Best of the Rest: Michigan

Finally the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has a weekend off….a 16-week swing comes to a brief end before picking up steam again the following week in Pocono. That being said, the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and NASCAR Cup Series arrived in Michigan. The Michigan track, known for its high speed, unrestricted racing has been a source of plenty of excitement and risk over the years. This all comes while drivers and fans alike try to recover and move on from such a devastating loss a few weeks ago.

The Cup race on Sunday, was its own animal. While the racing was fierce in the waning laps, one particular late race accident involving Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell, was determined to be one of the hardest hits in NASCAR history. Both drivers walked away relatively unscathed, save for Bell having some minor wrist and hand injuries. You can watch a video of the accident here .

Next week…ARCA, NOAP Series, and the Cup cars head to the triangle-shaped track known as Pocono.

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HENRY FORD HEALTH 200

 

Winner: Giovanni Ruggiero

 

#69 Will Kimmel

ARCA’s return to this series after a few weeks off gives flowers to an old school veteran of the ARCA Menards Series. Will Kimmel (related to multi-time ARCA champ Frank Kimmel) has been making a go of it on his own, with his family-owned team the last few seasons. Relegated to a handful of starts in 2026, Kimmel secured funding from Aviation Technology for Michigan, and drove his Ford Mustang with pride in Ford’s corporate backyard.

Rolling off 7th, Kimmel showed his #69 Ford had speed immediately, and scored a strong 8th-place finish in Michigan. Kimmel has run three races this season, improving on the 11th he scored in Talladega.

Kimmel, who has raced in the ARCA Menards Series since 2008, has largely done the most with as little as possible. Having only made a handful of starts each season since 2019, Kimmel boasts a record of 22 career top five finishes in 142 career starts.

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DQS SOLUTIONS AND STAFFING 250

 

Winner: Corey Heim

#98 Jake Garcia

When the 2026 season began, ThorSport Racing did some switching around of their internal lineup following Matt Crafton’s retirement. Garcia, who drove ThorSport’s #13 Ford in 2025 , shifted to taking the helm of the team’s #98 Ford for 2026.  The championship-winning #98 team meant Garcia has some slightly bigger shoes to fill this season taking over for Ty Majeski (who moved to the #88 entry).

While Garcia’s season in the 98 has not quite gone to plan, Michigan provided a much needed top ten run for ThorSport’s up and coming driver. While passing was difficult with the high speeds, Garcia started and finished solidly in the 9th position.

Since taking over the No. 98 in 2026, Garcia has struggled to find footing in the new ride. Despite that, Michigan was Garcia’s third 9th-place finish this season.

 

#9 Grant Enfinger

Backing up last week’s 7th-place run in Nashville, Enfinger and his CR7 Motorsports team had another strong run in Michigan. After struggling much of 2026 with minimal funding, the #9 Chevrolet sported a new blue look, and welcomed sponsor Ed’s Equipment on board for Michigan.

Much like Garcia above, Enfinger started and finished in the 11th-position. An annual championship contender, the CR7 team has definitely struggled to find results in 2026. Despite the challenges, it appears Enfinger’s season may be turning the corner slowly as NASCAR enters the summer swing.

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FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

Winner: Denny Hamlin

#43 Erik Jones

The evolution of Legacy Motor Club seems to be slowly forming with increased performance in 2026. Quietly over the last handful of races, Erik Jones and his #43 Toyota team have been quietly moving into the front of the field, which led to one of Jones’ best performances in recent seasons.

Quiet while consistent has been the name of the game for Jones the entire season, with the team knocking on the door of a surprise win suddenly this season. Michigan, while not producing that win, did provide Jones and his Toyota with a strong 2nd-place finish after starting 10th.

The scary part of Jones’ last handful of races lies within the consistency, proving Michigan is not a fluke. In the last five races, Jones has not finished worse then 19th. The runner-up effort also strongly beats out his previous best runs, a pair of 10th-place efforts in Phoenix and Darlington.

#41 Cole Custer

With the creation of Haas Factory Team from the ruins of Stewart-Haas Racing, the lone Cup car for the team (Custer’s #41 Chevrolet) has had an uphill struggle this season. While the creation of the new team builds strong alliances within the Chevrolet camp, Custer’s #41 is the solo Cup Series entry in 2026.

In these days of powerhouse multi-car teams, Custer’s Hendrick-supported team showed some serious speed in Michigan. Custer, a former Cup winner himself, has struggled mightily to produce results this season. Michigan gave us a glimpse of the Custer of old, bringing his Chevrolet home 12th, after starting 15th.

Through 15 races in 2026, Custer has found himself finishing mid-pack most weeks, sporting an average finish of 26th. However, through the last four races…Custer has not finished worse then 21st. Michigan was Custer’s best result by far of this string of races. That first top ten of 2026 could be coming soon for the former NOAP Series champion.