3M Performance 400 Race Preview

Michigan International Speedway -- 08/17/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Thursday Aug 14 2008 2:57am

This is the time of year when the Cup series starts circling back to tracks that we've already visited once this season - sometimes pretty recently.

This weekend's 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo at Michigan International Speedway is just such a race.

The Cup boys were just here in mid June for the 15th race of the season. This week is race number 23.

Michigan is a two-mile D-shaped oval with 18 degrees of banking in the turns, 12 degrees along the frontstretch, and 5 degrees on the backstretch. It is known as a fast multi-groove track with races that are often decided by fuel mileage.

That was the case in June, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossing the finish line first in fuel conservation mode in a green-white-checkered finish - though you may recall the controversy that ensued regarding Earnhardt's passing of the pace car under caution as he worked to save fuel.

As Kurt Busch, a two-time winner at Michigan and reigning winner of this race, notes, "The strategy there has long been so similar to what's in play
on the road courses, where you seem to always have to have a sharp guy
working the calculator in plotting the fuel mileage strategy … Probably the best example of all of that would be to look back at the June race and take note of what all Junior did at the end in winning that one. The same type of ending could likely occur there this weekend."

Earnhardt Jr.'s recent win here was the first since June of 2001 for a Chevy driver. Since that time, six Dodges and seven Fords have visited victory lane.
Mark Martin (+2850) leads all active drivers at MIS with four wins, though the last one was in 1998 in a Jack Roush Ford. Bobby Labonte has three wins, followed by five drivers with two wins each: Matt Kenseth (+855), Jeff Gordon (+1650), Kurt Busch (+4550), Greg Biffle (+1150), and Ryan Newman (+4550).

Single race winners at Michigan include Tony Stewart (+985), Kasey Kahne (+905), Earnhardt Jr. (+1115), and Carl Edwards (+525).

In terms of chronology, the five most recent winners at MIS are Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Carl Edwards won the June race at Michigan last season and boasts the best average finish among active drivers with a 7.2. He finished 7th here this past June, and in eight MIS races has accumulated four top 5s, seven top 10s, and 158 laps led.

Following Edwards in the average finish category are Matt Kenseth with a 9.3, and Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin (+1550), each at 10.8.

Surprisingly, though, it is Earnhardt Jr. who leads all drivers in points accumulated over the last five Michigan races, including bonus points. He's followed in that category by Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Denny Hamlin.

It should be noted that Jimmie Johnson (+525) was the lap leader here in June, with 65 of 200 laps led, though he faded at the end to finish 6th. Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards also led double-digit laps in June.

Points leader Kyle Busch (+685) has seven Michigan starts with just two top-10 finishes. He started on the pole here in June and finished 13th. A Toyota driver has not yet won a Cup series race at MIS.