Kevin Harvick dug into his bag of tricks Saturday to claim his third win in a row at Michigan International Speedway. He sent Kyle Busch into a fit of rage with an aggressive run up to the back of Busch’s vehicle that sent Busch wobbling out of contention, before going on to edge Brad Keselowski in overtime.
The move on Busch, which happened in the final 10 laps of the FireKeepers Casino 400, again showed why Harvick is such a threat in 2020. The veteran has the top-end speed and composure to dominate a field for long stretches — as he did in Stages 1 and 2 on Saturday — but also the boldness to fight off competitors late in a tight race.
"I didn't touch him. Well, that makes me feel better," Harvick said in a postrace interview with NBCSN after a replay showed the cars did not make contact.
Harvick held onto his advantage through several cautions which forced the overtime, speeding ahead of Keselowski to the checkered flag.
Sporting News tracked live race updates and lap-by-lap highlights from Saturday's NASCAR race at Michigan. Follow below for complete results from the FireKeepers Casino 400.
MORE: Watch Sunday's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
FireKeepers Casino 400 top 20 finish order
Finish | Driver |
1 | Kevin Harvick |
2 | Brad Keselowski |
3 | Martin Truex Jr. |
4 | Ryan Blaney |
5 | Kyle Busch |
6 | Denny Hamlin |
7 | Chase Elliott |
8 | Joey Logano |
9 | Bubba Wallace |
10 | Kurt Busch |
11 | Erik Jones |
12 | Jimmie Johnson |
13 | Christopher Bell |
14 | William Byron |
15 | Matt DiBenedetto |
16 | Aric Almirola |
17 | Matt Kenseth |
18 | Tyler Reddick |
19 | Clint Bowyer |
20 | Chris Buescher |
Lead changes: 12
Leaders: 7
Cautions: 9
NASCAR at Michigan highlights from FireKeepers Casino 400
7:43 p.m.: Kevin Harvick wins the FireKeepers Casino 400! Brad Keselowski made it close for a moment before Harvick pulled away.
7:34 p.m.: Argh, another caution. That means overtime.
7:33 p.m.: Back to green!
7:31 p.m.: Three more laps when this goes to green.
7:24 p.m.: Red flag for more track spillage.
7:20 p.m.: CRASH. Cole Custer goes into the wall, and Kyle Busch is not happy. "What the f—?" he yells into the radio.
7:19 p.m: Kyle Busch and Harvick are going back-and-forth at the restart.
7:18 p.m.: Down to the wire with the choose rule in play. Drama!
7:17 p.m.: 10 more laps left. The race is still under caution, though.
7:11 p.m.: Caution for Ryan Preece.
7:10 p.m.: Chase Elliott pushes to the top of the field.
7:07 p.m.: Back to green.
7:02 p.m.: Welp.
6:55 p.m.: Caution. Debris on the track.
6:45 p.m.: With 40 laps to go in the race, Harvick remains in the lead. He's trailed by Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
6:29 p.m.: Back to green early in Stage 3.
6:20 p.m.: Caution for a spinning John Hunter Nemechek.
6:10 p.m.: Harvick wins Stage 2. His impressive season continues.
6 p.m.: Erik Jones, who's racing for a job in 2021, briefly moved into third position. Joe Gibbs Racing announced during the week that he would not return to the team next season.
5:50 p.m.: Blaney takes the lead from Hamlin early in Stage 2 with a pass on the outside.
5:40 p.m.: Hamlin wins the race off pit road from Harvick and will lead the restart.
5:34 p.m.: Harvick wins Stage 1.
5:30 p.m.: Harvick leads entering the final laps of Stage 1.
5:22 p.m.: Update: It was a flat tire for Truex Jr.
5:21 p.m.: Something to keep an eye on: Martin Truex Jr. appearing to run into some trouble after the first competition caution.
5:14 p.m.: Logano leads with Hamlin just behind him through the first 15 laps.
5:11 p.m.: Joey Logano is fast. Joey Gase is not.
5:03 p.m.: Green flag. After pre-race inspections some drivers (including Jimmie Johnson) were sent to the back.
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 8
- Start time: 5:02 p.m. ET
- TV channel: NBCSN
- Live stream: NBC Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The green flag for Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan will wave shortly after 5 p.m. ET, assuming there are no rain delays as there have so often been since NASCAR returned to live racing in May.
Though NASCAR will have plenty of time to get the race in before sunset in Brooklyn, Mi. — nearly 9 p.m. ET — the relatively late start time for an afternoon race is notable, as Michigan International Speedway has no lights.
Saturday's race is scheduled for 156 laps around the two-mile oval for a total of 312 miles.
NASCAR starting lineup at Michigan
Here are the results of the starting lineup draw for Saturday's NASCAR race at Michigan:
Pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
1 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
2 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
4 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
5 | Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
6 | Alex Bowman | 88 | Hendrick Motorsports |
7 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
8 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
9 | Clint Bowyer | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
10 | Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
11 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
12 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
13 | Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
14 | Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
15 | Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
16 | Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
17 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
18 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
19 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
20 | Matt Kenseth | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
21 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
22 | Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
23 | Erik Jones | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
24 | Bubba Wallace | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
25 | Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
26 | JJ Yeley | 27 | Rick Ware Racing |
27 | Brennan Poole | 15 | Premium Motorsports |
28 | James Davison | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
29 | Christopher Bell | 95 | Leavine Family Racing |
30 | Reed Sorenson | 74 | Spire Motorsports |
31 | John Hunter Nemechek | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
32 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
33 | Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
34 | Ty Dillon | 13 | Germain Racing |
35 | Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
36 | Corey LaJoie | 32 | Go Fas Racing |
37 | Daniel Suarez | 96 | Gaunt Brothers Racing |
38 | Timmy Hill | 66 | Motorsports Business Management |
39 | Joey Gase | 7 | Tommy Baldwin Racing |