Martin Truex Jr. often possessed the fastest car in the two-day FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, charging from the rear of the field to the front on more than one occasion during the 200-lap race.
However, pit strategy late in the event left Truex just 0.152-second shy of the victory.
“Strategy kind of shook us up a little bit,” Truex says. “We were luckily able to get our track position back all day just because of our speed.”
Truex led six times for 47 laps but made his final pit stop three laps later than Buescher. Despite his Joe Gibbs Racing team changing four tires and refueling his Toyota in 9.8 seconds, Truex emerged onto the track behind Buescher. With 10 laps remaining, Buescher led Truex by 1.194 seconds. Truex needed only five laps to cut the deficit to 0.264 second. He challenged Buescher for the lead but had to back off after getting loose on the inside of the RFK Racing Ford driver with about three laps remaining.
“It’s hard to pass the leader on equal tires,” Truex says. “I think we needed maybe a little bit longer run to wear the tires some more.”
Trackhouse Racing Rebounds
Trackhouse Racing shook off its struggle for consistency this year at Michigan International Speedway with both drivers producing top 10-finishes for this first time since the season’s second race at Fontana, California.
Daniel Suarez led once for 12 laps en route to his sixth-place finish, while Ross Chastain held the No. 1 position once for 16 laps before having to settle for seventh. It was Suarez’s first top-10 finish since Atlanta in July when he placed second, and Chastain’s first since he won at Nashville in June.
“It was a grind all weekend,” Chastain says. “We started on the front row but didn’t have the balance or the grip level we needed when we got back in traffic. I felt like we were so fast, and I just couldn’t get back up there. We just didn’t have the car to do it. The changes that we were able to make were small, air pressures and stuff, but helped the car today.”
Suarez’s performance paid dividends in his efforts to gain a playoff berth. With three races remaining in the regular season, he is just five points below the cutline in 18th.
“This is exactly what we needed after a couple of rough weeks,” Suarez says. “Two days ago in practice, I knew our car had the speed, but we were just very off on balance. Once we found the balance, the car was pretty fast.
“I feel like we still have maybe one more step to go to be able to win races, but it was definitely a race that we needed, especially heading into two road course races. Now, we have a little momentum on our side and I’m optimistic for the final three races of the regular season.”
Ty Gibbs is in a position to get into the NASCAR Playoffs on points.
Rookie Ty Gibbs Moves Into Playoff Position
Rookie Ty Gibbs has focused on staying out of trouble and finishing races this season and his approach has paid.
Gibbs led only once in the rain-delayed FireKeepers Casino 400 won by Chris Buescher at Michigan International Speedway, but his 11th-place finish moved him into the playoffs with three races remaining in the regular season. Gibbs, who has posted a top-15 finish in the last three races, sits 16th in the driver standings heading to the event on the Indianapolis road course. He is three points ahead of Michael McDowell, who occupied the 16th position heading into the event at the 2-mile Michigan track.
Still, the 20-year-old driver wasn’t happy with his performance.
“I just didn’t do my job,” Gibbs says. “I didn’t execute. I need to … be smarter, better race craft. I don’t know if that’s more studying or what.”
Tyler Reddick fell victim to a loose wheel on Monday.
Loose Wheel Ends Reddick’s Victory Hopes
Tyler Reddick, who is already locked into the Playoffs, possessed one of the fastest Toyotas in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway and he led once for seven laps, but a loose wheel ended his victory hopes.
Reddick was second to Chris Buescher when the two pitted for four tires and fuel with 43 laps remaining. During the stop, the right-rear wheel lug didn’t get tightened before Reddick returned to the track. Reddick’s 23XI Racing Toyota slid sideways as the wheel tried to come off. He made it back to pit road without losing the wheel, but the miscue relegated him to a 30th-place finish, three laps down.
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