What was anticipated to be an action-packed day at Michigan International Speedway turned into a rain-soaked washout for the NASCAR Cup Series. Intermittent showers wreaked havoc on Saturday’s scheduled practice and qualifying sessions for the FireKeepers Casino 400, ultimately forcing NASCAR officials to cancel qualifying and set the starting lineup based on the rulebook.
Denny Hamlin secured the pole position, with Tyler Reddick starting alongside him on the front row. The rest of the top five is rounded out by Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Bubba Wallace. The top 10 will be completed by Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Austin Dillon.
The weather threatened the session from the start, with a mist delaying the green flag by four minutes. The cars managed to get on track, but the field was soon brought back to pit road due to rain after just a few minutes of running. Drivers returned to the track briefly, but another wave of rain arrived, ending the session for good. NASCAR made the call to cancel both practice and qualifying to focus on the Xfinity Series race scheduled for later in the day.
Despite the shortened practice session, Ross Chastain topped the charts with a lap time of 37.766 seconds (192.303 mph). He was followed by Martin Truex Jr., Larson, Byron, and Wallace. Chastain’s strong showing is crucial as he battles near the playoff bubble heading into the final three races of the regular season.
All 36 drivers completed laps, with Truex running a session-high 18 laps, while Hamlin completed the fewest at five.
Sunday’s race will be crucial for drivers on the playoff bubble, and with Hamlin leading the field to green, the competition will be fierce.
