Dragging behind in a 2026 season that has produced just one Victory Lane visit, Ford is in desperate need of a win.
The manufacturer is 1-for-14 thus far, with only Ryan Blaney’s triumph at Phoenix three months ago to cling to in the points race.
So Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., is just what Ford needs to see up next with Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 on the high-banked, D-shaped configuration.
From 1984 forward, the blue oval brigade has notched an amazing 43 wins in 79 starts (54.3%) in the Mitten.
In all, Ford has won 56 of the 108 events at the track.
Ford’s most recent victory run has been the most impressive: Nine in a row starting with Clint Bowyer in 2018 and ending with Chris Buescher three seasons ago.
Team owner Jack Roush leads at MIS with 14 wins, while the venerable Wood Brothers Racing trails with 11, 10 coming in a Mercury. And MIS is where Roush’s cars have historically been at their best.
The next triumph for the manufacturer will be its 750th in NASCAR.
“Big, big weekend for Ford,” RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece said. “Big weekend for Jack Roush.”
MIS has special memories for Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith, too.
“I got my first NASCAR win there in the Truck Series,” said the No. 38 driver. “And then just for all the manufacturers, but especially us, we try to get that one for Ford. We know how much that means to Ford.
“I’ve gone to Dearborn and visited all of the employees, and I know how much it means to them. There is a level of pressure that comes with going into that weekend.”
The bar has been set very high for MIS to hurdle this weekend because of what happened in Nashville late Sunday night.
A 90-minute rain delay, uncertainty about running the full race and a very long night in Tennessee was well worth it as three of Joe Gibbs Racing’s four drivers turned in what were arguably the best four laps to end a race this season — well worth the wait for the Music City fans and viewers at home.
They got the best of the sport: Three top NASCAR drivers fighting it out for precious track position, giving a little and taking what was necessary without wrecking the lion’s share of the boss’s Toyotas but not going easy on a teammate.
In the end, Denny Hamlin moved within one win of the late Kyle Busch by staying committed to the low line and earning his 62nd trophy, while Christopher Bell blocked Chase Briscoe’s high run after the trio charged into Turn 1 literally door-to-door as if they were one mutant Camry three cars wide after the white flag.
Hamlin carried the momentum from that win over, torching Michigan International Speedway in his No. 11 Toyota on Saturday afternoon to win the pole for Sunday’s race.
Hamlin, the defending race winner, claimed the top spot for the second time in 2026 (Martinsville) and 50th time in his Cup career by racing around the 2-mile track at 195.117 mph.
He also won the pole at MIS in 2018. However, he will start from the back of the pack despite winning the poll after requiring repairs to the underside of his car caused by a flat tire in practice.
Rounding out the top-five qualifiers were Michigan native Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe – the final two being Hamlin’s JGR teammates.
While exploding brake rotors were an issue that needs to be addressed, the sanctioning body has to be thrilled about what it saw outside Nashville.
This Sunday’s 200-lapper may be in good hands after last year’s event west of the Motor City closely resembled the Nashville closing drama.
In that one, Hamlin raced side-by-side underneath William Byron and then passed the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for good with four laps left. Hamlin nursed his No. 11 home on fumes to notch his third career MIS victory and then-57th of his career.
Perhaps we’re in line for some kind of Nashville/Michigan repeat.
–Field Level Media
