2019 FireKeepers Casino 400
# 2019 FireKeepers Casino 400

The 2019 FireKeepers Casino 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race scheduled for June 9, 2019 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Contested over 203 laps—extended from 200 laps due to an overtime finish, on the two-mile (3.2 km) D-shaped oval, it was the 15th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The race was postponed to Monday, June 10, due to rain. Joey Logano won his second race of the season in his championship defense.

## 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 sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, 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**

* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | 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 |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Kyle Weatherman (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford |
| 52 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||

## Practice

### First practice

Daniel Suárez was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 38.119 seconds and a speed of 188.882 mph (303.976 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.119 | 188.882 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.164 | 188.659 |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.196 | 188.501 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 38.143 seconds and a speed of 188.763 mph (303.785 km/h).

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.143 | 188.763 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.150 | 188.729 |
| 3 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.201 | 188.477 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Joey Logano scored the pole for the race with a time of 38.474 and a speed of 187.139 mph (301.171 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 38.474 |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.493 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.522 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.526 |
| 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.549 |
| 6 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 38.573 |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 38.590 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 38.605 |
| 9 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 38.612 |
| 10 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 38.620 |
| 11 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.632 |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 38.639 |
| 13 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 38.661 |
| 14 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.705 |
| 15 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.714 |
| 16 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 38.714 |
| 17 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.732 |
| 18 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 38.792 |
| 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.793 |
| 20 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.878 |
| 21 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 38.925 |
| 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 38.927 |
| 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 38.927 |
| 24 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 38.963 |
| 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 39.030 |
| 26 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 39.040 |
| 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.122 |
| 28 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 39.191 |
| 29 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 39.271 |
| 30 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 39.274 |
| 31 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 39.296 |
| 32 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 39.401 |
| 33 | 51 | Kyle Weatherman (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 39.801 |
| 34 | 52 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 40.177 |
| 35 | 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.271 |
| 36 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.435 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race

### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 60

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendricks Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendricks Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage Two

Laps: 60

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendricks Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final stage results

Stage Three Laps: 80

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 203 | 50 |
| 2 | 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 48 |
| 3 | 16 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 203 | 47 |
| 4 | 9 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 203 | 33 |
| 5 | 15 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 203 | 37 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 203 | 32 |
| 7 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 203 | 39 |
| 8 | 18 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 203 | 29 |
| 9 | 13 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 203 | 28 |
| 10 | 20 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 38 |
| 11 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 203 | 26 |
| 12 | 11 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 29 |
| 13 | 6 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 203 | 26 |
| 14 | 22 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 27 |
| 15 | 19 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 22 |
| 16 | 31 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 22 |
| 17 | 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 203 | 33 |
| 18 | 21 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 22 |
| 19 | 10 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 203 | 18 |
| 20 | 17 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 203 | 20 |
| 21 | 29 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 203 | 16 |
| 22 | 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 15 |
| 23 | 32 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 203 | 14 |
| 24 | 26 | 36 | Matt Tifft (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 203 | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 203 | 12 |
| 26 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 202 | 21 |
| 27 | 23 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 202 | 10 |
| 28 | 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 201 | 9 |
| 29 | 30 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 201 | 0 |
| 30 | 36 | 15 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 |
| 31 | 14 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 199 | 14 |
| 32 | 35 | 77 | Quin Houff | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 5 |
| 33 | 34 | 52 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 |
| 34 | 24 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 3 |
| 35 | 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 130 | 2 |
| 36 | 33 | 51 | Kyle Weatherman (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 69 | 0 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 20 among 11 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 7 for 35
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 59 minutes and 50 seconds
* Average speed: 140.945 miles per hour (226.829 km/h)

## Media

### Television

Fox NASCAR televised the race in the United States on FS1 for the fourth time at Michigan. Mike Joy was the lap-by-lap announcer, while three-time Michigan winner, Jeff Gordon and two-time winner Darrell Waltrip were the color commentators. Jamie Little, Regan Smith and Matt Yocum reported from pit lane during the race.

FS1 Television :

| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Regan Smith Matt Yocum |

### Radio

Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and five-time Michigan winner Rusty Wallace announced the race in the booth while the field is racing on the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform outside of turn 3 when the field was racing through turns 3 and 4. Kim Coon, Steve Post, Pete Pistone and Dillon Welch reported from pit lane during the race.

MRN :

| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - | - |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Kim Coon Steve Post Dillon Welch Pete Pistone |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Joey Logano | 614 |
| 1 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 605 (–9) |
| 1 | 3 | Brad Keselowski | 541 (–73) |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 539 (–75) |
| 2 | 5 | Chase Elliott | 531 (–83) |
| 1 | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 499 (–115) |
| 1 | 7 | Denny Hamlin | 491 (–123) |
| | 8 | Kurt Busch | 485 (–129) |
| | 9 | Ryan Blaney | 434 (–180) |
| 1 | 10 | Alex Bowman | 433 (–181) |
| 1 | 11 | Aric Almirola | 426 (–188) |
| 2 | 12 | Clint Bowyer | 404 (–210) |
| | 13 | Daniel Suárez | 401 (–213) |
| | 14 | William Byron | 383 (–231) |
| 1 | 15 | Kyle Larson | 369 (–245) |
| 1 | 16 | Jimmie Johnson | 364 (–250) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Toyota | 558 |
| 2 | Ford | 542 (–16) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 503 (–55) |
