Following Ryan Blaney's first win of the season at Nashville Superspeedway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday for the running of the FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This will be the 15th race of the regular season for the Cup Series at a track known for its high speeds. If the past 10 races there are any indication, expect the Fords to be up front, given the manufacturer had won the past nine races at the track (until Tyler Reddick took his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota to Victory Lane in 2024). Chevrolet has not won at Michigan since Kyle Larson was victorious for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017.
While Blaney was the one celebrating after his Music City triumph, these three drivers are in search of a rebound performance following the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
Until his last-place finish at Nashville after getting run into from behind by Carson Hocevar, Stenhouse had not recorded a DNF all season. Following his first such result of 2025, Stenhouse fell outside the current playoff picture, now 19th (-6) to Kyle Busch.
Stenhouse might have to rely on his consistency this season if he is going to come out of the Irish Hills with a solid finish. In his 20 prior starts at Michigan, he only has one top-10 while half of his starts have resulted in top-20 finishes. He has nine top-20 finishes this season, so If he can run all the laps and be around at the end, there is a good chance Stenhouse posts another solid finish on Sunday to at least keep himself in playoff contention.
Alex Bowman, No. 48
Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Bowman's brutal stretch continued at Nashville when he crashed out of the race in Stage 2 and finished 36th, marking his third finish of 29th or worse in the last four points-paying races and his fourth finish outside the top-30 this season.
If Bowman is going to get back on track and turn his season around, Michigan may not be the best place to do so. In 15 starts at the two-mile track, he has never finished better than ninth (2022). In his 11 starts there with Hendrick Motorsports, Bowman has three finishes of 30th or worse and has only led 19 laps. He might have to wait another week to respond to the recent adversity if his Michigan past is any indication.
Chase Briscoe, No. 19
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Although Briscoe has won the pole each of the last two weeks, he only led one lap at Charlotte and faded to 17th in Music City after leading 51 laps. After an up-and-down start to his Joe Gibbs Racing tenure in which he qualified outside the top-10 in nine of the first 12 races, Briscoe has improved on Saturdays and put himself at the front, only to be unable to take advantage of the track position each time.
Briscoe has a short history at Michigan, but a best finish of 11th in four starts does not offer much promise. The speed in recent weeks, though, suggests he could be among the contenders on Sunday if he can continue to qualify toward the front. If that holds true, it will come down to his ability to maintain the track position throughout the entire race.