3M Performance 400 Qualifying Update

Michigan International Speedway -- 08/17/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Sunday Aug 17 2008 12:16am

It's funny that with all the talk about the prior success of the Roush-Fenway Fords at Michigan, and the overall success of Kyle Busch so far this season, a lot of the focus this weekend seems to be on Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team.

Despite being 6th in points heading into Michigan, four-time Sprint Cup champion Gordon is winless this year and is coming off a surprisingly poor, and somewhat inexplicable, 29th-place finish last week at Watkins Glen - where he'd previously won six times.

It's unlikely that Gordon will go the entire season without picking up at least one win. But if that were to happen, it would be the first time since 1993 - his rookie season - that he failed to win a race.

In fact, since that rookie year, Gordon has averaged almost six wins per season with a high of 13 in 1998 (Kyle Busch currently has 8 this year). Gordon had three straight years with double digit wins, including the '98 season and 10 wins in both '96 and '97. He won six races last year.

Although Michigan is statistically not one of Gordon's best tracks - just two wins here in 31 starts - a lot of people are anxious to see whether he rebounds from last weekend's disappointing performance, now with just four races to go before the start of the Chase.

Gordon (+1500) qualified 5th for Sunday's "3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo" at Michigan, though he was only 20th fastest in Happy Hour. Three of four Hendrick drivers qualified in the top 5, including Gordon, Jimmie Johnson (+400) at 2nd and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+850) at 4th.

"Pit road position and location is important and track position is important," said Gordon about Michigan. "It’s always important to qualify good no matter where you’re at, but this track is so wide, there is so much racing groove that you have here, you can start most anywhere and be competitive here. It just depends on how the caution flags fall."

Caution flags - because more often than not, the finish at MIS comes down to fuel mileage. The goal of teams will be to run somewhere near the front of the pack as the race winds down, and to be on the right fuel strategy to aggressively compete for the win.

Polesitter Vickers in the No. 83 Toyota has been among a handful of cars to watch so far this weekend. His 188.536 mph, 38.189 qualifying lap was a full three-tenths faster than Jimmie Johnson in 2nd. Vickers also paced the first practice session on Friday and ran in the top 10 in second practice and Happy Hour.

Vickers was the only driver to accomplish that feat - running in the top 10 in all three practices and qualifying. Johnson came close, but was 12th on the speed charts in Happy Hour.

Behind Vickers and Johnson on the starting grid are Elliott Sadler (+2850), Earnhardt Jr., and Gordon. Rounding out the top 10 are Patrick Carpentier (the highest qualifying rookie), David Reutimann, Regan Smith, Greg Biffle (+1000), and Scott Riggs.

Among the Chase contenders starting farther back in the field are Carl Edwards (+450), 27th; Jeff Burton (+3850), 28th; Kasey Kahne (+1800), 32nd; Denny Hamlin (+1500), 37th; Kevin Harvick (+2000), 38th; and Clint Bowyer, 41st.
Edwards won Saturday's Nationwide race, with Brian Vickers, in a horsepower-limited Toyota, finishing 2nd.

It's interesting to note that Harvick and Burton, two Richard Childress drivers who did not qualify well, were among the top 5 in Happy Hour: Edwards, Harvick, Hamlin, Mark Martin (+3000) and Burton.

There's also a general sense that the Roush-Fenway cars, with the possible exception of Edwards, are not as dialed in here as they have been in the past. Greg Biffle is the only Ford driver starting in the top 10.

Johnny Sauter was the only DNQ on Friday.

Statistically, 80% of the 78 Michigan Cup races have been won from a top-10 starting spot. The deepest in the field for a race winner was 28th, accomplished by Tony Stewart in June of 2000.