The Rains Came and Clint Boyer Won the Firekeepers Casino 400

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

BROOKLYN, MI - RIS - For most of the day during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway was people wondering which Ford would win.  The Fords of Stewart Haas Racing and Team Penske dominated the event from start to finish.  The race was delayed by rain and ended early because of heavy water from the sky with Clint Bowyer finishing first after a terse battle with teammate Kevin Harvick.

Bowyer had finished second to teammate Kevin Harvick in the second stage, and both came to pit road. Bowyer took only two tires — and felt that decision by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz ultimately won him the race.

"It was a gamble on his part," Bowyer said. "It was uncharacteristic for him. That's part of growing and blossoming as a crew chief and being one of the elite."

After that quick pit stop, Bowyer had outside position on Harvick on the ensuing restart and was able to take the lead. Rain halted the race not long after that, giving Bowyer his second NASCAR Cup Series win of the year.

Harvick finished second, and pole winner Kurt Busch finished third, completing a sweep of the top three for Stewart-Haas Racing. Kyle Busch was fourth, the lone Toyota near the top in a race dominated by Ford. Four more Fords — Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney — rounded out the top eight.

Blaney won the first stage and Harvick took the second. On the pit stop moments later, Bugarewicz made the decision to go with only two tires, figuring other leaders would do the same, since bad weather could arrive very soon and track position was important.

"When we were coming on pit road, I was 100 percent sure two tires was the right call. We got about three- quarters of the way down pit road, I was about 70 percent sure," Bugarewicz said. "When he slid into the pit box, I was about 50 percent sure. By then, we were leaving. It was too late.

"Clint asked, 'Are we the only one with two?' 'Yeah, we're the only one with two.'"

Bowyer didn't have to race much longer in his No. 14 car. He had the lead when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went into the wall, bringing out a caution. The rain put a stop to the race after 133 of the planned 200 laps on the 2-mile track at Michigan International Speedway.

"As the leader, you don't want to be that guy that's calling in every single second saying, 'It's pouring! It's a monsoon!'" Bowyer said. "That doesn't hold any weight, but it really was. I was just hoping somebody else was saying the same thing."

The race was delayed by rain at the start. Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers — Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones — had to start at the back because of inspection failures related to the splitter. Busch made it back into the top five, Hamlin finished 12th and Jones was 15th.

Harvick led a race-high 49 laps and secured his 11th top-five finish in 15 races this season. Bowyer led only eight laps. This was his 10th career victory and first at Michigan.

"I've been on both sides of this," said Harvick, who was denied another chance to overtake Bowyer by the weather. "If you're going to have racing luck work against you, you want to at least stay on your own team."

Kyle Busch kept the points lead, by 75 over Harvick.

It was the first time a team had finished 1-2-3 since Roush Fenway Racing did it in September,2008 with Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards took the top three positions.  Ford drivers led 121 of the 133 laps run and Toyota drivers led 12.  No Chevrolet driver led a lap.

Next week is an off week for the MENC drivers to celebrate Father’s Day.  The next race is on Jun 24th at the road course in Sonoma, California.

Unofficial Race Results for the 50th Annual Firekeepers Casino 400 - Sunday, June 10, 2018
Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI - 2 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 133 Laps - 266 Miles

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage 1 Pos Stage 2 Pos Pts Status Tms Laps Playoff Pts
1 12 14 Clint Bowyer Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford 133 3 2 57 Running 1 8 5
2 4 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John's Ford 133 4 1 52 Running 3 49 1
3 1 41 Kurt Busch Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford 133 7 3 46 Running 1 46
4 3 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Red White & Blue Toyota 133 4 40 Running
5 15 21 Paul Menard Menards/Jack Links Ford 133 5 38 Running 1 3
6 2 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 133 6 7 40 Running
7 5 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 133 9 32 Running
8 9 12 Ryan Blaney DEX Imaging Ford 133 1 6 44 Running 1 15 1
9 13 9 Chase Elliott Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet 133 28 Running
10 24 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet 133 8 30 Running
11 6 10 Aric Almirola Mobil 1 Ford 133 10 27 Running
12 10 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota 133 5 31 Running
13 14 24 William Byron # Liberty University Chevrolet 133 8 10 28 Running
14 16 3 Austin Dillon Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet 133 23 Running
15 8 20 Erik Jones DeWalt Toyota 133 9 24 Running
16 21 88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Chevrolet 133 21 Running
17 25 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet 133 20 Running
18 17 78 Martin Truex Jr. Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota 133 19 Running
19 28 43 Bubba Wallace # Meijer Chevrolet 133 18 Running
20 20 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet 133 17 Running
21 31 13 Ty Dillon Twisted Tea Chevrolet 133 16 Running
22 11 31 Ryan Newman Okuma Chevrolet 133 15 Running
23 29 95 Kasey Kahne Chevy Accessories Chevrolet 133 14 Running 2 11
24 18 37 Chris Buescher Scott Comfort Plus Chevrolet 133 13 Running
25 23 34 Michael McDowell Dockside Logistics Ford 133 12 Running
26 33 15 Ross Chastain(i) FlightPath International Chevrolet 133 0 Running
27 32 72 Corey LaJoie Zomongo Chevrolet 133 10 Running
28 26 42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet 133 2 18 Running 1 1
29 7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 133 8 Running
30 22 19 Daniel Suarez ARRIS Toyota 132 7 Running
31 34 23 Gray Gaulding Toyota 132 6 Running
32 36 00 Landon Cassill Star Com Fiber Chevrolet 132 5 Running
33 19 6 Matt Kenseth Wyndham Rewards Ford 132 4 Running
34 37 7 * DJ Kennington APC Chevrolet 132 3 Running
35 38 66 * Timmy Hill(i) MBM Motorsports/CrashClaimsR.us Toyota 132 0 Running
36 30 32 Matt DiBenedetto Can-Am/Wholey Ford 131 1 Running
37 35 51 BJ McLeod(i) Prefund Capital Chevrolet 131 0 Running
38 27 38 David Ragan MDS Tranpsort Ford 35 1 Accident
39 39 99 * Garrett Smithley(i) Victory Lane Quick Oil Change Chevrolet 1 0 Transmission
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 00 Mins, 15 Secs. Average Speed: 132.723 MPH Margin of Victory: Caution

Race Comments: Clint Bowyer won the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, his 10th victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Prior to the start of the race, the following car(s) dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: Nos. 11, 18, 20 (Inspection Failure).
Failed to Qualify: N/A
Caution Flags: 8 for 30 laps: Laps: 27-29 (Competition Caution [72]); 37-40 (#43, 38 Incident Turn 2 [00]); 58-59 (#6 Spin Turn 4 [66]); 62-65 (Stage 1 Conclusion [23]); 67-71 (#19, 21 Incident Turn 4 [7]); 87-90 (#42 Spin Turn 4 [66]); 122-125 (Stage 2 Conclusion [15]); 130-133 (#17, 95 Incident Turn 2 [42]).
Lead Changes: 9 among 7 drivers: Kurt Busch 1-46; R. Blaney 47-61; K. Larson 62; K. Kahne 63-71; K. Harvick 72-87; P. Menard 88-90; K. Harvick 91-122; K. Kahne 123-124; K. Harvick 125; C. Bowyer 126-133.
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award : Kevin Harvick, #4 Busch Pole Award : Kurt Busch, #41 203.361 mph
Fastest Lap : Kevin Harvick, #4 Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : Roush-Yates Engines, #4
Moog Go the Extra Mile : Kyle Busch, #18 0.057 seconds Sunoco Rookie of the Race : William Byron, #24
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: Jun. 24, 2018 - Sonoma Raceway