A look at the NASCAR qualifying results and starting lineup for the 2026 FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Michigan International Speedway.
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After back-to-back weekends of qualifying being rained out at Nashville and Charlotte, the NASCAR Cup Series finally returned to time trials on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. At a two-mile oval where the cars can run closed to wide open throughout, raw speed is paramount and track position carries an outsized influence on race day. Thus, obtaining a strong starting spot matters a whole lot this week.
The following shares the official starting grid for Sunday’s race, along with Michigan International Speedway track details and key observations from NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying. If you are playing some fantasy today, make sure you check out our NASCAR DFS picks for the FireKeepers Casino 400!
NASCAR Qualifying Results at Michigan International Speedway
2026 FireKeepers Casino 400 Race Info
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2026
Start Time: 3 p.m. EST
Track: Michigan International Speedway — Brooklyn, MI
Coverage: Amazon Prime Video
Pole Sitter: Denny Hamlin
Defending Champion: Denny Hamlin
FireKeepers Casino 400 Race Breakdown
Distance: 400 miles
Laps: 200
Lap Length: 2 miles
Stages: Three (45 laps, 75 laps, 80 laps)
Surface: Asphalt
Turns: 4
Banking: Turns — 18°; Frontstretch — 12°; Backstretch — 5°
Official FireKeepers Casino 400 Starting Lineup
The peak form of Denny Hamlin continued in this week’s NASCAR qualifying results. After scoring the win at Nashville last week, the No. 11 car qualified for the pole position ahead of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400.
While this marks the 50th pole award of Hamlin’s Cup Series career, he won’t actually start the race out front. Much like when he jumped the green flag on the pole last week and was penalized, Hamlin will have to come through the field again at Michigan after the team opted to fix damage underneath the car.
In the timed qualifying session, Hamlin’s lap time of 36.901 seconds (195.117 mph) was enough to beat out Carson Hocevar’s 36.919. However, due to the late repairs, it will be Hocevar — a Portage, Michigan, native — who will officially lead the field to the green flag.
A handful of other drivers have also been bumped to the rear of the grid due to adjustments of various degrees. We will relay which cars are headed to the rear in our notes section below.
The following table shares the complete FireKeepers Casino 400 starting lineup and NASCAR qualifying results for Sunday’s race.
| Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team | Manufac. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | Carson Hocevar | 77 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 9 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 7 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Riley Herbst | 35 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 14 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Cole Custer | 41 | Haas Factory Team | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Zane Smith | 38 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 17 | John Hunter Nemechek | 42 | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 19 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 20 | Michael McDowell | 71 | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Noah Gragson | 4 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | HYAK Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Ty Dillon | 10 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 25 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 27 | Ryan Preece | 60 | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 28 | Austin Hill | 33 | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | Shane van Gisbergen | 97 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| 32 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Cody Ware | 51 | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Connor Zilisch | 88 | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | Todd Gilliland | 34 | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | JJ Yeley | 44 | NY Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 37 | Josh Berry | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
NASCAR FireKeepers Casino 400 Practice and Qualifying Notes
- Denny Hamlin suffered damage to the underside of his car when a tire went down during practice. While he was still able to qualify on the pole, he will drop to the rear of the grid after having the damage repaired.
- Christopher Bell, William Byron and Austin Cindric will also all drop to the rear of the FireKeepers Casino 400 starting lineup after making unapproved adjustments.
- Toyota once again dominated the NASCAR qualifying results with six cars placing in the top ten of the time trial session.
- Furthermore, all nine Toyotas in the field qualified 17th or better with eight in the top 13.
- All four Joe Gibbs Racing cars qualified in the top ten while three Hendrick Motorsports cars accomplished the same feat.
- Ford struggled mightily compared to the other manufacturers in qualifying. Chris Buescher was the fastest Mustang in 14th.
- Tyler Reddick posted the fastest lap speed in practice at 192.621 mph. Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
- Tyler Reddick also scored the best ten consecutive lap average speed in practice at 191.550 mph.
- Several drivers had tires go down during the practice session but none suffered severe damage.
