FireKeepers Casino 400

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FireKeepers Casino 400
Venue Michigan International Speedway
Sponsor FireKeepers Casino
First race 1969
Distance 400 miles (643.737 km)
Laps 200
Previous names Motor State 500 (1969)
Motor State 400 (1970–1973, 1975)
Motor State 360 (1974)
Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 (1976–1977)
Gabriel 400 (1978–1983)
Miller High Life 400 (1984, 1988–1989)
Miller 400 (1985, 1996–1997)
Miller American 400 (1986–1987)
Miller Genuine Draft 400 (1990–1995)
Miller Lite 400 (1998)
Kmart 400 (1999–2001)
Sirius Satellite Radio 400 (2002)
Sirius 400 (2003)
DHL 400 (2004)
Batman Begins 400 (2005)
3M Performance 400 Presented by Post-it Picture Paper (2006)
Citizens Bank 400 (2007)
LifeLock 400 (2008–2009)
Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 (2010–2011)
Quicken Loans 400 (2012–2015)

The FireKeepers Casino 400 is a 400-mile (643.737 km) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan (15 of 36), the other one being the Pure Michigan 400 in mid-August, and it is the first of two Sprint Cup races at Michigan. In 2006, 3M signed a three-year agreement to sponsor the race, but after one year moved its sponsorship to the August race. Starting with the 2008 race, LifeLock had title sponsorship rights for three years pending the announcement by the speedway, but left after two. The LifeLock 400 was the name of the race formerly known as the Banquet 400 in 2007. From 2012 to 2015, Quicken Loans sponsored the race, and was replaced by FireKeepers Casino in 2016.[1]

This particular event had one of the longer title sponsorship arrangements. Miller Brewing Company sponsored the race from 1984-1998.

The 1999 race, won by Dale Jarrett, went without a caution. At an average speed of 173.997 mph, it set the NASCAR all-time record for a 400-mile race.

Past winners

Year Date Driver Team Manufacturer Race distance Race time Average speed
(mph)		 Report
Laps Miles (km)
1969 June 15 Cale Yarborough Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 250 500 (804.672) 3:35:26 139.254 Report
1970 June 7 Cale Yarborough Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 200 400 (643.737) 2:53:02 138.302 Report
1971 June 13 Bobby Allison Holman-Moody Mercury 197 401.88 (646.763) 2:41:13 149.567 Report
1972 June 11 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 200 400 (643.737) 2:43:40 146.639 Report
1973 June 24 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 200 400 (643.737) 2:36:22 153.485 Report
1974 June 16 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Dodge 180* 360 (579.363) 2:48:46 127.098 Report
1975 June 15 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 200 400 (643.737) 3:02:39 131.398 Report
1976 June 20 David Pearson Wood Brothers Racing Mercury 200 400 (643.737) 2:50:02 141.148 Report
1977 June 19 Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson &
Associates		 Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:57:44 135.033 Report
1978 June 18 Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson &
Associates		 Oldsmobile 200 400 (643.737) 2:40:28 149.563 Report
1979 June 17 Buddy Baker Ranier-Lundy Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:56:44 135.798 Report
1980 June 15 Benny Parsons M.C. Anderson Racing Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 3:02:05 131.808 Report
1981 June 21 Bobby Allison Ranier-Lundy Buick 200 400 (643.737) 3:03:47 130.589 Report
1982 June 20 Cale Yarborough M.C. Anderson Racing Buick 200 400 (643.737) 3:23:13 118.101 Report
1983 June 19 Cale Yarborough Ranier-Lundy Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:53:00 138.728 Report
1984 June 17 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:58:10 134.705 Report
1985 June 16 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:45:48 144.724 Report
1986 June 15 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:53:21 138.851 Report
1987 June 28 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:41:40 148.454 Report
1988 June 26 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 200 400 (643.737) 2:36:18 153.551 Report
1989 June 25 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:52:38 139.023 Report
1990 June 24 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:39:46 150.219 Report
1991 June 23 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:29:09 160.912 Report
1992 June 21 Davey Allison Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:37:12 152.672 Report
1993 June 20 Ricky Rudd Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:41:38 148.484 Report
1994 June 19 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 3:11:58 125.022 Report
1995 June 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:58:58 134.141 Report
1996 June 23 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:24:23 166.033 Report
1997 June 15 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:36:31 153.338 Report
1998 June 14 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:31:14 158.695 Report
1999 June 13 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:17:56 173.997 Report
2000 June 11 Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 194* 388 (624.425) 2:41:45 143.926 Report
2001 June 10 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:58:50 134.203 Report
2002 June 16 Matt Kenseth Roush Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:35:01 154.822 Report
2003 June 15 Kurt Busch Roush Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 3:02:54 131.219 Report
2004 June 20 Ryan Newman Penske Racing Dodge 200 400 (643.737) 2:52:18 139.292 Report
2005 June 19 Greg Biffle Roush Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:39:22 150.596 Report
2006 June 18 Kasey Kahne Evernham Motorsports Dodge 129* 258 (415.210) 2:10:19 118.788 Report
2007 June 17 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:42:05 148.07 Report
2008 June 15 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 203* 406 (653.393) 2:47:34 145.375 Report
2009 June 14 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:34:21 155.491 Report
2010 June 13 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 400 (643.737) 2:33:28 156.386 Report
2011 June 19 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 400 (643.737) 2:36:50 153.029 Report
2012 June 17 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:52:29 139.144 Report
2013 June 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 400 (643.737) 2:52:19 139.278 Report
2014 June 15 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 400 (643.737) 2:47:19 143.441 Report
2015* June 14 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 138* 276 (444.179) 2:21:55 116.688 Report
  • 1974: The Race was shortened by 10% in response to the fuel crisis.
  • 2000: Race shortened due to rain/darkness.
  • 2006 & 2015: Race shortened due to rain
  • 2008: Race extended due to a green–white–checker finish.
  • 2015: The race was red flagged for a record of four times, laps 13, 19, 44 and 139.

Multiple winners (drivers)

# Wins Driver Years Won
6 Cale Yarborough 1969, 1970, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983
4 David Pearson 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
Bill Elliott 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
3 Rusty Wallace 1988, 1994, 1996
2 Bobby Allison 1971, 1981
Dale Earnhardt 1987, 1990
Mark Martin 1998, 2009
Denny Hamlin 2010, 2011
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2008, 2012
Greg Biffle 2005, 2013
Kurt Busch 2003, 2015

Multiple winners (teams)

# Wins Team Years Won
6 Wood Brothers Racing 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
Roush Fenway Racing 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013
Hendrick Motorsports 1993, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014
4 Melling Racing 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989
Robert Yates Racing 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999
3 Ranier-Lundy 1979, 1981, 1983
Penske Racing 1994, 1996, 2004
Joe Gibbs Racing 2000, 2010, 2011
2 Junior Johnson & Associates 1977, 1978
M.C. Anderson Racing 1980, 1982
Richard Childress Racing 1987, 1990

Manufacturer wins

# Wins Manufacturer Years Won
16 Ford 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013
14 Chevrolet 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015
7 Mercury 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976
3 Dodge 1974, 2004, 2006
2 Buick 1981, 1982
Pontiac 1988, 2000
Toyota 2010, 2011
1 Oldsmobile 1978

Notable races

  • 1969: NASCAR's debut at Michigan International Speedway was a 500-miler where the lead changed 35 times and writer Benny Phillips wrote afterward, "If they gave an Oscar for NASCAR's most exciting race, it would win hands down." Cale Yarborough escaped to the win when LeeRoy Yarbrough crashed on the final lap.
  • 1970: A scoring controversy marred Cale Yarborough's rally to edge Pete Hamilton in a four-lap battle to the flag. Yarborough had lost two laps earlier but was scored on the lead lap at the end; Hamilton's car owner Richard Petty protested, "The (scoring) cards have Cale lapping Pete (on a late caution) without the pace car lapping Pete. That's impossible." Hamilton and Petty led over 100 laps between them in high-winged Plymouth Superbirds.
  • 1971: Bobby Allison edged Bobby Isaac by a car length for his third straight win of the season, driving the Holman-Moody Mercury. The lead changed 35 times with Allison, Isaac, and Donnie Allison at times racing three abreast down the mammoth trioval and the lead changing twice on several laps between Bobby Allison and Isaac.
  • 1972: David Pearson took the second of his record nine Michigan wins, dominating in the Wood Brothers Mercury; the win was the third for the Woods in the Michigan 400's first four runnings. It was the final season the track was operated under the aegis of the defunct empire of Larry Lopatin, as Roger Penske would purchase the facility in 1973.
  • 1974: The rivalry between Richard Petty in the STP Dodge and David Pearson and the Purolator Mercury had begun intensifying in 1973 and reached a new level in 1974 as Petty won the Daytona 500 and Carolina 500 while Pearson had stormed to win the Rebel 450, Winston 500, and World 600. Petty and Pearson faced off with challenges from the Allison brothers, Cale Yarborough, and Buddy Baker, but on this June 1974 day a rookie from Alsa Craig, Ontario, Earl Ross, found himself in the fight as well. A late crash put the race under yellow in the final four laps; Pearson pitted for tires thinking the race would restart but it didn't, as Petty took the win and the Canadian rookie Ross finished second with Pearson third. The lead changed 50 times among nine drivers.
  • 1976: Pearson's superspeedway vengeance tour of 1976 hit Michigan as Cale Yarborough dominated before losing enough power to finish second to the late rally of The Silver Fox, who posted his seventh win of the season.
  • 1977: Cale Yarborough took his seventh win of the season over Richard Petty, but was upset after the race over the track surface, which had buckled after a hard winter and caused "my car (to jump) out of gear three times."
  • 1979: The lead changed 47 times among eleven drivers and the finish shook into an eight-car battle. In the final laps rookie Dale Earnhardt hit the apron of Turn Three trying a pass and nearly crashed into Neil Bonnett, Petty, and Darrell Waltrip; both Waltrip and Petty were pointedly critical of Earnhardt ("He nearly took us all out," Waltrip said afterward). Waltrip's blown transmission in the final two laps secured the win for Buddy Baker.
  • 1980: Benny Parsons, raised in Detroit, took the win at the speedway in his home state.
  • 1981: Another eight-car battle exploded with five to go when Kyle Petty blew his engine in Turn Two as the leaders were entering One; Bobby Allison was running seventh when five of the top seven spun in the oil, then down the backstretch Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt collided and crashed. The win was Allison's fourth of the 1981 season and the race turned out to be the final one for car owner Rod Osterlund as he sold his team to mysterious J.D. Stacy.
  • 1984: Cale Yarborough's bid for a ninth Michigan win faltered and Bill Elliott ran away from Dale Earnhardt for his first Michigan win and first win on an oval.
  • 1986: Elliott posted a third straight Michigan 400 win, edging Harry Gant, who was competing despite injuries sustained at Pocono the week earlier.
  • 1987: Dale Earnhardt took the win as Tim Richmond finished fourth, what would be the final top-five of Richmond's career.
  • 1989: Rusty Wallace dominated but on a late pitstop Barry Dodson missed the peg under the door for the jack to be secured; the lengthy stop dropped Wallace too far back to challenge Bill Elliott, who took his fourth Michigan 400 win. Darrell Waltrip led late but "I had too high a gear and it was killing me off the corners."
  • 1990: Bill Elliott's blown engine opened the door to a late duel between Dale Earnhardt and fiery upstart Ernie Irvan, who finished 1-2; Irvan was driving Oldsmobiles for Morgan-McClure Motorsports and before the race it was revealed that Chevrolet would provide the team with factory backing.
  • 1991: Only one caution flew as the first half of the race erupted into a ferocious multicar duel. Geoff Bodine and car owner Junior Johnson returned to action after Johnson was suspended for several races, but the primary battle was between Earnhardt, Davey Allison, Mark Martin, and upstart Hut Stricklin, driving for Davey's dad Bobby; the foursome fought it out after a Lap 35 caution and the lead changed over 30 times officially and otherwise, with Earnhardt in particular blasting his car into the corners two full seconds deeper than anyone else and the draft kicking in to striking effect for Michigan. Past halfway the race shook into a caution-free breeze home for Allison and Stricklin and a satisfying day for Bobby Allison.
  • 1994: A slow stop put Rusty Wallace, in his first year in a Ford, well behind Dale Earnhardt, but Wallace handily clawed his way forward and stormed to his third straight win of the season.
  • 1995: Chevrolet's controversial Monte Carlo dominated as Jeff Gordon was bested by Bobby Labonte; Labonte's Joe Gibbs Racing Chevy ran Hendrick Motorsports engines, a fact that irked primary Hendrick driver Gordon afterward and led to the discontinuance of the engine lease program between Hendrick and Gibbs.
  • 1997: Ernie Irvan, two months removed from a controversial weekend and bad crash at Texas Motor Speedway, ran away for the Michigan win, his lone win of the season, final win for Robert Yates, and only career win at the track where he was gravely injured three years earlier.
  • 1999: For the first and only time at Michigan, the race goes caution-free.
  • 2001: Jeff Gordon out-duelled Ricky Rudd to score the 100th win for car owner Rick Hendrick.
  • 2008: On Father's Day and hanging around in 5th conserving fuel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled off the biggest upset of the year by winning at Michigan for the first time and snapping a 76 race winless streak (his father won 76 races) and scored his first points race win with car owner Rick Hendrick in the 88 car. At the time it was Chevrolet's first win at Michigan since Jeff Gordon won there in June 2001.
  • 2012: First race on new surface. Four years and two days after scoring his first win with Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. snapped a 143 race winless streak by leading 95 of the 200 laps to score the win for the second time on Father's Day. His last win also came at Michigan on Father's Day in 2008. The race was delayed two hours because of rain.
  • 2014: Jimmie Johnson won his first Michigan race after a streak of bad luck that included engine failures and poor fuel strategy.
  • 2015: Kurt Busch, driving in a back-up car, was declared the winner after the race was called for rain after 138 laps. The first 50 laps had seen three red flags resulting from persistent rain.

Television broadcasters

From 2007-2014, the race was held on TNT, In 2015, the race was held on FS1, In 2016, the race will air on Fox, the first time aired since 2006.

Year Network Lap-by-lap Color commentator(s)
2016 Fox Mike Joy Darrell Waltrip
Jeff Gordon
2015 FS1 Darrell Waltrip
Larry McReynolds
2014 TNT Adam Alexander Wally Dallenbach
Kyle Petty
2013[2]
2012
2011
2010
2009 Bill Weber
2008
2007
2006 Fox Mike Joy Darrell Waltrip
Larry McReynolds
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000 CBS Buddy Baker
Mike Joy		 Ned Jarrett
Chris Economaki
1999 Buddy Baker

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links


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