Even after suffering a flat tire in practice, Denny Hamlin fought back in qualifying to secure pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin was the final driver on the track, and he denied home hero Carson Hocevar by just 0.018s with a pole lap of 36.901s. This is Hamlin's 50th career pole and his second of the 2026 season.

They did a really great job, accounting for the damage on the bottom side. They re-balanced it, and it felt like they did a really good job. It was a handful, it was all I wanted, certainly. Hats off to this whole Toyota team. That was surprising ... I just noticed that I was chattering all the tires, it felt like, in the corners. It was the limit, for sure."

Championship leader Tyler Reddick will start third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Chase Briscoe. Four of the fastest five qualifiers were all Toyotas.

Chase Elliott will start sixth, Kyle Larson seventh, Christopher Bell eighth, William Byron ninth, and Erik Jones tenth.

Qualifying recap

Berry spun exiting turn 4, reversed back to pits due to flat tires. Allmendinger had just started his qualifying run, so they needed to return to the pits to re-cool the No. 16 before giving it another attempt. Berry will start last on the grid after the spin, in P37.

After the first ten cars took a time, Bubba Wallace set the pace with a 37.133s lap, over three tenths clear of his closest challenger. 

The first driver to knock him off the top spot was Byron, the 15th driver to go out. He held P1 until his Hendrick Motorsports teammate dethroned him, with Larson becoming the first driver to reach into the 36-second bracket.

Gibbs then took the fight to the Hendrick duo, eclipsing Larson by just 0.014s. However, he did not stay there for long, with home hero Hocevar rocketing to the top with a 36.919s lap.

Reddick got very close, just 0.010s adrift of Hocevar's pole time. The Michigan native waited anxiously through the final group of cars, and was visibly disappointed when Hamlin knocked him off the top spot at the end of qualifying.

"It's a testament to these guys, they do a really good job," said Hocevar. "They're building fast race cars. Yeah, I would have loved to have gotten pole there, but third in the Truck race, second in Cup qualifying, so hopefully that's just a trend there. I would have loved to have that one ... I feel really good about our race car so starting up front is going to be super important, I know it's just qualifying, but damn, I didn't know I wanted it this much. It would mean a lot for so many reasons."

When asked if he felt bad for denying Hocevar at his home track, pole-sitter Hamlin said: "I remember Richmond, way back in '06 or '07, and trying to get a pole at my home track. I get it, I feel like that (a smidge) sorry for him."

Some notables that struggled in qualifying include all of Team Penske and Trackhouse Racing. The Penske cars qualified 18th with Joey Logano, 19th with Ryan Blaney, and 31st with Austin Cindric. It was even more dismal for Trackhouse, with Shane van Gisbergen leading the charge in 30th, Ross Chastain 32nd, and Connor Zilisch 34th. 

NASCAR Cup Michigan Starting Lineup

Cla Driver #   Manufacturer Time Mph

1		11		Toyota	36.901	195.117
2		77		Chevrolet	+0.018 36.919	195.022
3		45		Toyota	+0.028 36.929	194.969
4		54		Toyota	+0.052 36.953	194.842
5		19		Toyota	+0.055 36.956	194.826
6		9		Chevrolet	+0.057 36.958	194.816
7		5		Chevrolet	+0.066 36.967	194.768
8		20		Toyota	+0.102 37.003	194.579
9		24		Chevrolet	+0.137 37.038	194.395
10		43		Toyota	+0.189 37.090	194.122
11		7		Chevrolet	+0.220 37.121	193.960
12		35		Toyota	+0.226 37.127	193.929
13		23		Toyota	+0.232 37.133	193.898
14		17		Ford	+0.285 37.186	193.621
15		41		Chevrolet	+0.304 37.205	193.522
16		38		Ford	+0.312 37.213	193.481
17		42		Toyota	+0.339 37.240	193.340
18		22		Ford	+0.356 37.257	193.252
19		12		Ford	+0.357 37.258	193.247
20		3		Chevrolet	+0.376 37.277	193.149
21		71		Chevrolet	+0.376 37.277	193.149
22		4		Ford	+0.440 37.341	192.818
23		47		Chevrolet	+0.441 37.342	192.812
24		10		Chevrolet	+0.507 37.408	192.472
25		16		Chevrolet	+0.556 37.457	192.220
26		6		Ford	+0.575 37.476	192.123
27		60		Ford	+0.650 37.551	191.739
28		33		Chevrolet	+0.652 37.553	191.729
29		48		Chevrolet	+0.660 37.561	191.688
30		97		Chevrolet	+0.661 37.562	191.683
31		2		Ford	+0.766 37.667	191.149
32		1		Chevrolet	+0.789 37.690	191.032
33		51		Chevrolet	+0.814 37.715	190.905
34	TrackHouse Racing	88		Chevrolet	+0.819 37.720	190.880
35		34		Ford	+0.829 37.730	190.830
36		44		Chevrolet	+1.669 38.570	186.674
37	Wood Brothers Racing	21		Ford

 

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It was 'Heim Time' once again!

Corey Heim, who is set to go full-time Cup racing next year with 23XI Racing, won Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

The 2025 NCTS champion now has 26 career wins, and three in just five starts this year.

There was just 0.065s between Heim and TRICON Toyota Kaden Honeycutt at the checkered flag.

NASCAR Truck Series win No. 3 in 2026 for Corey Heim! He talks with @JoshRSims after getting it done in Michigan. pic.twitter.com/5aqBike2Qo

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Just ahead of the leaders was Cleetus McFarland, and Heim used his draft to help hold a charging Honeycutt back in the run to the checkered flag. Cleetus finished on the lead lap in 25th, 12 positions higher than his last Truck start.

Behind Heim and Honeycutt, Carson Hocevar finished third, Layne Riggs fourth, and Chander Smith fifth. Christopher Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Connor Mosack, Jake Garcia, and Tyler Ankrum filled out the rest of the top ten.

Corey Heim holds off a hard-charging Kaden Honeycutt to WIN the @NASCAR_Trucks race at Michigan! ⏰🏁 pic.twitter.com/wK2ZwFaOu0

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Stages 1 and 2

The battle for the lead was constant as drivers maximized the draft, with Bell, Majeski, and Hocevar all taking turns out front early.

Both Daniel Hemric and Tanner Gray got into the wall in separate incidents and had to pit under green. The first caution was for Frankie Muniz and Kris Wright, who both spun after colliding in a three-wide battle for position

On the following restart, Bell shadowed Hocevar and pushed him ahead, helping both trucks to breakaway from the pack.

With five laps to go in the stage, the patient Bell finally made his move, and claimed the Stage 1 win over Hocevar, Honeycutt, C. Smith, Riggs, Heim, Eckes, Ruggiero, Garcia, and Chastain.

During the stage break, Gray jumped to the front with a two-tire call, but he was quickly dispatched. Bell, Heim, and Hocevar formed a three-truck breakaway, pulling away from the pack. Layne Riggs had to make an unscheduled pit stop, and fell off the lead lap.

Bell went on to win Stage 2 as well, beating Heim, Hocevar, Honeycutt, C. Smith, Eckes, Chastain, Ruggiero, Enfinger, and Majeski.

Stage 3

Hocevar was not out front, and Heim had a slow stop as they struggled on the left-side. Friesen was also caught speeding, dropping him out of the top ten.

The next caution was for Cleetus, who spun on his own right after cracking the top 20. There was another quick yellow after that, this time for Friesen getting turned on the backstretch.

Trouble for Cleetus McFarland! He goes around in Michigan, but manages to keep it off the wall. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/zmPB3NjgsU

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

Honeycutt briefly took control before Hocevar regained control, but the next caution wasn't far off. Majeski got pushed out of the groove and spun, backing it into the wall and destroying his truck.

The timing of this yellow were mixed up the strategy. Garcia and Dye stayed out, while several trucks opted for a fuel-only or two-tire stops.

It was a very chaotic restart, and it did not stay green for long. There was constant contact, ending with Cole Butcher and Spencer Boyd crashing hard after Butcher cut a tire down.

Big trouble for Cole Butcher and Spencer Boyd late at Michigan! pic.twitter.com/gxxmzmJ0bY

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 6, 2026

The race went back green, and Hocevar remained out front. It was a five-truck breakaway in the battle for the lead.

Heim surged from third to first, taking the lead with 15 laps to go. Radio chatter indicated that Hocevar allowed it to happen, as he was attempting to clean debris from the grille. 

Corey LaJoie had to make an unscheduled pit stop from inside the top ten, and he was the lead Ram driver at the time.

With 10 to go, it was the Tricon duo of Heim and Honeycutt vs. Hocevar in the battle for the win. Honeycutt eventually passed Honeycutt, and worked with his teammate to get away and make sure it was a Tricon win.

On the final lap, he looked both low and high, but Heim defended every move, narrowly holding him back as they drag-raced to the finish line.

Corey Heim, Tricon Garage

Michigan NASCAR Truck complete race results

Cla Driver #   Manufacturer Laps Time Interval Pits Points

1	TRICON Garage	1		Toyota	125	2:05'00.746		5
2	TRICON Garage	11		Toyota	125	+0.065 2:05'00.811	0.065	6
3		77		Chevrolet	125	+2.129 2:05'02.875	2.064	6
4	Front Row Motorsports	34		Ford	125	+2.880 2:05'03.626	0.751	7
5	Front Row Motorsports	38		Ford	125	+3.520 2:05'04.266	0.640	6
6		62		Toyota	125	+7.333 2:05'08.079	3.813	6
7		42		Chevrolet	125	+8.706 2:05'09.452	1.373	6
8	Spire Motorsports	7		Chevrolet	125	+13.820 2:05'14.566	5.114	6
9	ThorSport Racing	98		Ford	125	+15.346 2:05'16.092	1.526	7
10		18		Chevrolet	125	+16.560 2:05'17.306	1.214	7
11		9		Chevrolet	125	+17.410 2:05'18.156	0.850	9
12	TRICON Garage	17		Toyota	125	+18.681 2:05'19.427	1.271	9
13		19		Chevrolet	125	+20.206 2:05'20.952	1.525	10
14	Kaulig Racing	12		RAM	125	+22.335 2:05'23.081	2.129	6
15	McAnally Hilgemann Racing	20		Chevrolet	125	+22.553 2:05'23.299	0.218	7
16		25		RAM	125	+23.328 2:05'24.074	0.775	6
17		45		Chevrolet	125	+24.942 2:05'25.688	1.614	6
18		15		Toyota	125	+25.468 2:05'26.214	0.526	8
19	Niece Motorsports	44		Chevrolet	125	+27.656 2:05'28.402	2.188	6
20	Kaulig Racing	14		RAM	125	+27.870 2:05'28.616	0.214	6
21		99		Ford	125	+31.448 2:05'32.194	3.578	10
22		52		Toyota	125	+36.780 2:05'37.526	5.332	9
23	Reaume Brothers Racing	33		Ford	125	+38.090 2:05'38.836	1.310	8
24		5		Toyota	125	+40.329 2:05'41.075	2.239	11
25	Niece Motorsports	4		Chevrolet	125	+41.682 2:05'42.428	1.353	9
26	Reaume Brothers Racing	2		Ford	124	+1 Lap 2:05'41.168	1 Lap	7
27	Costner Motorsports	93		Chevrolet	123	+2 Laps 2:05'10.730	1 Lap	11
28		16		RAM	123	+2 Laps 2:05'25.705	14.975	11
29		10		RAM	123	+2 Laps 2:05'31.881	6.176	9
30		22		Ford	122	+3 Laps 2:05'40.829	1 Lap	12
31		81		Chevrolet	121	+4 Laps 2:05'41.989	1 Lap	11
32		91		Chevrolet	119	+6 Laps 2:05'09.020	2 Laps	7
33	ThorSport Racing	13		Ford	93	+32 Laps 1:37'42.671	26 Laps	8
34		76		Chevrolet	92	+33 Laps 1:37'43.047	1 Lap	7
35		88		Ford	87	+38 Laps 1:29'04.856	5 Laps	5
36	Rackley W.A.R.	26		Chevrolet	54	+71 Laps 56'14.398	33 Laps	9

 

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Richard Childress made himself available to the media on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway for the first time since the death of Kyle Busch.

As it turns out, this press conference had been scheduled for several weeks, and the time had been made available to formally announce that the two-time Cup Series champion was signing an extension with RCR for 2027.

The agreement was that close to being finalized. Childress says that Busch told him that they were going to make the Chase for the Championship if they kept bringing cars that were as competitive as they started to be.

Beyond that, he and interim crew chief Andy Street were starting to build something that everyone felt was a foundation for a more competitive future. That contract was never signed and what would have happened will be forever left to the imagination.

Read Also: NASCAR community says there was a difference between 'Rowdy' and Kyle Busch NASCAR CEO: 'Family reunion' every weekend will never be the same without Kyle Busch

“This is a different different type of media availability,” Childress said. “Instead of a press conference that he was coming back and racing for us in ’27 … I talked to Kyle on Tuesday night before everything went down on Wednesday night and Thursday and we had a great conversation talking about how he said, ‘you give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks,’ he said, ‘I will make The Chase this year.

“I mean we were that confident. Both of us had a lot of confidence in us. We haven't had the year that any of us expected or wanted. We started out like gangbusters and it just didn't go. We've had a lot of opportunities and we just didn't finish 'em off. But that's a tough part about today. Even walking in here, I was thinking, ‘what if he and I were walking in together instead coming in here and thanking the media for the support.”

Childress has been here before, of course, losing Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 but it doesn’t get any easier.

“This has been, I mean both of them, you lose two of the greatest drivers that has ever driven a car in NASCAR and have to go through it again …,” Childress said. “I just feel so bad for the family and the employees and everybody. But yeah, I mean I hadn't slept very good lately and I'll leave it at that.”

Childress also said it is his every intent to have Austin Hill finish the season in what was the No. 8 car, now rebranded as the No. 33 but with the same crew and sponsorship lineup.

“I mean for right now Austin is going to drive as far as we're concerned the rest of the year,” Childress said. “We don't want to put a burden back on everybody trying to go from one driver to the other one.”

Meanwhile, Childress is preserving the stylized No. 8 for Brexton Busch, should the son of Kyle ever want to use it when the time comes. All told, Childress was just happy that he got a chance to race alongside one of the all-time greats and forge a personal relationship with him.

“Kyle will go down in history as one of the greatest race drivers that's ever been,” Childress said. “He’ll definitely be in the Hall of Fame. I'd love to see him put him in it right away. He helped RCR when we needed it. He came right in and we won three races the first part of the year, got a little off and we had a lot of opportunities to win other races and we just didn't finish and capitalize on them.

“But I think his legacy is going to be that he was a man that a lot of people thought he was tough to deal with and that we wouldn't last long. But he is a man that loves this sport. He loved it so much. He wanted to see his family carry on and I watched what he had going on with Brexton and I would go to the races over at Millbridge and watch them race together.

“I would see the enjoyment in Kyle’s eyes. Watching his son race was just unbelievable. His legacy will be in history. He'll go down as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He's won over 200 races and just all of us are going to miss him. You guys and ladies are going to miss having him in here after a win.”

Read Also: Samantha Busch releases message of thanks for support after death of Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Gabehart, Spire agree to terms on deleted text message retrieval Cleetus McFarland involved in ARCA championship affecting crash

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