Chris Buescher holds off Martin Truex Jr. at Michigan International Speedway

Brad Keselowski revealed during a post-race press conference at Bristol last year that he had campaigned for Chris Buescher to get an opportunity in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford around 2017.

This move did not happen, but Keselowski continued to have the belief that Buescher was someone that could produce in the Cup Series. When he became a co-owner at RFK Racing, one of the first things he did was put a contract extension offer in front of Buescher.

“I kind of felt like he was a hidden free agent gem that wasn’t being scouted properly and felt that way for a handful of years,” Keselowski told media members at Bristol last season.

“So yeah, the first thing — it was literally the first thing I did when I signed the papers at RFK. The next step after signing my papers was putting an offer in front of him to give him a contract extension. I thought he was somebody we could build around and get results, and today clearly shows that that was the case.”

This show of support has paid off as RFK Racing has grown. Buescher has scored three wins since putting pen to paper, and he has gone back-to-back at Richmond and Michigan.

Buescher is now set for his first playoff appearance since his rookie season, and he has become a driver that could move through the early rounds. He has 11 playoff points, and he could earn more with consistent performances in the remaining regular-season races.

“We’re letting our results speak for themselves,” Keselowski told NBC Sports at Michigan on Monday. “Chris has done a heck of a job driving the car. When you get win, it feels really good.

“We got to keep some humbleness and keep our head down. There’s some great competition out here.”

Chris Buescher scored his fourth career Cup win Monday, his first at Michigan International Speedway. This win was the 14th at the 2-mile track for team owner Jack Roush, and it was the ninth straight for Ford Performance.

Martin Truex Jr. finished second. Denny Hamlin finished third. RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski finished fourth.

Kyle Larson was the top Chevy driver. He finished fifth. He was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to finish after Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and William Byron were all involved in incidents.

Michigan race results | Driver points after Michigan

Trackhouse Racing drivers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain finished sixth and seventh

Kevin Harvick, the defending Michigan winner, finished eighth in his final Cup race at the 2-mile track.

Ryan Blaney finished ninth in what was his first top 10 since Atlanta in July. Erik Jones finished 10th. This was his second top 10 in the past three races.

The Cup Series playoff field is finalizing with three races remaining in the regular season.

Chris Buescher clinched his spot by winning for the second time this season. He also helped Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clinch their spots.

Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Kyle Larson had all previously secured their spots with multiple wins.

Truex is currently the leader in the battle for the regular-season championship. He has a 57-point lead over Hamlin.

Two winless drivers — Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick — can clinch on points in the remaining regular-season races.

Per NASCAR, Harvick needs 44 points to clinch a spot in the 16-driver field, provided there is no new winner. Keselowski needs 54 points to clinch his spot in the playoffs.

These totals would put both drivers 111 points above the third winless driver. Bubba Wallace currently sits in that spot with a 58-point advantage over the cutline.

For the first time in Chris Buescher’s career, he has won multiple races in a NASCAR season.

The RFK Racing driver achieved this feat on Monday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway. He took the lead during the final stage and he held off Martin Truex Jr., who had swept the first two stages.

Buescher went back-to-back after winning last week’s race at Richmond, and he added five more playoff points to his total. He also became the first Roush driver since Greg Biffle in 2013 to win at Michigan.

With the win, Buescher tied his career-best total of 10 top-10 finishes. He set a new career-high with two wins in a season.

Denny Hamlin finished third after recovering from his car stalling on pit road. Brad Keselowski finished fourth and Kyle Larson finished fifth.

15 laps are left in the Cup race at Michigan, and two drivers are in a heated battle for the win. Martin Truex Jr., who had the best car all day, is struggling to get past Chris Buescher.

The two drivers both made their final pit stops with just over 40 laps remaining in the race. Buescher remained ahead of Truex after pitting earlier, but he could not pull away from the 2017 Cup champion.

Once all of the drivers ahead of Buescher headed down pit road for their final stops, he took back the lead. He proceeded to spend dozens of laps trying to hold off Truex.

Truex was able to pull up next to Buescher with 12 laps to go, and he led at the start-finish line. However, he got loose as they went three-wide with Michael McDowell, and he had to get out of the gas.

Truex nearly crashed, but he kept the No. 19 moving forward and in contention for at least a top-two finish.

Tyler Reddick passed Chris Buescher on pit road with just over 40 laps remaining at Michigan. However, he immediately headed back to pit road on the next lap.

The No. 45 had a right rear tire issue. Reddick had to head back to his pit stall, but the crew struggled to get the tire off. He remained on pit road for well over a minute while falling multiple laps behind Buescher.

The replay showed that Reddick had a loose wheel, which sent him spinning on the track. He kept the car out of the wall, but he dropped out of contention for the potential win.

The replay also showed that the rear tire changer noticed an issue with the right side of the car. He waved at the jackman, but he ultimately went to the left side of the car to continue with the stop.

The race at Michigan International Speedway has seen three Hendrick Motorsports drivers hitting the wall.

Chase Elliott hit the wall after a tire went flat on Lap 35, William Byron hit the wall on the final lap of stage 1 and Alex Bowman got turned into the wall on Lap 126.

The latest incident was the result of the field going three-wide ahead of Bowman. Austin Cindric moved Michael McDowell up into Todd Gilliland, which sent the No. 38 Ford into the wall.

Bowman tried to avoid Gilliland, but Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe made contact below him. Briscoe hit Bowman and turned him into the wall. The No. 48 blew all four tires and sustained damage on the front.

The track crews towed Bowman back to his pit stall where his team attempted to make repairs to get him back on the track. The No. 48 went on the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock.

Prior to the caution, Bowman had focused on maximizing his points day. He finished seventh in stage 1 and fifth in stage 2 while battling other drivers near the playoff bubble.

Two stages are complete at Michigan, and Martin Truex Jr. has shown that he has the car to beat.

The 2017 Cup champion headed down pit road after Ryan Preece brought out the caution on Lap 104. He restarted 14th, but he quickly moved through the field in 14 green flag laps.

Truex caught leader Daniel Suarez on the final lap of the stage, and he pulled alongside the No. 99 on the backstretch. Suarez tried to hold off Truex, but he missed out on the stage win by inches and settled for nine points.

Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric, and Chris Buescher all scored stage points.

The caution has flown at Michigan International Speedway for another tire issue. This time, it was for Ryan Preece.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver slowed on the track on Lap 104 as smoke began to pour from the right side of his No. 41 Ford. He had a flat right rear tire.

Preece was able to avoid spinning and hitting the wall, something that happened to Chase Elliott during the first stage. He limped his way back to pit road and was able to continue in the race without any major damage.

Denny Hamlin headed down pit road inside of the top 10, but he had an issue after getting two tires and fuel. His No. 11 would not restart, which temporarily left him stranded outside of his pit stall.

Hamlin was able to eventually get the Toyota fired, but he fell to the rear of the field.

The Cup drivers have completed 100 laps at Michigan International Speedway, making the race official.

Bubba Wallace led at the halfway point after he took the field three-wide and passed both Martin Truex Jr. and Austin Cindric on the Monday morning restart.

However, Truex jumped to the lead on Lap 101 after hearing that another Toyota driver, Denny Hamlin, had enough fuel to reach the end of the stage.

Tyler Reddick, who had the lead under caution, runs 16th. Alex Bowman has moved up to 14th after restarting back in the middle of the pack.

The Cup race at Michigan is back underway on Lap 83!

Tyler Reddick was in the lead when the yellow flew on Sunday for rain, but he restarted well back in the pack. The reason is that he and the majority of leaders headed down pit road for fresh tires and/or fuel.

Martin Truex Jr. inherited the lead, and he restarted on the outside while Austin Cindric lined up on his inside. Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace lined up on the second row.

Wallace used a big run to jump to the inside of Truex and Cindric. He took the lead on Lap 84 while Truex moved back into second place. Jones fell back to sixth, but he was able to work his way back into third.

The Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway has been postponed to Monday at 12 p.m. ET on USA Network.

Rainfall at the 2-mile track brought the red flag out at 5:28 p.m., but NASCAR did not initially make the call to postpone the race.

The goal was to get the remaining 125 laps in on Sunday, but there was not enough time to dry the track before sunset. Michigan does not have lights.

According to Weather Underground, the Monday forecast calls for intermittent rain showers throughout the day with a high of 68 degrees and a 44% chance of precipitation at the start of the Cup race.

The rain delayed the start of the 200-lap race at Michigan. It then returned midway through stage 2.

The caution flew on Lap 74 after reports of rain in Turns 1 and 2. NASCAR brought the cars back onto pit road and displayed the red flag at 5:28 p.m. as the rain began to pick up.

The race is not yet official. It needs to reach halfway (Lap 100) in order for NASCAR to declare an official winner.

The race at Michigan has come to a halt on Lap 65 for another car hitting the outside wall.

Christopher Bell was racing on the inside of Alex Bowman as the two drivers battled for the lead at the 2-mile track. His No. 20 Toyota snapped loose and slid into the outside wall.

Bowman and Denny Hamlin, who was running third, both narrowly avoided getting collected.

“I’m pretty sure it’s killed, but I’ll bring it to you,” Bell said over the radio as he headed back to pit road. He was able to return to the track after meeting minimum speed.

The Cup Series field took the green flag to start stage 2, but they did not complete a lap. The caution flew for a single-car spin further back in the pack.

Josh Berry, who replaced a suspended Noah Gragson in the No. 42, lost control and hit the Turn 4 wall. He pulled down into the infield grass, where he climbed from the Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet.

Berry is the fourth driver to end the race early. Kyle Busch hit the wall on Lap 15 after contact with Ryan Blaney. Chase Elliott hit the wall on Lap 35 after a tire issue. William Byron hit the wall at the end of stage 1.

Martin Truex Jr. is off to a strong start at Michigan. He inherited the lead by staying out on the track after Kyle Busch hit the wall and brought out the caution.

Truex then went on to lead the rest of stage 1. He held off Bubba Wallace after the caution flew for Chase Elliott hitting the wall, and he picked up his fourth stage win of the year.

Wallace ended the stage second while continuing to build a cushion between himself and the playoff cutline. Ty Gibbs, who was 17th in the standings entering Michigan, finished third and locked up eight points.

Two other bubble drivers capitalized with points in stage 1. Daniel Suarez finished sixth while Alex Bowman finished seventh. Michael McDowell and AJ Allmendinger both missed out on stage points.

The second caution of the day has flown at Michigan International Speedway. This time, it was for Chase Elliott.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver was racing inside of the top 10 on Lap 35 when his No. 9 Chevrolet just spun around and backed into the outside wall. The replay showed that the right rear tire was down.

The hit crumpled the rear of Elliott’s Chevrolet and sent him to the garage. He ended the day 36th after running inside of the top 10.

Elliott entered the weekend 40 points below the cutline. He will now head to the remaining three regular-season races in a must-win situation.

This is nothing new for Elliott, who told media members on Saturday that “My stance has been the same since I got back. I think we need to win (to make the playoffs).”

Once the caution flew, Michael McDowell headed to his pit stall. Per NBC Sports’ Dustin Long, his team had asked him over the radio if he had hit someone because the front of the No. 34 Ford was caved in. The caution for Elliott gave the team time to attempt some repairs.

The first caution has come out at Michigan International Speedway.

Kyle Busch brought out the yellow. He was racing Ryan Blaney when he spun after contact with the No. 12. He hit the outside wall, but he was able to spin around and get moving once again.

Busch headed to pit road after hitting the wall, but he ultimately took the No. 8 Chevrolet to the garage. He ended the day in 37th. This was his second last-place finish in the past four races. Busch finished 36th at New Hampshire.

Busch hitting the wall led to NASCAR making a change. There was a competition caution scheduled for Lap 20, but it moved to Lap 15 after the incident.

A rain delay disrupted the start of the Cup Series race at Michigan, but the drivers were able to fire the engines once again at 4:05 p.m. They completed pace laps and took the green flag at 4:13 p.m.

Christopher Bell started from the pole, but Ross Chastain quickly took the lead after a massive push from Ty Gibbs. Bell had to settle into second while Chris Buescher and Martin Truex Jr. battled for third.

Chase Elliott started 10th, but he worked his way up to seventh by the start of the third lap. His focus remains on winning before the end of the regular season, but he can make his path to the playoffs easier with points in the first two stages.

Per NASCAR, the official time for the rain delay was one hour and 43 minutes.

At 2:52 p.m., NASCAR called the Cup drivers back to pit road due to the rain at Michigan.

At 3:48 p.m., NASCAR called the drivers back to their cars. There were some blue skies, and the track drying was progressing well with some help from the sunshine.

Engines will fire at 4:05 p.m. as the drivers prepare to take on the 2-mile track once again.

The rain has disrupted the start of the Cup race once again.

The drivers fired the engines at 2:33 p.m. in anticipation of the Cup race at Michigan. They completed pace laps and tested pit road speed, but they did not take the green flag.

Rain continued to fall around the track, so NASCAR brought the cars back to pit road at 2:52 p.m. Drivers originally received instructions to stay in their cars, but NASCAR said they could climb out after “losing the backstretch” of the track.

The Cup Series drivers experienced a brief delay after climbing into their cars, but they are now ready for the Cup race at Michigan.

Former Detroit Lions fullback Cory Schlesinger grabbed the microphone after the rain passed, and he told the drivers to start their engines. This set up the pace laps that lead to the green flag.

The field will check pit road speed while following the pace car and then they will take the green flag to officially kick off 200 laps of action at the 2-mile track. USA Network provides coverage.

The weather has already had an impact on the Cup race at Michigan.

The drivers climbed into their cars after the invocation and the national anthem, but they did not receive the command to fire engines. The reason was that rain began to fall at the track.

There were only light sprinkles, so the drivers remained in their cars. Radio communication indicated that there was no change to the racing surface. NASCAR just needed the rain to stop so that the drivers could head out on the track.

The NASCAR Cup Series teams take on Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:30 p.m. on USA Network after NASCAR moved up the start time.

Michigan is one of the four remaining tracks before the playoffs begin. 12 drivers have celebrated wins this season, which leaves four spots above the playoff cutline and puts extra pressure on Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez.

Kevin Harvick is the defending winner at Michigan. He will take on the 2-mile track for the final time in his Cup career, and he will try to win for the seventh time in the Irish Hills.

Christopher Bell will lead the field to the green flag after he won the pole during Saturday’s qualifying session. Ross Chastain will join him on the front row.

Follow along for live updates throughout the afternoon at Michigan International Speedway.