After three weeks off, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be back in action at Michigan International Speedway for the Cabo Wabo 250 on August 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – the 21st race of the 33-race season.
Michigan International Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series 21-times since the inaugural race back in 1992, producing 23 different winners and 24 different pole winners.
Only three of the Xfinity Series Michigan races have been won from the pole or first starting position – 1998 (Jeff Burton), 2008 (Carl Edwards) and 2010 (Brad Keselowski).
Eight different drivers are tied for most Xfinity Series wins at the 2-mile track with two victories each – Todd Bodine (1992, 2000), Kyle Busch (2004, 2015), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1999, 2006), Denny Hamlin (2007, 2017), Carl Edwards (2008, 2011), Brad Keselowski (2009, 2010), Mark Martin (1993, 1995) and Ryan Newman (2001, 2005).
Other drivers have set records in the series at Michigan International Speedway as well:
- Most poles: Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, and Austin Dillon – two each
- Most top fives: Kyle Busch – nine
- Most top 10s: Paul Menard – 12
- Most lead lap finishes: Paul Menard – 13
- Most laps led: Mark Martin – 309
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Cabo Wabo 250
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
Track Length: 2 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, August 17
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,367,917
TV: USA, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 250 miles (125 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 125)
Hot, Hot, Hot: Michigan different winners streak could continue
Michigan International Speedway is currently riding a wave of different winners in the NASCAR Xfinity Series that has reached 13 different drivers in Victory Lane and dates back to 2010. This weekend, the Cabo Wabo 250 has the chance to produce another new winner bringing the total to 14 to keep the streak alive.
The streak of different winners began in 2010 with Brad Keselowski, then Carl Edwards (2011), Joey Logano (2012), Regan Smith (2013), Paul Menard (2014), Kyle Busch (2015), Daniel Suárez (2016), Denny Hamlin (2017), Austin Dillon (2018), Tyler Reddick (2019), AJ Allmendinger (2021), Ty Gibbs (2022), and John Hunter Nemechek (2023). The series did not compete at Michigan in 2020 due to the pandemic.
There is a chance the streak could come to an end. Two previous NASCAR Xfinity Series Michigan International Speedway winners are entered this weekend – AJ Allmendinger (2021) and John Hunter Nemechek (2023).
Drivers To Watch: Irish Hills edition
With the different winners streak alive and well, there are some drivers who will be pushing to add their name to the list – JR Motorsports’ Brandon Jones and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst.
Jones has had an impressive stint at Michigan’s two-mile track, posting three top fives and six top 10s in his seven starts. Just two spots outside the Playoff cutline, he will be sure to give it all he has to post his first Victory since the 2022 season and join his JRM teammates Justin Allgaier and Sam Mayer in the postseason.
Herbst, who kissed the bricks and locked himself into the Playoffs in the series’ last race before the Olympic break, heads to the Irish Hills with four starts under his belt, posting three top 10s.
Xfinity Series Playoff picture following Indy
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff picture got a tad bit tighter as Riley Herbst got to kiss the bricks at the last race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Eight drivers have now locked themselves into the Playoff grid by virtue of wins, including Shane van Gisbergen, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Sam Mayer, Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Riley Herbst.
As of now, AJ Allmendinger (+102), Sheldon Creed (+69), Parker Kligerman (+46), and Ryan Sieg (+3) occupy the final four spots to clinch a Playoff berth.
JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith (-3) and Brandon Jones (-69) hold the first two spots outside the cutoff, followed by Anthony Alfredo (-114).
Here’s how the Playoff standings look heading into Michigan:
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff Projection Following Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 7/20/24 | |||||||
| Rank | Driver | Points | Starts | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Shane Van Gisbergen # | 500 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 17 | In On Wins |
| 2 | Austin Hill | 674 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 13 | |
| 3 | Chandler Smith | 661 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 15 | |
| 4 | Sam Mayer | 502 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 5 | Cole Custer | 761 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| 6 | Justin Allgaier | 705 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 16 | |
| 7 | Riley Herbst | 618 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 7 | |
| 8 | Jesse Love # | 587 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |
| 9 | AJ Allmendinger | 609 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 |
| 10 | Sheldon Creed | 576 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| 11 | Parker Kligerman | 553 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 46 |
| 12 | Ryan Sieg | 510 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Sammy Smith | 507 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 |
| 14 | Brandon Jones | 441 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -69 |
| 15 | Anthony Alfredo | 396 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -114 |
| 16 | Brennan Poole | 353 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -157 |
| 17 | Parker Retzlaff | 317 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -193 |
| 18 | Josh Williams | 309 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -201 |
| 19 | Jeb Burton | 286 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -224 |
| 20 | Leland Honeyman # | 277 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -233 |
| 21 | Jeremy Clements | 274 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -236 |
| 22 | Kyle Weatherman | 266 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -244 |
| 23 | Ryan Ellis | 252 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -258 |
| 24 | Blaine Perkins | 203 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -307 |
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
New crew chief for Shane van Gisbergen – Bruce Schlicker, who has been Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen’s crew chief this season, will not be returning to the No. 97 team as the series comes back to action after the three-week break. Taking over as crew chief will be Kevin Walter.
Walter has been serving as the crew chief for Josh Williams and the No. 11 team. As Walter transitions to the No. 97 team, Eddie Pardue will take over as crew chief for the No. 11 team.