FireKeepers Casino 400

FireKeepers Casino 400

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Venue	Michigan International Speedway
Location	Brooklyn, Michigan, United States
Corporate sponsor	FireKeepers Casino
First race	1969
Distance	400 miles (640 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)
Most wins (driver)	Cale Yarborough (6)
Most wins (team)	Hendrick Motorsports Roush Fenway Racing Wood Brothers Racing (6)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Ford (16)
Circuit information
Surface	Asphalt
Length	2.0 mi (3.2 km)
Turns	4

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

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

References

1. Broderick, Bill (October 20, 2015). "NASCAR race at MIS named FireKeepers Casino 400". Battle Creek Enquirer. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
2. "TNT to Provide "All-Access" Pass to 2013 NASCAR Summer Series". Turner Sports. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-05-31.

External links

• Ratings For NASCAR From Michigan Since 1997 (Viewership Since 2001)