While many fans might have fumed at the race results of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, considering the way Denny Hamlin secured victory, the fact of the matter is that such mileage races are also a form of pure stock car racing where drivers have to not only focus on raw speed but also have to conserve fuel to avoid running out towards the end of the race.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup race saw Carson Hocevar lead in the early stages, which meant he utilized all that his car had to offer. However, that burned a significant amount of fuel. With just 18 laps to go, Hocevar encountered a flat left rear tire, which forced him to pit, leading him to finish the race in P29.

Hocevar admitted that despite the flat tire incident, he would still have to pit since he was running low on fuel. Similarly, William Byron, who led the race for 98 laps, ran out of fuel when there were just four laps to go. He drove hard in the end to defend the spot while Hamlin chased him, causing him to burn more fuel.

Pitting in the closing stage of the race for fuel meant Byron finished the race in P28, allowing Hamlin to secure his third victory of the season. Being a seasoned driver, Hamlin conserved his fuel and gave a tough fight to Byron, setting an example of how performance and mileage can be achieved in the same race.

Speaking on the Teardown podcast, The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed the nature of the race at Michigan and revealed that it has the perfect mix of speed, strategy, team elements, and cautions that make a very good race. Bianchi said:

“I say this all the time. If you are a NASCAR fan and you did not like this race, why? Because your favorite driver didn’t win? Okay, sure, but this is what NASCAR racing is. You had the speed sensation, you have guys being able to make moves we didn’t talk about, all of the things that we’ve talked about the Next Gen car, you had strategy, you had all of the team elements! You even had cautions. You had guys who overstepped, Blaney made a mistake and hit the wall, you had a damn good race here. I don’t know why you would really hate this race.”

Gluck then pointed out fan reactions on X that complained about the mileage race, which prompted him to point out the strategic elements that make such races compelling. He added:

“That is a strategy play, that is like guessing to see, and how much did you save, and how much did you lift, and should you go hard, should you try to take the lead. What’s wrong with that? That’s great stuff!”

Bianchi responded:

“It is a fundamental part of racing. Do you go hard? Do you save? Do you burn up your stuff and all of this? It’s phenomenal.”