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)
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: Sunday, Aug. 6
Start time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Sunday’s race has a 2:30 p.m. ET listed start time.
It appears unlikely that rain will find its way into the forecast, meaning that concerns of a delay should be fairly nonexistent in Brooklyn, Mich.
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
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