Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Hamlin Wins FireKeepers Casino 400 From Back of Field for Second Straight Week
Denny Hamlin delivered one of the most commanding performances of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 from the back of the field to notch his third victory of the year. The 45-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing veteran methodically worked through the field before pulling away during the race’s final green-flag run, winning by over eleven seconds. Hamlin’s victory pulled him into a tie with the late Kyle Busch for ninth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with 63 Cup victories, and it marked the second consecutive week he had won after starting from the rear of the field.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Hamlin Honors Kyle Busch and Ned Jarrett With Emotional Michigan Victory Lane Tribute
Denny Hamlin turned Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway into a heartfelt tribute Sunday, honoring two NASCAR legends with his 63rd career Cup win. Hamlin displayed a custom flag combining the Joe Gibbs Racing trademark No. 11 and the Richard Childress Racing trademark No. 8 to form Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 18 on a black background, remembering his former JGR teammate who died in late May. Hamlin also paid tribute to legendary driver Ned Jarrett — the original No. 11 driver in NASCAR — who died the same weekend as the Michigan race. The victory drew Hamlin into a ninth-place tie with Busch on the all-time Cup wins list.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Bell and Elliott Crash Triggers Red Flag at Michigan; Bell Left With Possible Wrist and Ankle Injuries
A vicious two-car crash involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott forced NASCAR to red-flag the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, halting the race to repair a damaged SAFER barrier. Elliott’s car snapped up the track at the start of Stage 3 while the two ran side by side near the front of the field, sending both cars into the outside wall. NASCAR stopped the race while crews repaired the barrier. Elliott was assessed fault for the incident. Bell was left with a possible wrist and ankle injury, according to team owner Joe Gibbs, clouding the championship prospects of a driver winless since last September.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Reddick DNF in Michigan Restart Pileup Cuts Championship Lead From 97 to 51 Points
Championship leader Tyler Reddick suffered his first DNF of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, crashing out of a lap 83 restart pileup that collected nine cars in total. Carson Hocevar made an aggressive move on the restart that triggered a chain reaction, sweeping up Reddick and ending his race on the spot. Reddick finished 35th — his first DNF of 2026 — after entering Michigan without a single finish outside the top 15 this season. With Denny Hamlin winning the FireKeepers Casino 400, Reddick’s 97-point championship lead was slashed to just 51 points.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
NASCAR Sends Four Cup Cars to R&D Center for Engine Dyno After Michigan
NASCAR’s Research and Development Center will perform engine dyno tests on four Cup Series cars from Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The cars flagged for testing are the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain, the No. 5 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson, the No. 22 Ford of Joey Logano, and the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace. Denny Hamlin’s winning No. 11 Toyota was checked at the track by NASCAR officials following the race and cleared. Post-race engine dyno testing is part of NASCAR’s standard compliance protocol and does not constitute a finding of wrongdoing against any of the affected teams.
Sources: Jayski.com
Kurt Busch Breaks Public Silence With First Statement Since Kyle’s Death
Kurt Busch released his first public statement on June 8 following the death of his younger brother Kyle Busch, who died in late May. The retired NASCAR veteran broke his silence with a personal message shared online, acknowledging his grief and honoring his brother’s memory. The statement came one day after Denny Hamlin paid tribute to Kyle Busch in Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway by waving a custom No. 18 flag combining the two brothers’ most famous numbers. Kyle Busch won 63 NASCAR Cup Series races during his career — a total Hamlin tied on Sunday, pulling both drivers into a shared ninth place on the all-time wins list.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Ford Fails to Lead a Single Lap at Michigan Despite Winning 9 of Last 12 Races There
Ford’s sudden reversal at Michigan International Speedway drew attention Sunday when the manufacturer’s Cup Series entries failed to lead a single lap of the FireKeepers Casino 400. The result was particularly striking given that Ford had won nine of the previous twelve Michigan races. No Ford driver qualified inside the top ten for the race, and the best results among the manufacturer’s teams were Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney finishing seventh and eighth respectively for Penske. Ford holds just one Cup victory so far in 2026, which came in early March, leaving the manufacturer trailing Toyota and Chevrolet in the manufacturer standings.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Hamlin Reaffirms 2027 Retirement and Names 18-Year-Old Brent Crews as Likely JGR Successor
Denny Hamlin reaffirmed Sunday that he plans to retire at the end of the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season and named 18-year-old Brent Crews as the likely replacement for his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing seat. Speaking after his Michigan victory, Hamlin told Motorsport.com that experience gives him an advantage over younger competitors every week. “I don’t want to leave them in flux,” Hamlin said. “They’ve got a great driver in Brent Crews that’s gonna be ready more than likely by the end of next year.” Crews has five top-5 finishes in 16 O’Reilly Series starts this season.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Hamlin Seeks Third Consecutive Cup Win at Pocono, Where He Has Dominated Since His Rookie Season
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Great American Getaway 400, and Denny Hamlin arrives as the clear favorite at a track where he has been dominant since his rookie Cup season nearly two decades ago. Hamlin enters having won back-to-back Cup points events at Nashville Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway, and enters Pocono seeking his third consecutive Cup win. Hamlin, who is 45 years old and described after Michigan as the most competitive version of himself, has now won three times in 2026 including both Cup races since Kyle Busch’s passing in late May.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 669 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 618 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 512 pts
4. Chase Elliott — 482 pts
5. Ty Gibbs — 470 pts
6. Kyle Larson — 453 pts
7. Carson Hocevar — 428 pts
8. Chris Buescher — 424 pts
9. Daniel Suárez — 418 pts
10. Christopher Bell — 410 pts
11. Bubba Wallace — 378 pts
12. William Byron — 377 pts
13. Chase Briscoe — 370 pts
14. Shane van Gisbergen — 355 pts
15. Brad Keselowski — 350 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 332 pts ▼ Cutline
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 637 pts
2. Chevrolet — 583 pts
3. Ford — 468 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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