NASCAR Cup Series conclusions: Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing masterclass in Michigan

Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing came home to take victory after a chaotic and rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

But the masterclass from the young race team isn’t our only takeaway from the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Conclusions from NASCAR Cup Series’ FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan

A masterclass from a young 23XI Racing team

23XI Racing blasted onto the NASCAR scene with its debut at the 2021 Daytona 500, and ever since, the team co-founded by racer Denny Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan has continued to prove itself to be a force to be reckoned with.

Jordan’s investment in the NASCAR Cup Series alone is an incredible boon for the sport, and it has contributed to a further legitimization of the sport in the greater racing environment.

That initial investment has paid off with sponsorships from big-name brands like McDonald’s, as well as the signing of drivers like Michigan’s race winner Tyler Reddick. 23XI is providing a template for a new form of team ownership — and it’s paying off in spades.

The fact that Reddick was able to hang on through two overtime finishes shows the dominance of the car, the skill of the driver, and the impeccable preparation from the team.

Tire pressure strategy is getting too aggressive

Within moments of each other just after the halfway point of the FireKeepers Casino 400, three cars suffered shocking tire failures: Joey Logano, Todd Gilliland, and Christopher Bell. Goodyear reported that the tires did not display any cuts — so what does that mean?

We’ve seen similar issues before in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it largely comes down to teams attempting to under-fill their tires based on the ideal pressure denoted by Goodyear.

NASCAR does not regulate tire pressure, which means it’s up to each individual team to fill their tires to a level they feel will bring them a competitive advantage without being a detriment to the car.

For Logano, Gilliland, and Bell, it seemed as if those calculations were off base — and it spelled disaster for those drivers.

Understanding NASCAR:

👉 Why so serious? Four valuable lessons F1 can learn from polarising NASCAR series

👉 How to follow an oval race: An IndyCar and NASCAR guide for F1 fans

The Cup Series Playoff picture is constantly evolving

As August winds down, so too does the Cup Series’ regular season — and that means every race is becoming more and more critical for the drivers on the Playoff bubble.

In essence, the Playoffs are an elimination-style stretch of races that will ultimately determine the NASCAR Cup Series champion. Sixteen drivers can make it to the Playoffs, either by winning a race for a guaranteed entry, or by scoring enough Playoff points to make the cut.

But the Playoff picture changed rapidly in Michigan.

Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing looked fully set on comfortably securing his Playoff spot based on his track position — but a late-race spin trapped him a lap down. He’s still above the Playoff cut line, but only by a point.

Bubba Wallace, too, looked set to gain a comfortable Playoff point gain, only to drop below the cutoff line after being collected in a crash.

What’s going on with flying cars at MIS?

During Monday’s race, No. 7 driver Corey LaJoie flipped into the air while trying to pass Noah Gragson. The two drivers made very brief contact, and yet it lifted LaJoie’s car just far enough into the air that the draft shoved it further into the sky.

LaJoie was unhurt in the crash, though in his post-race interview, he lamented the fact that this is just how unlucky his whole season has been.

But LaJoie wasn’t the only driver to flip at Michigan. During Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, driver Kyle Sieg also caught air on the last lap.

In Sieg’s case, Chandler Smith’s No. 81 nosed Sieg’s car toward the infield after a multi-car crash further up on the race track. It was enough to send Sieg’s nose into the air, which launched him in to a larger flip.

Sieg, too, walked away unhurt — but why are so many cars taking off at Michigan International Speedway?

Bring the plate racing package to Michigan in 2025

NASCAR fields several different aerodynamic packages, and while racing was decent at Michigan this weekend, the Cup Series’ plate racing package might just make a great fit for Michigan International Speedway in 2025.

Plate racing packages are reserved for larger tracks and generally feature a reduction in horsepower designed to keep the field bunched tighter together, thus producing more passing.

Those packages also feature higher drag and higher downforce, and are used on higher-banked ovals. But at Michigan, the racing could have been all the better if we could have reeled in the leaders as they launched out ahead of the rest of the pack.

Read next: Spongebob Squarepants 400? 30 weird and wonderful NASCAR race names F1 fans may not know about