Monday Racing
The 2019 FireKeepers Casino 400 provoked some unprecedented twists and turns. The most surprising element was the rain delay that postponed the former Sunday race to Monday afternoon. The top 10 also warranted a few unpredicted appearances. Perhaps it was the rain delay that brought about these surprises, or maybe it was just racing.
After dominating 163 of the FireKeepers Casino’s 203 laps, Joey Logano earned his third victory at Michigan International Speedway. Kurt Busch fought to steal the lead from Logano, however, second place was the best he could do. The former points leader, Kyle Busch, secured a top five, finishing fifth overall. However, after Monday’s race, Joey Logano now leads the field in season points.
Bad Days…
Numerous difficulties caused a couple of the predicted frontrunners to find themselves crossing the finish line in the high numbers.
Although he had a very sharp record heading into Monday’s race, Chase Elliott could not find his groove, finishing 20th overall.
Starting fifth, Clint Bowyer had high hopes prior to the race. However, after making contact with the no. 20 car of Erik Jones, Bowyer crashed into the wall. Since the damage was too severe to be repaired, Bowyer went home with 73 laps remaining, accepting a 35th place finish.
Erik Jones, Michigan native, also had a rough day. He first made contact with Bowyer, then acquired a flat tire, and finally spun into the infield. These difficulties placed Jones in a 31st place finish.
… and Good Days
It was a good day for some newer faces of NASCAR, who do not have many top 10 finishes under their belts just yet.
Daniel Suarez finished fourth, earning his sixth career top five.
Alex Bowman closed out the top 10, earning his 19 career top 10.
Upcoming
MIS once again proved itself to be a “win or lose” track, with a dominant leader, diverse top 10 and unpredicted back field.
Up next, the drivers will travel to Sonoma, CA for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 23.
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