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(Ryan Blaney beating William Byron to the checkered flag to win) https://twitter.com/joe_srigley/status/1429580277345656836?s=20 Ryan Blaney won a hectic race at Michigan in what would be the closest margin of victory in the Irish Hills. With this being the second to last race of the regular season, a lot would be on the line and risks would take place for those trying to make it into the playoffs. It is noted that Corey Lajoie was forced to sit out the race as per Covid Protocols and Josh Berry would make his second Cup series start, this time subbing for Lajoie. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott started on the front row with Elliott on the pole position. Blaney would fall back at the start of the race early in stage one as another driver being Martin Truex Jr would struggle in the early part of the stage suffering from left rear damage on his quarter panel thanks to the 18 of Kyle Busch. The damage would hinder the car of Truex Jr as every team has set up their cars similarly to how they would at a superspeedway because of this low horsepower aero package. Competition Caution would come out on lap 22 as there was no practice or qualifying for this race weekend as Larson still leads. Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott would restart on the front row as Hamlin would only take fuel during pit stops because his crew chief Chris Gabehart could not hear him on the radio until the restart. Caution would come out on lap 32 for the 15 car of Joey Gase as he would have a tire problem and have heavy impact into the outside wall, ending his day. Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott would bring the field to the green flag on the restart. Busch would slide back through the field after only taking left side tires on pit road. The battle for the stage one win would come down to Elliott, Austin Dillon, Larson, Hamlin, and Logano as the top five would be covered by a blanket. With Dillon hot on the heels of Elliott, it would be the Camaro of Elliott taking the stage one win over a very fast number 3 car of Austin Dillon. Larson and Dillon would lead the field for stage two at the restart on lap 67. Matt Dibenedetto would make contact with Kurt Busch coming out of turn for on lap 68, Busch would save his car almost wrecking but keeps it off the wall only losing several spots on track. The top four continue to battle as the field spreads out but manufacturers are trying to work with each other drafting to get to the front. Pit stops would begin with 15 laps to go in stage two with William Byron heading to his pit. Larson and Elliott the leaders would pit with 10 and 9 laps to go respectively. As the green and white checkered flag would come out to end stage 2, Kyle Busch would be your winner but a huge wreck would occur for the battle for a sixth place and a playoff point as Brad Keselowski would hook Austin Dillon on the front stretch wrecking the 3 car leaving it absolutely destroyed. Start of stage three sees Larson and Kurt Busch restart 1 and 2 with 74 laps remaining in the race. After some mishaps at the start of the race, Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr have bounced back running in the top five along with Ryan Newman in the top 10. As Larson would continue to lead with 53 laps to go, Byron would come up to challenge. Green flag pit stops would start happening with 44 laps to go, firstly with Byron and Bowman followed by Larson who would run out of fuel with 41 to go coming to pit lane. With 32 to go Kyle Busch slides through his pit box forcing him to back up before being able to complete his pit stop. Caution would come out for a pop up shower with 21 laps to go. Byron and Kurt Busch will restart on the front row with 14 laps to go. Caution would come out as Tyler Reddick would dive bomb coming into turn three, he would stack up the field behind him as Logano would run into him and Truex would run into Logano spinning him collecting several cars including Berry, Kevin Harvick and Michael McDowell. On what would be the final restart of the race, Ryan Blaney would opt to take the inside lane while the top four took the top lane meaning he was able to restart on the front row in what could be the race winning move. It was Byron and Blaney on the front row for the final restart, a big push by Kyle Busch would excel Blaney way out front while Byron would put a block on Denny Hamlin. With 6 laps to go, Reddick would have a tire go down spinning around but we would stay caution free. In the closing laps, Blaney would continue to drive very defensively, mirror driving, blocking Byron and Larson as Ryan Blaney would beat William Byron to the line by 0.077 seconds. This victory for Blaney marks sixth of his career, and makes this season his first multi win season. His second win of the season also meant it was the closest margin of victory ever at Michigan International Speedway! FireKeepers Casino 400 Top 5: 1. Ryan Blaney 2. William Byron 3. Kyle Larson 4. Kurt Busch 5. Denny Hamlin FireKeepers Casino 400 Notables: 6. Matt Dibenedetto 10. Martin Truex Jr 26. Josh Berry 29. Tyler Reddick Written By: Matt Marr

NASCAR '21: Ignition promises to bring in the new era of NASCAR video games. The game is the first installment to use the Unreal Engine for graphics and physics. However, some fans have been a bit discouraged by the lack of NASCAR's feeder series, the Xfinity and Truck series. Fans are concerned that the career mode and freshness of the game could become boring over time. However, I believe that this step is EXACTLY what the NASCAR gaming franchise needed. I have played NASCAR games ever since I was a kid and I have seen the franchise take on multiple forms. I believe that the newest form of NASCAR games might be the best yet. Here are a few reasons why NASCAR '21: Ignition only needs to have the NASCAR Cup Series: It's Worked Before NASCAR '21 is not the only game to only present the NASCAR Cup Series. Furthermore, it would not be the first game to be successful without the feeder series included. While NASCAR Heat Evolution, the most recent game without the feeders, left a little to be desired; games such as NASCAR Thunder 2004 and NASCAR The Game: Inside Line have both captivated audiences with their gameplay. The same could easily be said for Ignition given the amount of effort that has been put into the development of the game. More Time to Focus on What Matters While there are benefits to adding in the feeder series; coding in these aero packages, different tracks, and playoff formats can take time away from focusing on the graphics and physics of the game itself. Features of a game are great, but if the game does not run smoothly the overall product will suffer. Motorsport Games has been very clear on their intentions of providing us with the most perfect racing simulation that we can have. In order to make this happen, it is quite possible that the feeder series became a hindrance. New Career Mode Approach Career mode is the mode that is affected the most by not having the feeder series. However, career mode might get a freshened feel because of it. For the last few NASCAR games, players have experienced what it's like to start from the bottom and work through the series to get to the Cup Series. While this is the most common approach for upcoming NASCAR hopefuls, it is not the only path to the top. There are drivers in the Cup series, such as Quin Houff, who have not raced in the lower series. This can give players a look into their path. One of the most interesting real-world careers to follow in NASCAR is that of Matt DiBenedetto. Matty D. has worked with low-budget teams in NASCAR and has gotten to better rides with his performances on the track. Having this sort of story in the new game might be a fresh take for the NASCAR games. There are multiple reasons that support the belief that NASCAR '21: Ignition can be a very successful game without the feeder series being included. Another thing fans should keep in mind is this most likely will only be a temporary sacrifice. If Motorsport Games can get the basics down and have a strong foundation for the franchise, then it should not take long for them to build on that foundation with new series, features, and fun.