Not so long ago, Ford had a streak of nine consecutive NASCAR Cup Series wins at Michigan International Speedway between 2018 and 2023. Key word “had”.
Five different drivers contributed to the nine straight wins, which marked the longest stretch of consecutive wins by a single manufacturer in Michigan’s Cup history, which dates all the way back to 1969. Even in years when Ford was at a disadvantage to Chevrolet and Toyota, the manufacturer did its homework and found a way to victory lane to retain bragging rights over the other manufacturers at the home track, 90 minutes away from Motor City.
But Ford’s streak ended in 2024 with Tyler Reddick winning for Toyota, and last Sunday’s (June 7) Cup race at Michigan made Ford’s streak truly feel like a distant memory. Because for the first time since June 1983, a Ford failed to lead a single lap at the two-mile oval.
Chevrolet led 112, Toyota led 88 and picked up the win. Ford led zero for the first time in nearly half a century. The manufacturer that ruled Michigan with an iron fist just three years ago was reduced to a mere footnote last weekend.
But that’s not all. Not only did Ford fail to lead a lap, but it also failed to place a single car in the top 10 during qualifying. Chris Buescher was the highest-qualifying Ford in 14th, and Sunday marked the first time since the Nov. 2015 event at Phoenix Raceway that Ford failed to have a single car qualify in the top 13.
Compared to qualifying, Sunday’s race went slightly better for the manufacturer with three Fords finishing in the top 10, led by Joey Logano in seventh, Ryan Blaney in eighth and Buescher in ninth — three drivers who had each contributed a Michigan win to Ford’s former streak of nine-in-a-row. To go from six seasons of only winning at Michigan to this mediocre performance in just three years is a major fall from grace.
It’s been slim pickings for Ford as a whole this year, as the manufacturer’s lone win of the 2026 season came with Blaney at Phoenix. Blaney is the only reason Ford is currently treading above water, as he’s won the last five races for the manufacturer. In fact, he’s the only driver from the Ford camp to win a Cup race within the last calendar year. The last Ford driver not named Blaney to win was Logano at Texas Motor Speedway in April of last year.
In addition to Blaney’s win, Ford has three runner-up finishes in 2025: Brad Keselowski finished second at Darlington Raceway behind Reddick, Buescher finished second at Talladega behind Carson Hocevar and Blaney finished runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway behind Ty Gibbs. Those four races are the only times that Ford looked to even have a decent shot at winning a race.
Compounding matters is that Blaney and Buescher are the only Fords with a sizeable gap on the Chase cut line. Every other Blue Oval is fighting for their championship lives and left scratching and clawing for any point they can get. And at Michigan, a track where Ford was at the very least guaranteed to run well — if not win — in the past, it put up one big no-show.
Is this Ford’s worst start ever? Not even close, as the manufacturer went winless in the first 20 races of 2010 and only won four races all year. It seems reasonable to think that Ford will at least eclipse that mark, but with Toyota’s insane speed and two road/street courses on the upcoming schedule, Ford will reach the halfway point of the year with just one win, barring a miracle.
It’s just a blip in the road, right? After all, Ford rebounded from its disastrous 2010 to earn the manufacturer’s title in a dominant 2018. The manufacturer has been down before and gotten right back up, so it can’t do the same in the coming years?
It certainly can, but Ford is currently at a crossroads that it wasn’t at 10 years ago. Pat Di Marco, the Ford Racing Director who was heavily involved with NASCAR, announced his retirement last week
Stewart-Haas Racing, one of Ford’s signature Cup teams, closed its doors at the end of 2024.
The one-race championship playoff format that Team Penske used to prioritize flat tracks and win three consecutive drivers’ championships with is no more.
The once dominant NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program that Ford used for driver development has been completely shuttered, and the series doesn’t have a single full-time Ford for the first time since the 1990s. Front Row Motorsports’ NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team has impressed, and Layne Riggs looks like a legitimate Cup prospect, but that’s about it.
Looking for speed, wins, prospects and a new direction, Ford’s NASCAR program is at a turning point and looks to be the weakest it’s been in quite some time. Each manufacturer has its peaks and valleys, but will Ford be able to rebound and return to the highs it reached in 2018 and 2020? And if it can, how long will it take?
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf
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