NASCAR at Michigan live updates: Kevin Harvick wins race

—— Live updates for this event have ended. For official race results and a recap, click here. ——

The final month of regular-season Cup Series racing is here.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway will have its green flag drop just past 3 p.m. barring inclement weather and will mark a return to an oval after two trips to treacherous tracks — the “tricky triangle” at Pocono and the 14-turn course at Indy.

This is the fourth-to-last race before the 16-driver-field playoffs begin. Fourteen drivers have already notched a win on the season. Will a new one do so today?

The 200-lap track has its three stages ending in Lap 45, Lap 120 and Lap 200.

Live updates will be posted in the section below and will be published frequently during the race. Refresh this page for the latest news. Full results will be posted after the race.

NASCAR results today: Kevin Harvick wins

# denotes rookie; (I) not eligible for points; (*) required to qualify on time

Live updates at Michigan International Speedway

Stage 3

Winner: Kevin Harvick gets the win, with Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney filling out the top five.

Lap 179: Kevin Harvick has extended his lead to nearly four seconds over the rest of the field. Joey Logano and Bubba Wallace take second and third, respectively.

Lap 161: A caution comes out after Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain collide on Turn 3. Chastain appeared to have had position on the outside, but Bell, appearing to try to protect the outside on the turn, gets spun out and rams into the wall.

Lap 150: A fascinating two-on-two battle is taking shape among the top-four leaders. Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez (of TrackHouse) are trying to fend off Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell (of JGR).

Lap 140: Daniel Suarez, after seizing the lead a few laps back, is now fighting off two competitors in Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain. Joey Logano is about 1.2 seconds behind the leader.

Lap 125: Kevin Harvick has lingered in today’s top-10, putting together one of his best runs of the 2022 season. Could he notch his first win of the regular season in one of his favorite racetracks?

Stage 2

Lap 120: Denny Hamlin’s crew elects to not pit down the stretch of Stage 2, and it pays off in playoff points. Hamlin earns the Stage 2 win. Rounding out the top-10 (in order): Daniel Suarez, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Joey Logano.

Lap 110: Noah Gragson spins out into the wall after appearing to have an issue with a right-rear toe link. Caution comes out. His day isn’t necessarily done — the team is evaluating the damage on the body of the car — but it’s a big setback for the No. 16 car nonetheless.

Lap 100: Caution comes out. Cole Custer, driving the No. 42 car, catches on fire after his left-front tire goes flat. Custer’s done for the day.

Lap 80: Denny Hamlin, with a slight push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell, passes rival Ross Chastain for the lead in the middle of Stage 2.

Lap 69: Ross Chastain, after beginning 22nd, has pushed up to the No. 1 position. He’s been aggressive all day. Kyle Larson is close behind, and Christopher Bell is in lockstep behind him. Bubba Wallace, who started at the pole but pitted on the competition caution, is slowly making his way back up after falling behind and not earning a top-10 finish in Stage 1.

Stage 1

Lap 45: Christopher Bell wins Stage 1, his second stage win of his career. Other point-grabbers (in order): Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones, Martin Truex Jr., Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe.

Lap 26: A chaotic restart! Several cars spun out in the back part of the field, including Austin Cindric, who slammed into the wall head-on. Kyle Busch, who drove one of the fastest cars in qualifying, also got caught in the wreck. Both of their days are likely done.

Lap 25: Restart commences. Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr. at front after not pitting.

Lap 20: Competition caution. The yellow flag flew for drivers to enter pit road, a custom after rain falls pre-race. Not every driver stayed on the track, but the race’s top-3 — Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick — did.

Lap 15: Tyler Reddick climbs, taking second place. Bubba Wallace building a 1.3 second-lead. Competition caution scheduled for Lap 20.

Lap 1: Joey Logano gives Bubba Wallace a good push, and the No. 23 car is settling into about a half-second lead over the rest of the field.

Green flag, 4:33 p.m.: And we’re off! The race was originally scheduled for 3:01 p.m.

4:17 p.m.: Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mel Tucker screamed the most famous phrase in motorsports: “Drivers, start your engines!” They also added their school’s fan tagline, “Go green!”

4:07 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies have begun: invocation, Canadian national anthem and American national anthem. Michigan International Speedway is only 70 miles south of the border, and this is the first time residents of Canada will be able to see a Cup Series race in-person at MIS since COVID upended life.

3:31 p.m.: Per NASCAR: “We are no longer under a lightning hold. All clear to resume normal operations.”

3:28 p.m.: Still no beginning in sight for Saturday’s race. Lightning and rain has kept cars off the track.

2:34 p.m.: NASCAR announces that the track is in a lightning hold. Updates on race delays will be passed along here.

2:10 p.m.: Saturday marked the Cup race’s qualifying, yes, but it also saw Ty Gibbs notch his fifth Xfinity Series win of 2022. The 19-year-old will be competing in Kurt Busch’s No. 45 car for a third straight week as Busch recovers from concussion-like symptoms. He’ll begin in the No. 11 position.

Who took the pole?

Bubba Wallace notched his first career pole Saturday afternoon. The next two drivers will also be driving Toyotas — Christopher Bell will start along Wallace, and Kyle Busch will begin from the No. 3 spot.

How to watch NASCAR race at Michigan

• Race: FireKeepers Casino 400

• Distance: 400 miles, 200 laps

• Where: Michigan International Speedway

• When: 3 p.m.

• TV: USA Network

• Radio: Sirius XM NASCAR Radio

• Purse: $7,125,085
  
  

Starting lineup: FireKeepers Casino 400