# 2023 FireKeepers Casino 400

The 2023 FireKeepers Casino 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 6 and 7, 2023, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Contested over 200 laps on the two-mile (3.2 km) D-shaped oval, it was the 23rd race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The race began on Sunday, August 6, before rain delayed it to Monday, August 7, after 74 laps were complete.

## Report
### Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes the driver ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Josh Berry (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cole Custer (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 62 | Austin Hill (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

Martin Truex Jr. was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 37.496 seconds and a speed of 192.020 mph (309.026 km/h).

### Practice results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.496 | 192.020 |
| 2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.503 | 191.985 |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.553 | 191.729 |
| Official practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Christopher Bell scored the pole for the race with a time of 37.232 and a speed of 193.382 mph (311.218 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 |
| 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.326 | 37.232 |
| 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 37.267 | 37.259 |
| 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.225 | 37.301 |
| 4 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 37.329 | 37.321 |
| 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.329 | 37.372 |
| 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 37.422 | 37.380 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.451 | 37.479 |
| 8 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.561 | 37.520 |
| 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 37.620 | 37.544 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.521 | 37.548 |
| 11 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 37.398 | — |
| 12 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 37.453 | — |
| 13 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 37.469 | — |
| 14 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 37.479 | — |
| 15 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 37.567 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37.567 | — |
| 17 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.633 | — |
| 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 37.643 | — |
| 19 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 37.651 | — |
| 20 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.652 | — |
| 21 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 37.653 | — |
| 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 37.697 | — |
| 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 37.707 | — |
| 24 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 37.720 | — |
| 25 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 37.721 | — |
| 26 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 37.726 | — |
| 27 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 37.732 | — |
| 28 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 37.781 | — |
| 29 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 37.891 | — |
| 30 | 62 | Austin Hill (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.906 | — |
| 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 37.942 | — |
| 32 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 38.205 | — |
| 33 | 51 | Cole Custer (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 38.486 | — |
| 34 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.573 | — |
| 35 | 42 | Josh Berry (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 38.664 | — |
| 36 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 38.739 | — |
| 37 | 78 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.667 | — |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race

Martin Truex Jr. swept the stages, but Chris Buescher, driving for RFK Racing, would overtake him in the closing laps to win the race, marking the first time since 2010 where a Roush driver won consecutive Cup series races. Rounding out the top five would be Truex's JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, RFK's Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports.

### Race results
#### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 45
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsprots | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 75
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage results

Stage Three Laps: 80
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 4 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 200 | 41 |
| 2 | 5 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 55 |
| 3 | 13 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 37 |
| 4 | 12 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 200 | 48 |
| 5 | 17 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 43 |
| 6 | 14 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 36 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 30 |
| 8 | 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 29 |
| 9 | 9 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 28 |
| 10 | 25 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 200 | 29 |
| 11 | 3 | 54 | Ty Gibbs (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 34 |
| 12 | 21 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 27 |
| 13 | 1 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 24 |
| 14 | 6 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 27 |
| 15 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 23 |
| 16 | 18 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 21 |
| 17 | 29 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 20 |
| 18 | 11 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 200 | 35 |
| 19 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 18 |
| 20 | 34 | 77 | Ty Dillon | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 17 |
| 21 | 27 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 16 |
| 22 | 28 | 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 199 | 15 |
| 23 | 26 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 14 |
| 24 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 199 | 13 |
| 25 | 33 | 51 | Cole Custer (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 |
| 26 | 24 | 16 | A. J. Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 14 |
| 27 | 36 | 15 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 |
| 28 | 30 | 62 | Austin Hill (i) | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 |
| 29 | 32 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 8 |
| 30 | 15 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 197 | 7 |
| 31 | 19 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 197 | 6 |
| 32 | 37 | 78 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Chevrolet | 196 | 0 |
| 33 | 20 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 14 |
| 34 | 35 | 42 | Josh Berry (i) | Legacy Motor Club | Chevrolet | 50 | 0 |
| 35 | 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46 | 2 |
| 36 | 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34 | 1 |
| 37 | 8 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 14 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 26 among 16 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 9 for 43 laps
* Red flags: 1 for 19 hours, 5 minutes, and 18 seconds
* Time of race: 3 hours, 2 minutes, and 59 seconds
* Average speed: 131.159 miles per hour (211.080 km/h)

## Media
### Television

USA covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Kim Coon, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties from pit lane on Sunday. Kim Coon and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties on Monday.
USA :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Kim Coon (Sunday and Monday) Parker Kligerman (Sunday) Marty Snider (Sunday and Monday) |

### Radio

Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth while the field was racing on the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field is racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform outside of turn 3 when the field races through turns 3 and 4. Steve Post, Chris Wilner and Jason Toy worked pit road for the radio side.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Steve Post Chris Wilner Jason Toy |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 799 |
| | 2 | Denny Hamlin | 742 (–57) |
| | 3 | William Byron | 703 (–96) |
| | 4 | Christopher Bell | 677 (–122) |
| 1 | 5 | Kevin Harvick | 663 (–136) |
| 2 | 6 | Kyle Larson | 662 (–137) |
| | 7 | Ross Chastain | 656 (–143) |
| 3 | 8 | Brad Keselowski | 651 (–148) |
| 4 | 9 | Kyle Busch | 649 (–150) |
| 1 | 10 | Ryan Blaney | 642 (–157) |
| 2 | 11 | Chris Buescher | 639 (–160) |
| 2 | 12 | Joey Logano | 636 (–163) |
| 1 | 13 | Tyler Reddick | 609 (–190) |
| 1 | 14 | Bubba Wallace | 541 (–258) |
| 1 | 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 530 (–269) |
| 1 | 16 | Ty Gibbs | 486 (–313) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 852 |
| 2 | Toyota | 799 (–53) |
| 3 | Ford | 784 (–68) |