The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Michigan International Speedway this weekend, riding the momentum of a dramatic show at Nashville Superspeedway, where Ryan Blaney showcased his skills en route to victory, while Denny Hamlin and William Byron put on a masterclass in battling for the lead.
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Last year’s battle at Michigan saw Tyler Reddick snatch the win from the clutches of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports entry, and with a richer purse now on the line, the bet has only gotten higher.
Drivers will compete for a total purse of $11,055,250, as reported by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass — a sizable jump from last year’s figure of $7,902,750. The payout encompasses bonuses tied to past performance, contingency awards, year-end points allocations, and more.
While the Xfinity Series skips the Michigan stop this year, the third rung of NASCAR’s national series will take center stage. The Craftsman Truck Series will contest the DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics, featuring a purse of $782,900.
Purse for Michigan weekend, includes all payouts, all positions and contingency awards and year-end fund contributions and for Cup, all charter payouts.
Cup: $11,055,250
Truck: $782,900
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 4, 2025
Favorites to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan
Last year, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick captured his second win of the season by outdueling William Byron on a dramatic second overtime restart, edging out the #24 driver and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs by just .168 seconds and snapping Ford’s nine-race winning streak at the iconic 2-mile oval.
This year, with Reddick showing top-10 pace throughout the Nashville event, he will enter Michigan as a legitimate dark horse, one fans might be keen to wager on.
Chase Elliott, who has not won any races so far in the NASCAR Cup season this year, carrying an average finish of 10.5 on the track, will also stand as the favorite.
It could also be a resurgent race for Brad Keselowski, since history shows he has been pretty good at Michigan in the past, carrying an average finish of 12.0 in 27 starts, having finished nine races in the top 5 in the past.
Other drivers to look forward to for the event would be some usual names like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney, who all have performed well on the track in the past, and will enter the racetrack with an average finish of 12.2, 12.4, 13.0, and 14.4, respectively.
