"A 2-mile oval in the Irish Hills of southern Michigan, designed by the man who drew up Daytona, where Ford has won more Cup races than any other manufacturer and David Pearson still holds the record with nine wins."
Location: Brooklyn, Michigan, in the Irish Hills Track Type: Paved oval Length: 2 miles Surface: Asphalt Banking: 18° (turns) Opened: Late 1960s (ground broken September 28, 1967) First NASCAR Cup Series Race: June 15, 1969 Property: More than 1,400 acres Owner: NASCAR
Quick Answers
How big is Michigan International Speedway? The oval is 2 miles, with 18 degrees of banking in the turns.
Where is Michigan International Speedway? In Brooklyn, Michigan, in the Irish Hills region of southeastern Michigan.
Who has won the most Cup races at Michigan? David Pearson, with nine. Cale Yarborough has eight and Kevin Harvick six.
Who designed it? Charles Moneypenny, who also designed Daytona International Speedway.
Who won at Michigan in 2026? Corey Heim won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on June 6, and Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race on June 7.
When does NASCAR race at Michigan in 2027? The Truck Series races Saturday, June 19, and the Cup Series races Sunday, June 20. Full dates are below.
Michigan International Speedway Schedule: 2027 NASCAR Dates
| Date | Day | Series |
|---|---|---|
| June 19 | Saturday | NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series |
| June 20 | Sunday | NASCAR Cup Series |
Dates are from NASCAR's 2027 national series schedule. Race names and start times have not been announced. The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series did not race at Michigan in 2026 and is not on the 2027 Michigan schedule. Confirm at mispeedway.com before you travel.
Overview
Michigan International Speedway is a 2-mile asphalt oval on more than 1,400 acres in the Irish Hills. With 18 degrees of banking in its turns, it is one of the fastest tracks NASCAR races on. The Cup Series has raced there every season since 1969, twice a year for most of that history and once a year since 2021.
Historically, Ford has won more Cup races at Michigan than any other manufacturer. Entering 2026, Ford had won 44 Cup races at Michigan, 18 more than Chevrolet, and Ford drivers, Kevin Harvick five times among them, won nine straight there before Tyler Reddick's win for Toyota in 2024. Toyota has won the last three: Reddick in 2024 and Hamlin in 2025 and 2026.
History
Michigan was built in the late 1960s by Lawrence H. LoPatin, a Detroit-area land developer, and his company, American Raceways Inc., at an estimated cost of $4 million to $6 million. Charles Moneypenny, who designed Daytona International Speedway, laid it out. Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR Cup Series race there on June 15, 1969.
American Raceways went bankrupt and the track went into receivership. Roger Penske bought it and owned it for about 25 years, expanding the grandstands from 25,000 seats to more than 125,000. During the later Penske years the track was known as Michigan Speedway. In July 1999, International Speedway Corporation bought Penske's racing company and the track with it, and NASCAR merged with International Speedway Corporation in 2019, which is how NASCAR came to own it.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Ground broken September 28 |
| 1969 | Cale Yarborough wins the first Cup race at Michigan, June 15 |
| 1999 | International Speedway Corporation buys the track from Roger Penske's company |
| 2019 | NASCAR merges with International Speedway Corporation |
| 2020 | Kevin Harvick wins both Cup races of a Michigan doubleheader weekend in August |
| 2026 | Denny Hamlin wins from the back of the field for his fourth Michigan victory |
Key Drivers
David Pearson, nine Cup wins, the most at Michigan, all between 1969 and 1978.
Cale Yarborough, eight Cup wins, including the first Cup race at the track in 1969.
Kevin Harvick, six Cup wins (2010, 2018, 2019, two in 2020, 2022).
Denny Hamlin, four Cup wins (2010, 2011, 2025, 2026).
Joey Logano and Kyle Larson, three Cup wins each.
Brad Keselowski, a Michigan native whose three runner-up finishes at his home track are the most of any driver who has not won there.
2026 at Michigan International Speedway
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (Saturday, June 6): Corey Heim started 23rd and beat his TRICON Garage teammate Kaden Honeycutt to the line by 0.065 seconds for his 26th career Truck Series win and his first at Michigan. Carson Hocevar led a race-high 65 laps and finished third.
NASCAR Cup Series, FireKeepers Casino 400 (Sunday, June 7): Denny Hamlin won the pole, then had to start from the rear as a penalty for unapproved adjustments to the car. He led the final 39 laps and beat Erik Jones by 11.110 seconds for his 63rd career Cup win. Eleven cautions slowed the race. Points leader Tyler Reddick was caught in a multi-car crash and finished 35th, and Chase Elliott, who led a race-high 67 laps, crashed out and finished 32nd.