earned his first stage win of 2025.

Byron finished second while Hamlin, Briscoe and Josh Berry completed the top five in the incident-free stage.

The first caution for cause waved on Lap 60 when Noah Gragson and John Hunter Nemechek, running just inside the top 20, spun on the backstretch to bunch up the field again, but seven laps later a hard wreck occurred in Turn 2.

Riding in the bottom lane, last week's winner Ryan Blaney tapped Cole Custer's No. 41, triggering a mess that ended up with Alex Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet crashing violently nose-first into the wall and Briscoe spinning after being clipped by Custer's Ford. That prompted a red-flag condition for cleanup.

As Stage 2 neared its end, Blaney slapped the wall on his own in the No. 12 Ford and spun down the speedway, an unfortunate fifth caution for Christopher Bell, who pitted shortly before Blaney's mishap.

The closing laps of the stage featured a spirited battle between Byron, Reddick, Austin Cindric and Carson Hocevar. Byron made the winning pass on the final lap for the stage win while Cindric was able to hold off Michigan native Hocevar for second.

Hocevar took the point on Lap 152, but the Spire Motorsports driver suffered a flat left rear tire with 19 circuits left, turning over the lead to Byron. Hocevar finished 29th.

Briscoe's No. 19 JGR Toyota turned a lap of 195.514 mph for his fourth pole of the season -- just besting Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who will start alongside with a lap of 195.317 in the No. 8 Chevrolet. This equals Busch's best start of the season (also second at Talladega, Ala.).

Briscoe's work marks the first time a driver has won pole positions at three consecutive races since Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson did it last April at Richmond, Michigan, and Texas.

"I was surprised truthfully it held on,'' the 30-year-old Indiana native said of his fast lap. "It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be just holding it wide open. But our Bass Pro Shops has been pretty fast in race trim and I thought we could have been even better.

"It will be nice starting up front and we've been able to do that now three weeks in a row but haven't been able to execute with it, so hopefully third time is a charm and hopefully we can finally get one on Sunday.''

Briscoe's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, was third quickest in the No. 11 Toyota and will start alongside the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader, William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Interestingly, neither of those two championship teams has won on the 2-mile Michigan oval in a decade.

The last win for Hendrick came in 2014 and the last for Gibbs in 2015.

However, Hendrick's lineup now boasts a three-time Michigan winner in Larson, who scored his career first series victory at the track in 2016 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson will roll off fifth Sunday alongside another former Michigan winner (2023) Roush Fenway Keselowski's Chris Buescher.

"I feel fine, that was an unfortunately part failure there,'' Larson said, assuring he was okay after flipping his car in a World of Outlaws race Friday night.

"Felt good there today and held it wide open in qualifying, as did the whole field.

"Hopefully, we can find a little more turn tomorrow. I think all of us being very similar on speed it will be difficult in traffic so having some turn will be a benefit. That's our main objective at this point.

"But overall happy to qualify fifth there. That's honestly a little bit better than I thought we would be. Now we'll rest up and study and try to be ready for tomorrow.''

Defending race winner, 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick was 12th in qualifying - along with last week's Nashville race winner, Team Penske's Ryan Blaney suffering a tire problem in practice. Blaney will roll off 13th.

--RFK'S BUESCHER FOR THE WIN

Judging by the past two years, the summer months have been productive for Buescher.

Last year he earned his only win of the season in September at Watkins Glen.

Two years ago, the driver of the No. 17 RKF Ford scored all three of his victories in the summer - back-to-back at Richmond (July 30) and Michigan (Aug. 7), then won again at the end of August at Daytona International Speedway's regular season finale.

Heading into this week's Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan, Buescher is the only one among the three RFK drivers ranked above the Playoff cutoff line - 15th in the championship by Playoff standings; six points up on Kyle Busch in that last Playoff position and only eight points up on his RFK teammate Ryan Preece in 17th.

Buescher is of course hopeful that he can reclaim some of that Michigan magic on the two-miler. He led a race high 52 of 200 laps and beat Martin Truex Jr. by a slight 152-second for his win two years ago. He has only three top 10s in 14 Michigan starts - but two in the last two races (win and sixth last year). It's not enough to make him over-confident but does give him some optimism heading into the all-important summer months of competition. With points so close, a victory may be the best option to earn a Playoff bid.

"You can't depend on points to get you in the playoffs when it's as tight as it is every week,'' Buescher said. "I think that's been our mindset, which means that ultimately wherever we bounce around that [Playoff cutoff] line we'll be aware of it, but it's a matter of figuring out how to go win races and we haven't done that yet.

"We've not been quite good enough and we're working on trying to clean up some of the detail work and study a little harder and be better from my end behind the wheel and make it to where we basically lock ourselves in on that side of it and don't have to have any of that thought in the back of our heads.

"But I certainly don't want it to be what we're sitting here thinking of how can we get two points here, three points there and try and just feel like we can skate our way in. It doesn't work. Ultimately, you can't count on that when it comes down to the end."

--HOCEVAR AND STENHOUSE

In last weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway, 22-year-old Carson Hocevar and veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. collided on track -- ending the day for Stenhouse. But Hocevar was able to rally to a second-place finish - tying his career best showing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

After the race, Stenhouse was understandably riled, but both drivers report that they have spoken, and all is good moving forward even if they don't necessarily agree on how last week played out.

"Me and him both have the reputation, I guess, of being aggressive at times and everything, so at that one point, we both reminded each other that even with those reputations, we've raced each other very well together, right?'' the Michigan-native Hocevar said Saturday morning, before practice. "It clashes together. So, yeah, I mean we've had no issues before, as he had said, and I feel like we've had a decent relationship leading up to this."

Stenhouse told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week that he was satisfied with the conversation between the two, "I thought it was productive and, based off his comments, I felt like it was received productive."

Hocevar, who qualified 14th for the NASCAR Cup Series race and is also competing in Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, seemed at peace with where things sit and conceded he would rather be talking about his No. 77 Spire Motorsports team's improvement. He's already had a career best pair of runner-up efforts and also earned three top-10s - half of his full season total last year.

Asked Saturday if he was satisfied to be known for his aggressive driving style - some reporters comparing him to his hero Dale Earnhardt - Hocevar insisted he's just being himself.

"Everything about me is real... like I'm not trying to play a part, try to fit a role or trying to pretend to be anybody,'' he said. "But, you know, it's for everybody else to decide on what they get and perceive of me. I know who I am and, you know, ultimately, I want to be known as me and sometimes that leads to comparisons."

--PENSKE FOCUS

Last week's Nashville race winner, Team Penske's Ryan Blaney was asked about the relief he felt finally earning that first trophy of the year -- and guaranteed Playoff position -- after being so close to wins multiple times this season. He insisted nothing would really "change" for his or his team's approach going forward.

"It's really nothing different," the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said. "We approach every week trying to win the race and no matter what spot you're in, whether you're not locked in on wins or you are. We did a great job last week of finally closing one out and you just try to do it again.

"A lot of people talk about that. Is there a mindset change when you win and you get locked in? I've never really believed that. I've always, to me at least and our group, it's just we prepare every week like you're trying to win the race, whether you've won one, zero or five it's the same thing."

--BABY WATCH

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin remains on "baby watch" for the second weekend. His fiancee, Jordan, is due to give birth to a baby boy -- their third child -- at any time. Hamlin flew back to his Charlotte-area home following Saturday afternoon qualifying to be with Jordan and will return to Michigan just prior to Sunday's green flag.

The former Cup Series champion was running second in a World of Outlaws race at the Plymouth Dirt Track when his winged vehicle flipped end-over-end before slamming into the catch fence.

Larson, 32, who was able to climb out of the car unscathed, said that the right rear axle "or something" broke.

"It just kind of launched me, and I was along for the ride," he said, per Motorsport.com. "Bummer, but I felt really good pacing Rico (Abreu) there and just finally catching traffic and get racing there. Glad I'm OK, big hit but all-in-all, feel fine."

In addition to racing stock cars and sprint cars, Larson has also competed in the Indianapolis 500 in each of the past two years.

Larson is scheduled to be behind the wheel of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in Sunday's Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

The 2021 Cup Series champion has three wins and 10 top-10 finishes this season and ranks second in the Cup standings, 48 points behind leader William Byron.