Remarkably, Ford drivers have won nine of the last 10 NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway. That’s especially notable since there’s no track on the schedule where Cup Series drivers and teams take as much pride in running well for their manufacturer.
To understand why this pride exists, consider a little geography.
Ford Motor Company is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan — only 75 minutes from the race track, which is located in Brooklyn, Michigan. Chevrolet’s parent company, General Motors, is based in Detroit — just about an hour and 20 minutes away.
Toyota, of course, has its world headquarters far away in Japan. The wing of Toyota most closely tied to NASCAR, however, is located in Costa Mesa, California. That’s the home base for Toyota Racing Development, which designs, develops, manufactures and assembles racing engines for Toyota’s racing teams.
So Toyota, as a manufacturer, has no direct ties to Michigan but naturally wants to win on Ford and Chevy’s home turf. Chevrolet just wants to win at Michigan, period, having last prevailed in a Cup Series race at the facility in August 2017.
With both Chevrolet and Toyota eager to put a stop to Ford’s dominance at Michigan, let’s look at the three Cup Series drivers across the Chevy and Toyota camps most likely to make it happen this weekend.
1. Kyle Larson
In 107 races, only two Cup Series drivers have nabbed their first career win at Michigan. They are Dale Jarrett (August 1991) and — you guessed it — Kyle Larson (August 2016).
Driving a Chevy for Chip Ganassi Racing at the time, Larson went on to make it three victories in a row at the high-speed, high-horsepower track. Larson hasn’t prevailed at Michigan since August 2017, however, which means he is winless at the 2-mile oval since jumping in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2021.
Yet if any Chevrolet driver is capable of winning at Michigan, Larson is the guy. Not only are the California native’s three victories at Michigan tied for his most at a Cup track, but he’s personally responsible for the last three victories here by a Chevrolet driver.
2. Tyler Reddick
With Ford NASCAR Cup Series drivers capturing nine of the last 10 Michigan races, it leaves room for only one spoiler over that stretch. That would be Tyler Reddick, who put his 23XI Racing Toyota in Victory Lane here one year ago and snapped Ford’s nine-race winning streak.
Unlike Kyle Larson, who’s triumphed three times in 2025, Reddick is still searching for his first win of the season. That doesn’t mean he’s incapable of prevailing this weekend, though. It just means he’s undoubtedly extra hungry.
Sixth in the standings, Reddick ranks second among drivers yet to find their way to Victory Lane this season. He’s therefore in solid position to make the playoffs with his Michael Jordan- and Denny Hamlin-owned team even if he needs to fall back on points.
THIS ONE'S FOR SCOTT BLOOMQUIST. ❤️
Tyler Reddick wins at Michigan for his mentor. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/AN4MQk9uBQ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2024
3. William Byron
It’s kind of hard not to include William Byron in the list of non-Toyota drivers most capable of stealing Sunday’s race at Michigan.
Not only is Byron — who wheels a Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports — a race winner in 2025, but he’s the Cup Series points leader by a rather robust 48 points over teammate Kyle Larson.
Perhaps most important for Byron’s chances on Sunday, though, is that he finished second to Tyler Reddick here one year ago after leading 20 laps. He also came home a Michigan runner-up in 2021. So, along with being fast and consistent this season, Byron has enjoyed noteworthy success at the next stop on the Cup Series schedule.
