A week after claiming sole possession of the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series driver points standings, season wins leader Kyle Larson will start on the pole Sunday for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
“It’s a totally different package, areo, engine, all that, compared to when I used to win there, but Hendrick Motorsports has been strong there, and we have been good on all the bigger ovals this year,” Larson said. “The draft plays a big role there, so you have to be really patient when you are making moves. As long as we keep executing and being smart like we have been doing all year long, we should have ourselves in position to challenge for another win.”
Larson is a three-time winner at Michigan, all those wins coming with Chip Ganassi Racing.
NASCAR’s formula for setting race starting grids without a traditional qualifying session that uses the car-owner points standings and previous race results and fastest laps resulted in an all-Hendrick Motorsports front row for Sunday’s green flag. Larson will share the front row with teammate, reigning Cup Series champion Chase Elliott.
Ford heads into the Michigan race as the winning manufacturer of the last seven Cup Series races at the track. Behind the Chevrolet front row for Sunday’s start will be Ford drivers Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto in row two.
“Michigan should be a good one. Hopefully a decent race for us,” DiBenedetto said.
Martin Truex Jr. will be the highest-starting Toyota driver in fifth. He’ll share row three on the starting grid with Kurt Busch. Kyle Busch will start seventh, sharing row four on the grid with Kevin Harvick, winner of both Michigan races last year, the last three there and four of the last five Cup Series races at MIS.
“The doubleheader at Michigan was a unique situation, because we had to run back-to-back races due to COVID and how it affected our schedule,” Harvick said of 2020. “Michigan has always been a great race track for us. We’ve been strong every time we’ve been there. Being able to win both of those races was pretty awesome, just because of the fact that it’s probably something we might not have the opportunity to do again, especially now since we’re only racing at Michigan once a year. It was a great moment for our team.”
Denny Hamlin will start ninth and Alex Bowman 10th.
“There’s definitely something to be said for familiarity when it comes to race tracks,” Hamlin said. “Last week was pretty messy with it being the first time that course [Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course] was set up for Cup cars. We’ve made some progress on our intermediate program this season, so I’m looking forward to going to the Michigan oval this week.”
