Denny Hamlin clinched his third victory of the season and 57th of his career at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, masterfully conserving fuel to cross the finish line just 1.099 seconds ahead of Chris Buescher.
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, the No. 11, ran out of gas only after a celebratory burnout, requiring a tow to Victory Lane.
Hamlin showcased exceptional fuel management and composure under pressure at the two-mile oval. The win marked his third of the season and 57th overall, a testament to his enduring skill. He edged out Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ty Gibbs. The day’s most dominant driver, William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports, was forced to pit for fuel on the final lap, paving the way for Hamlin’s win.
“No, not really,” Hamlin said when asked if he was worried about running out of fuel. “I wanted to get the lead, and obviously he [William Byron] was doing a really good job defending.”
Addressing the Michigan crowd in his 701st career start, a grinning Hamlin declared, “Sorry, but I beat your favorite driver.”
He praised his team, stating, “This whole team just stepped up. Great job. We’ve been so fast this entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another, so it feels good to come to Michigan where we’ve been so close the last couple of years.” Hamlin, who has now won multiple races in the last seven consecutive seasons, added, “Such a gratifying day to restart 11th or 12th and charge to the front.”
With 20 laps remaining, Hamlin had climbed from 11th to fifth, trailing Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, who were the day’s strongest contenders. Both Hocevar, a Michigan native seeking his first career NASCAR Cup Series win, and Byron were alerted by their crew chiefs about impending fuel shortages.
However, Hocevar, who led 32 laps, encountered a flat tire, forcing him to pit from the lead with 19 laps to go, not a fuel issue. Byron then inherited the lead from Hocevar, attempting to hold off Hamlin. Hamlin methodically advanced, racing Byron aggressively and forcing the championship leader out of any fuel-saving strategy. Hamlin passed Byron with four laps remaining, and Byron ultimately pitted for fuel on the final lap, finishing 28th. Hocevar finished 29th.
“Ultimately, maybe not as good mileage as the guys farther back to start that run, and that’s just the way the cautions go and the nature of being closer to the front and burning a lot of fuel,” Byron explained. “That one, you can’t really do a lot about. It sucks. It really stings. But we had a really good car. I thought we executed well. It seemed like we waited a little more on fuel on that last stop and just burned more, not able to do much about that. So it is what it is.”
Bubba Wallace, driving the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota—a team co-owned by Hamlin—secured fourth place. Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports finished fifth. Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing took sixth, and Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports achieved a season-best seventh place.
Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch finished eighth, followed by RFK teammates Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski, marking the first time all three RFK cars finished in the top 10 this season.
The race saw 13 lead changes among 11 drivers, with Hamlin leading only five laps. An almost 12-minute red flag period occurred early in the race after a four-car incident. The No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, hit the wall hard after being clipped by Cole Custer’s spinning No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford. Bowman spoke to reporters after being checked at the medical center. This marked the seventh time in the last nine races that Bowman, a perennial championship contender, finished 25th or worse.
With 11 races remaining in the regular season, Byron holds a 41-point lead over Larson in the championship points standings. There have been nine different race winners so far. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric currently occupies the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs point standings.
The NASCAR Cup Series will make its first international points-paying trip next weekend with Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Mexico City’s renowned Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course. The race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, with streaming available on MAX.
NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, Michigan
Sunday, June 8, 2025
- (3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.
2. (6) Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.
3. (8) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 200.
4. (9) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.
5. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.
6. (20) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (10) Zane Smith, Ford, 200.
8. (2) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 200.
9. (23) Ryan Preece, Ford, 200.
10. (27) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.
11. (22) Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.
12. (7) Josh Berry, Ford, 200.
13. (12) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 200.
14. (35) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 200.
15. (17) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.
16. (25) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 200.
17. (19) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.
18. (26) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 200.
19. (28) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
20. (30) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 200.
21. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 200.
22. (15) Joey Logano, Ford, 200.
23. (1) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 200.
24. (18) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
25. (34) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 200.
26. (36) Cody Ware, Ford, 200.
27. (29) Noah Gragson, Ford, 200.
28. (4) William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.
29. (14) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 199.
30. (32) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 199.
31. (11) Austin Cindric, Ford, 199.
32. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 196.
33. (33) Todd Gilliland, Ford, Accident, 146.
34. (21) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, Accident, 2.
35. (24) Cole Custer, Ford, Accident, 66.
36. (16) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 66.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 142.574 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 48 Mins, 20 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.099 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 15 among 11 drivers.
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