Entry List

The official 2021 FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR CUP Series entry list features top NASCAR drivers set to compete at Michigan International Speedway, highlighting the full lineup of race participants and teams.

FireKeepers Casino 400

Sunday, August 22nd, 2021

Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI

  • 15 Ford
  • 5 Toyota
  • 17 Chevrolet

  • Michigan International Speedway
  • FireKeepers Casino 400
  • Pole Winner: Kyle Larson
  • Age: 29
  • Team: No. 5 - Cincinnati Chevrolet
  • Owner: Hendrick Motorsports
  • Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
  • Start positions set by NASCAR's Performance Metrics Qualifying (PMQ).
  • Kyle Larson won the Pole Award for the FireKeepers Casino 400 by having the highest total PMQ.
  • PMQ is a total number calculated on four performance metrics from the previous race:
  • 15% of the driver's fastest lap time position.
  • 25% of the driver's final race finish position.
  • 25% of the owner's final race position.
  • 35% of the Owner Points position.

  • Sunday, August 22nd, 2021
  • NASCAR Wire Service - Holly Cain
Ryan Blaney puts Ford back in Victory Lane at Michigan

Ryan Blaney took the lead on a restart with eight laps remaining and skillfully held off a frantic field to earn the victory Sunday in the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.

Those eight laps out front were the only laps Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford led on the afternoon but it was good enough to give him his second victory of the season – by a modern-day track record margin of .077-second over Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson.

Blaney credited Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch with giving him a push from behind on the final race restart to get out front and the popular 27-year-old Blaney took it from there, using all the track to keep the field behind him.

Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin finished fourth and fifth with Matt DiBenedetto, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. rounding out the top 10.

"We got a great push by the 18 (Kyle Busch) on the restart and were able to get clear there," Blaney said. "Michigan you pretty much run wide open and just play the air game.

"Such a huge win for Ford," he added. "I'm fired up."

Blaney conceded he didn't necessarily consider himself an odds-on favorite coming into the race but credited his team for the improvements they made to his Ford all day. He finished runner-up at Indianapolis last week giving the organization some well-timed momentum heading into the Playoffs in two weeks.

As with his late race rally at Indy, Blaney made steady gains all afternoon. Most of the early race was a battle between Larson (71 laps), Elliott (68) and Hamlin (10) – the three drivers combining to lead 149 of the 200 laps.

Different pit strategy certainly affected the final run – with some drivers getting a variation of two-tires or four-tires with their fuel. When the final stops cycled out Byron led Larson and Hamlin. A brief caution came out for rain with 21 laps remaining and another for a seven-car accident with 14 laps to go.

"Honestly I think I was maybe a little too patient behind the 12 (Blaney)," said Larson, who leads the regular season championship standings by 28 points over Hamlin with only one race left to decide the 15-point championship bonus. "Just made a couple wrong moves and allowed Blaney to get by me.

"I was never close enough to William [Byron] to help him generate a run on the 12 (Blaney)," Larson added. "Good points day. Wish we could have gotten more, but all in all, a good day.''

Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick finished 14th which was good enough to secure the 15th Playoff position on points heading into Daytona.

Richard Childress Racing's Tyler Reddick is in 16th place after an eventful 29th-place finish. He holds a slim 25-point edge on his teammate Austin Dillon for the 16th and final Playoff position. DiBenedetto is 18th, 120 points behind meaning he would have to win at Daytona to qualify for the Playoffs.

It all certainly makes for a compelling Coke Zero 400 next Saturday.

But for much of the Michigan race, it looked like Dillon was in position to hold the upper edge going to Daytona. He ran top five (led a pair of laps) and moved that Playoff duel into a tie following the Stage 1 break.

But contact between Brad Keselowski and Dillon just after taking the Stage 2 checkered flag spun Dillon's No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet across the track and hard into the wall. Dillon had crossed the line sixth and Keselowski seventh before the contact.

For his part, Keselowski immediately radioed his crew, "Man, I didn't want to do that, I just wanted to hold him down (track)."

After being released from the infield care center, Dillon said he watched a replay and didn't understand the hard racing after taking the Stage flag.

"I was just trying to get as many stage points as I could get," Dillon said. "Did a good job side-drafting. I was starting to come off the apron because it's so rough down there. I figured by that point, he'd give me some room.

"Just hate it. I don't know why it happened really. I thought I had a little room to come up and he just held me down there a little too long, I guess."

Daytona has been a good venue for Dillon. The grandson of team owner Richard Childress won the 2018 Daytona 500 and has eight top-10 finishes in 16 starts including a third-place back in February.

The NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, will be Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). And William Byron is the defending race winner.

  • Drivers Entered: 37
  • Laps Scheduled: 200
  • Margin of Victory: 0.077 Seconds
  • Time of Race: 2 Hours 48 Minutes 27 Seconds
  • Average Speed: 142.476
  • Cautions: 6 for 29 laps
  • Lead Changes: 20
  • Green Flag Passes: 3,608 (21.1 passes per green flag lap)

  • Michigan International Speedway
  • 53rd Annual FireKeepers Casino 400
  • Race Winner: Ryan Blaney
  • Age: 27
  • Team : No. 12 - Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford
  • Owner: Team Penske
  • Crew Chief: Todd Gordon
  • Ryan Blaney won the 53rd Annual FireKeepers Casino 400, his sixth victory in 223 NASCAR Cup Series races.
  • This is his second victory and 13th top-10 finish in 2021.
  • This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in 13 races at Michigan International Speedway.
  • William Byron (second) posted his second top-10 finish in seven races at Michigan International Speedway. It is his 16th top-10 finish in 2021.
  • Kyle Larson (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 13 races at Michigan International Speedway.
  • Chase Briscoe (11th) was the highest finishing rookie.
  • This is the seventh consecutive and 42nd overall victory for Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway.
  • Today's race was the closest margin of victory (0.077 second) in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993.
  • Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick has clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs on points.
The NASCAR Garage 56 car during the Rolex 24
Daytona Beach, Florida - January 29, 2023 : The NASCAR Garage 56 car is seen on display during the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
James GilbertGetty Images
ENTRY
#
DRIVER
HOMETOWN
DOB
AGE
MAKE
SPONSOR
TEAM
CREW CHIEF

1
10
Tampa, FL
Mar 14, 1984
37
Ford
Smithfield
2
2
Auburn Hills, MI
Feb 12, 1984
37
Ford
Discount Tire
3
11
Chesterfield, VA
Nov 18, 1980
40
Toyota
FedEx Express
4
22
Middleton, CT
May 24, 1990
31
Ford
Shell Pennzoil
5
4
Bakersfield, CA
Dec 8, 1975
45
Ford
Busch Light Apple
6
1
Las Vegas, NV
Aug 4, 1978
43
Chevrolet
Monster Energy
7
18
Las Vegas, NV
May 2, 1985
36
Toyota
Interstate Batteries
8
19
Mayetta, NJ
Jun 29, 1980
41
Toyota
Auto-Owners Insurance
9
34
Phoenix, AZ
Dec 21, 1984
36
Ford
Martin Transportation Systems
10
6
South Bend, IN
Dec 8, 1977
43
Ford
ITsavvy
11
3
Lewisville, NC
Apr 27, 1990
31
Chevrolet
Breztri
12
47
Olive Branch, MS
Oct 2, 1987
33
Chevrolet
Kroger / Maxwell House
13
5
Sacremento, CA
Jul 31, 1992
29
Chevrolet
Cincinnati
14
48
Tuscon, AZ
Apr 25, 1993
28
Chevrolet
Ally
15
12
High Point, NC
Dec 31, 1993
27
Ford
Menards / Cardell Cabinetry
16
15
Cedar Rapids, IA
Feb 8, 1993
28
Chevrolet
Lisa Express
17
9
Dawsonville, GA
Nov 28, 1995
25
Chevrolet
NAPA Auto Parts
18
21
Grass Valley, CA
Jul 27, 1991
30
Ford
Master Tech / Quick Lane
19
17
Prosper, TX
Oct 29, 1992
28
Ford
Castrol
20
43
Byron, MI
May 30, 1996
25
Chevrolet
Medallion Bank
21
78
Wauchula, FL
Nov 17, 1983
37
Ford
Keen Parts
22
37
Berlin, CT
Oct 25, 1990
30
Chevrolet
Entenmann's
23
99
Monterrey, Mexico
Jan 7, 1992
29
Chevrolet
CommScope
24
51
Greensboro, NC
Nov 7, 1995
25
Chevrolet
Nurtec ODT
25
42
Alva, FL
Dec 4, 1992
28
Chevrolet
Moose Fraternity
26
23
Mobile, AL
Oct 8, 1993
27
Toyota
McDonald's
27
24
Charlotte, NC
Nov 29, 1997
23
Chevrolet
Axalta
28
41
Ladera Ranch, CA
Jan 23, 1998
23
Ford
Feeding America / Wow Wow
29
53
Ligonier, PA
Apr 27, 1992
29
Ford
Kendall Motor Oil
30
52
Menomonee Falls, WI
Jun 3, 1995
26
Ford
Zeigler Auto Group
31
8
Corning, CA
Jan 11, 1996
25
Chevrolet
Chevy Accessories
32
00
Weyers Cave, VA
Sep 15, 1997
23
Chevrolet
YMCA / CREEK
33
77
Winamac, IN
Apr 28, 1999
22
Chevrolet
General Formulations / Mutoh
34
20
Norman, OK
Dec 16, 1994
26
Toyota
Rheem
35
14
Mitchell, IN
Dec 15, 1994
26
Ford
Rush Truck Centers / Cummins
36
38
Ridgefield, CT
Mar 1, 1999
22
Ford
The Golden Nugget Casino.com
37
7
Hendersonville, TN
Oct 22, 1990
30
Chevrolet
Nations Guard