It was treacherous in the early laps of the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series race had a rain delay after 74 of 200 laps, but many top drivers were already caught up in single-car crashes.
This started in Lap 14 when Kyle Busch got tight and got into Ryan Blaney, causing Busch to spin into the Turn 2 wall. This continued a bad run of form for Busch after finishing 36th, 21st, and 3rd in the past three weeks.
Kyle Busch gets into Ryan Blaney, Busch hits the wall and is out of the race very early. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/JPtPo3SsUi
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 6, 2023
Then on Lap 36, Chase Elliott blew his right rear tire and tagged the wall in about the same spot as Busch. While Busch is safely in the Playoffs with three wins, Elliott doesn’t have a win and is currently out. With this crash, he probably needs to get a win in the next three races.
Chase Elliott blows his right rear tire and wrecks. That might eliminate the possibility of him making the playoffs on points. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/F0YwYtfcTD
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 6, 2023
On the ensuing restart, William Byron hit the Turn 4 wall coming to the stage finish. Byron was one of the early leaders, and he didn’t hit hard, but it was hard enough to knock him out of the race.
Martin Truex Jr. wins Stage 1 while Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suárez get valuable stage points. William Byron hits the wall coming out of Turn 4. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/tcj7ZE7x0i
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 6, 2023
Just barely into Stage 2, Josh Berry got loose and hit hard in the Turn 3 wall. Berry recently filled in for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, and he was in his first race for the #42 Legacy Motor Club Chevy after Noah Gragson was suspended for “liking” a racist George Floyd meme on Instagram.
Josh Berry, filling in for the suspended Noah Gragson, gets loose and crashes hard. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/aMcZPhSCAG
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 6, 2023
Last, but not least, Christopher Bell crashed right before the rain came while challenging Bowman for the lead. Bell went in hard trying to get in front of Bowman, but he got loose and hit the wall instead.
Christopher Bell crashes while fighting for the lead. He's done for the day. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/1fGE99CTsY
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 6, 2023
The race didn’t reach halfway, and because of the rain, the race will restart at noon et Monday. If it was this sketchy the first half of the race, imagine how it’ll be when they’re fighting at the finish.
