Veteran driver Denny Hamlin lost control and spun into the infield during the NASCAR FireKeepers Casino 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. The incident occurred during a tense moment towards the end of Stage 2, just as Hamlin was challenging Bubba Wallace for the lead. Fortunately, Hamlin avoided any collision with the barriers.

At the time of the spin, Hamlin was in hot pursuit of Wallace after a bold overtaking maneuver against competitors Kyle Larson and Wallace himself. Wallace had just seized the lead from Hamlin and Larson with an impressive move in Turn 1.

Following Hamlin's mishap, the race was immediately impacted as a caution flag was raised, leading the field including Wallace to pit for tires and fuel. Over the radio, Hamlin commented, as quoted by Yardbarker:

“Sorry about that Chris [Gabeheart] F**k, I should have taken what I had.”

In a supportive response, Hamlin's crew chief, Chris Gabeheart, said:

“Yeah, we still had time but we make mistakes and move on.”

The event was further complicated by the weather, as rain returned to the track, prompting a red flag and temporarily halting the race. This interruption has sparked concerns over the possibility of the race extending to Monday, contingent on the persistence of the rain.

Stage points are becoming increasingly important as the season progresses, particularly for drivers like Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher who are vying for playoff spots. Including the race at Michigan International Speedway, there are just three more Cup Series races before the playoffs begin.

Hamlin is safely into the playoffs, currently running behind Kyle Larson in second position in the standings.

NASCAR Cup Series Current Standings

(At time of writing ahead of FireKeepers Casino 400 at the Michigan International Speedway)

1. Kyle Larson – 779 points
2. Denny Hamlin – 758 points
3. Christopher Bell – 701 points
4. William Byron – 678 points
5. Ryan Blaney – 702 points
6. Tyler Reddick – 774 points
7. Chase Elliott – 773 points
8. Brad Keselowski – 636 points
9. Alex Bowman – 615 points
10. Joey Logano – 557 points
11. Daniel Suarez – 497 points
12. Austin Cindric – 451 points
13. Martin Truex Jr. – 662 points
14. Ty Gibbs – 602 points
15. Bubba Wallace – 587 points
16. Chris Buescher – 584 points
    (PLAYOFFS CUT-OFF)
17. Ross Chastain – 584 points
18. Chase Briscoe – 485 points
19. Kyle Busch – 465 points
20. Todd Gilliland – 454 points
21. Michael McDowell – 431 points
22. Carson Hocevar – 414 points
23. Josh Berry – 412 points
24. Noah Gragson – 400 points
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 376 points
26. Ryan Preece – 341 points
27. Erik Jones – 337 points
28. Justin Haley – 329 points
29. Corey LaJoie – 327 points
30. Daniel Hemric – 323 points
31. Austin Dillon – 319 points
32. John Hunter Nemechek – 313 points
33. Zane Smith – 262 points
34. Harrison Burton – 243 points
35. Kaz Grala – 166 points
36. Cody Ware – 47 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Cam Waters – 2 points