Preview of the Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Last week at Watkins Glen International we were treated to some great road racing action and an even better exciting and controversial finish. Marcos Ambrose drove his car as best he could in spite of the oil on the track and bested Brad Keselowski in a finish that will live in memories for ages. There won’t be much beating and banging at Michigan International Speedway but there will be a lot of wide open racing. This week NASCAR is at the Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400.
The Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a 2 mile “D” shaped oval. It has 18 degrees of banking in the corners, 12 degrees in the frontstretch, and 5 degrees in the backstretch. Although this is a two mile speedway it is very much like the 1.5 mile “D” shaped tracks that dominate the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. The major difference is that this track is faster and wider. They can and do race five wide here at times on restarts. This track took over the title of the fastest nonrestrictor plate track in NASCAR last June in the first race after repaving.
Michigan International Speedway has been dominated in the past by Roush Fenway Racing drivers. Roush Fenway Racing and the Wood Brothers are tied with eleven wins each. Although it will be expected that the Roush drivers will do well here, they have not taken the ultimate prize of a race win since August of 2008. Last June Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a winless streak that went back to June of 2008 so maybe it is Roush Fenway Racing’s time again. The Driver Ratings back up the Roush Fenway Racing stats with their drivers holding three of the top four spots; Greg Biffle 108.1, Matt Kenseth 105.4, and Carl Edwards 104.7. Jimmie Johnson is third with a rating of 105.0. Tony Stewart comes way after Carl with a rating of 98.6.
Just like the June race, Driver Ratings at this track really only indicate how strong a driver races; it does not necessarily indicate race wins. Case in point, Jimmie Johnson has the third best rating but has never won at this track. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with five wins at MIS. Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and Ryan Newman have all won two races here.
Expect the talk of the weekend to revolve around the Chase for the Wild Card Spots in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. All of the drivers in 11th place to 20th place can only rely on one or more race wins to get into the Chase. NASCAR has officially eliminated “Points Racing”. Kasey Kahne is all but assured a spot in the Wild Card with his two wins. Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose and Joey Logano can get themselves in with an additional win. Carl Edwards, Paul Menard, Jeff Burton and Jamie McMurry will not make the Chase without a win. If that is not enough, the drivers in the top ten are solidly in. They have nothing to lose so they will be racing hard for the win and the bonus points that come with it. Those bonus points are the only ones they can take with them into the Chase. That includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. “On the way to getting that done, you want to win more races and we were really conservative all year long,” he said. “We feel like that in the position we are in now, we can gamble a lot more.”
This race, like the track, is wide open; your favorite driver has as much a chance of winning here as all the others. Driver ratings for the top 12 at this track are included below for reference.
If you cannot get to the track the race will be televised live on ESPN at Noon ET.
Brian Berg Jr. is the Lead NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com.
Follow him on Twitter @brian_jr1 during the race and throughout the week for more NASCAR news and commentary. On Facebook at NASCAR News and Commentary
Top 12 Driver Rating at Michigan
Greg Biffle………………………….. 108.1
Matt Kenseth……………………….. 105.4
Jimmie Johnson…………………… 105.0
Carl Edwards………………………. 104.7
Tony Stewart…………………………. 98.6
Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 97.2
Jeff Gordon………………………….. 96.7
Denny Hamlin……………………….. 94.3
Kyle Busch…………………………… 94.0
Kurt Busch……………………………. 91.7
Kasey Kahne………………………… 86.4
Mark Martin…………………………… 86.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2012 races (15 total) at Michigan International Speedway.
