With just four races left before the Cup Series playoffs, Bubba Wallace finds himself in unfamiliar position.
The 23XI Racing star has been a poet on the track at times, thrashing and rattling his way to the front of the pack on a handful of occasions. For a fleeting moment, he looked on pace to capture a resounding victory at Richmond, holding the lead for much of the second stage.
Then, chaos ensued; Wallace was felled by a lengthy spell in pit road — stop us is you heard that before. And a late caution dropped him pack to P12, a subpar finish given his fifth place starting position.
Wallace did perform admirably in the opening two stages, however. He nabbed 41 points over the course of the race, further cementing his position in the playoff standings. With the regular season inching towards its rowdy conclusion, that should only help his chances of carving out a first career playoff spot.
Points are cool. But wins are eternal. And they lock drivers into the elegant ballroom that is postseason racing. An 11th-place starting position isn't ideal. But stranger things have happened under the beaming Michigan sun. And with the way 23XI's cars have been hurtling down the track, perhaps No. 23 can get himself back into victory lane once more.
MORE: Watch NASCAR races live with Fubo (free trial)
The Sporting News is tracking live updates from Sunday's race at Michigan. Below are the highlights and results as the action unfolds at Michigan International Speedway.
NASCAR at Michigan live updates, highlights from 2023 race
(All times Eastern)
5:27 p.m.: CAUTION! Rain pouring onto Turns 1 and 2. We're headed for another hiatus. Cars streaming onto pit road once more.
5:24 p.m.: Back to green! Tyler Reddick leading things off. Expect more chaos as racers attempt to get themselves in decent position before the rain arrives.
5:23 p.m.: Weather could be an issue going forward. Just 32 laps from the race going official.
Some rain building to the west and south. This race would be official after Lap 100 if it rains and couldn’t be restarted. Working Lap 65. pic.twitter.com/svYKrBee6x
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
5:13 p.m.: CAUTION! Bell goes spinning! The No. 20 car spirals into the barrier after absorbing a bit of contact from Alex Bowman! He could be in trouble!
5:05 p.m.: CAUTION! It's Josh Berry going around! The Legacy Motor Club fill-in sees his race come to a close courtesy of a gnarly spill into Turn 4.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 6, 2023
4:55 p.m.: Truex takes Stage 1! Impressive showing by the Joe Gibbs Racing star…stop me if you've heard that before.
4:45 p.m.: CAUTION! Chase Elliott rams into the wall! He's done for the day!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 6, 2023
4:24 p.m.: CAUTION! Ryan Blaney gets into Kyle Busch, sending the No. 8 car spiraling into the wall. First caution of the day goes to the Joe Gibbs Racing star. Looks like his goose could be cooked.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 6, 2023
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 6, 2023
Damage to the Kyle Busch car: pic.twitter.com/0Pv2t1bVAv
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
4:20 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr. has been a force early. He's already up to second and looks to be the fastest car in the field early.
4:15 p.m.: Chastain rolling in Lap 4. Very strong start for the No. 1 car, who sits comfortably at the top of the field thus far.
4:13 p.m.: And we're off! Mercifully, the action has started at Michigan! Bell and Chastain spearheading the ride thus far.
4:07 p.m.: Engines just got fired! We're back in business at Michigan!!
2:55 p.m.: Cars staying in pit road with the rain picking up a bit. Mother Nature continuing to shine her freckled face on the Cup Series.
Nascar will bring cars to pit road as the rain has picked up a little bit. pic.twitter.com/J3r2S3OIqm
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
2:45 p.m.: Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain leading the line in Row 1. Bell posted the fastest qualifying time since 2020 yesterday. The JGR starlet will be more than optimistic about his chances today.
2:35 p.m.: Race commands delivered. Here we go from Michigan.
2:30 p.m.: Wallace and Michael McDowell set to enjoy a titillating tango. McDowell is a noted road course star. Wallace is anything but. With back-to-back race courses looming, Wallace's display here at Michigan could prove vital as he attempts to distance himself from the pack.
2:20 p.m.: Slight delay as the rain intensifies around the course.
They aren’t going to fire engines just yet with some rain in Turns 1-2 pic.twitter.com/5iyTmKAYvO
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
2:10 p.m.: A little drizzle descending onto the track. Weather could make things a little interesting.
1:50 p.m.: Reminder that Noah Gragson — Legacy Motor Club's “boy wonder” — was suspended indefinitely after liking a tweet mocking George Floyd's death. Such a massive loss for Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson's team, how will they ever recover from dropping a driver who sits in *checks notes* 33rd-place in the Cup Series standings??? The horror…
As for the No. 42 car, that will be manned by Josh Berry, a man who has proved himself a demonstrably better driver than Gragson this season. Talk about an upgrade…
Josh Berry said he found out around 10 a.m. today that Legacy Motor Club wanted him to replace Noah Gragson (suspension) this weekend. Berry said they mostly went through the motions today because it was so last-minute: pic.twitter.com/m0mDpygKjo
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 5, 2023
1:40 p.m.: Pre-race forecast looking alright, all things considered. Still, the threat of storms looms — namely from a front billowing through the south.
This is what will be the tough part of trying to figure out today … cells are building but moving quickly. pic.twitter.com/dK7w9OqIST
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
75 minutes before green flag at 2:30p ET. Right now radar is promising but threat of storms building from the south. pic.twitter.com/rCwfvvxaZX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 6, 2023
What channel is the NASCAR race on today?
- TV channel: USA (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
- Live stream: Peacock, Fubo
The FireKeepers Casino 400 will be broadcast on USA Network in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.
MORE: Why NASCAR is on NBC instead of Fox
Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC's coverage, serving as the race's lap-by-lap announcer. He'll be joined in the booth by Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte.
Fans can watch online via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
NASCAR start time today
- Date: Monday, Aug. 7
- Start time: 12 p.m. ET
Monday's race will restart at 12 p.m. ET.
The race was initially scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. ET green flag on Sunday, Aug 6. However, slick conditions brought a red flag 30 laps into Stage 2.
NASCAR at Michigan starting lineup
| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
| 1 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 2 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 7 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 9 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 10 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 11 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 12 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 16 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 17 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 18 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 20 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 21 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 22 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 23 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 24 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 25 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 26 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 28 | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 29 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 30 | Austin Hill | 62 | Beard Motorsports |
| 31 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 32 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 33 | Cole Custer | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Ty Dillon | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 35 | Josh Berry | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 36 | JJ Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 37 | Josh Bilicki | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
