Crash ends cruel day for van Gisbergen at Michigan

The Trackhouse Racing driver spent the bulk of the 200-lap race outside of the top 20, and it was in Stage 3 that he found himself an innocent victim of the mid-pack melee.

On Lap 154, following a lengthy clean-up for the ugly incident involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott, a multi-car pile-up was triggered coming to the start-finish line.

Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr got loose exiting the final turn and got into the side of Front Row Motorsports driver Noah Gragson.

Gragson went down the road and into RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece, who spun and took Stenhouse and Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell with him into the outside wall.

That left van Gisbergen with nowhere to go, and he collided with Gragson.

Van Gisbergen reported an oil pressure warning as smoke billowed from the back of his #97 Chevrolet Camaro, which he parked on the apron.

It’s the first time this season that van Gisbergen has suffered a DNF. He was classified 29th.

The race was won by Denny Hamlin for Joe Gibbs Racing, despite starting from the rear. He was one of several drivers sent to the rear for unapproved changes between qualifying and the race.

Hamlin suffered a mid-race spin but bounced back in style to take the lead a lap after the final restart of the race.

It ties Hamlin with the late Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, taking him to 63 wins.

Hamlin celebrated with a burnout, carrying a flag with #18 on it – combining his stylised #8 and the number that Busch raced with at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hamlin’s relegation to the rear gave Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar pole position alongside 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick.

Hocevar led the opening lap, though the race was neutralised early when Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch spun on Lap 3.

Racing resumed on Lap 7 after a quick caution, though Zilich quickly found himself in strife again on Lap 9 when he spun and hit the inside wall.

“It’s just unfortunate,” said Zilisch.

“Another short race for this #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team.

“I was very loose and I just couldn’t save it. Just very frustrated.

“It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’ll keep our heads down and try to go get them at Pocono next weekend.”

Hocevar led the Lap 15 restart but was quickly usurped by Reddick, who went to the lead a lap later.

Reddick controlled an extended green flag run to the end of Stage 1, leading Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Chase Elliott to the chequered flag.

Van Gisbergen was 31st though was sent to the rear for the start of Stage 2 due to a safety violation on pit road.

Following pit stops, Gibbs led the Lap 52 restart. Wallace had a brief spell at the head of the field before Hocevar moved his way from third to first on Lap 59.

A blown tyre for RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski brought out the caution on Lap 65.

Another sequence of pit stops followed, and it was Elliott who led Kyle Larson, Wallace, Gibbs and Reddick amid a flurry of two-tyre changes.

Elliott led his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson on the Lap 71 restart. They jockeyed for the lead until Lap 78 when Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger spun on the back stretch.

Big names involved in this stage 2 incident 👀 #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/8aupQB9xpN

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 7, 2026

The biggest incident of the day came on the Lap 83 restart, which was triggered by eighth-placed Hocevar getting into the back of sixth-placed John Hunter Nemechek.

The Nemechek went spinning and got into the side of Wallace, who got loose and got into the right rear corner of Gibbs.

Gibbs shot up the track and into the wall and clipped Reddick on the way through, which spun the series points leader. Hamlin, meanwhile, spun after he got a hit from behind.

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon tried his best to navigate the carnage but collected Reddick after he ricocheted off the inside wall.

Elliott led Larson on the Lap 90 restart, though that lasted less than a lap as Keselowski spun off the nose of Nemechek and hit the outside wall.

Elliott controlled the final stanza to win Stage 2 ahead of Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Larson and Byron.

Van Gisbergen rallied to finish Stage 2 in 22nd but was sent to the back for the start of Stage 3 for speeding on pit road.

Elliott led the Lap 127 restart to begin the final stage. The race remained green until Lap 142 when Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith spun on his own and into the wall.

Chase Elliott checks in on Christopher Bell after a hard wreck at Michigan. #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/kOF0G3GPJ1

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 7, 2026

Racing resumed on Lap 148 with Byron ahead of Bell. It was a short-lived green flag run, however.

Bell and Elliott entered Turn 3 side-by-side, at which point the #9 Camaro got loose and shot up the road into the #20 Camry. They hit the wall hard, each suffering a vicious hit.

The race was red-flagged to fix the outside wall.

Following a lengthy delay, Byron led Suarez to the green flag on Lap 154 — and the carnage continued as Stenhouse triggered the multi-car pile-up that took SVG out of the contest.

The race restarted with 39 laps to go with Suarez alongside Byron with Hamlin and Hocevar on row two.

Hocevar got a good restart to challenge Suarez for the lead entering Turn 3, but their battle opened the door for Hamlin to blaze by at the start-finish line.

Hocevar’s hopes took a dip when he ploughed the exit of Turn 4 and got up into the outside wall while battling with Wallace.

In clear air, Hamlin built a big lead while Jones was a late improver to second.

Results: NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400, Michigan International Speedway

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