2017 NASCAR Week 23: Michigan

Pure Michigan 400

Michigan International Speedway

By Richard Tix

What to Watch For?

NBTW at MIS

• Seriously folks, I'll be in Michigan this weekend and will be at the track at least a couple of the days, if not all three (Fri, Sat, Sun). This is one of the top weekends every Summer for me because I get to travel from Minnesota to Michigan to not only catch the race, but hang out with some pretty awesome friends in the process who I normally only see once or twice a year. So, follow along on Twitter if you have one (@NASCARBTW) because I'll be posting throughout the weekend while at the track. It won't just be NASCAR related by the way, we also may hit up a brewery or two, check out the Twins taking on the Tigers, and some local town day's festivities. 

Brad Keselowski vs Kyle Busch

• The chances of these two actually having a run in at MIS are about as high as Kyle Busch actually confronting BK after WGI last week (hint: he didn't). However, I still like focusing in on things like this because they're an interesting storyline that even casual outsider fans can get into. If you missed it, these two once again got into a tangle at WGI and some "things" were said by Kyle Busch in frustration. I am sure much of it was heat of the moment, but lets be honest these two aren't exactly friends while they're on the track. So, watch for some hard racing when they're near each other this weekend.

The "Underdogs"

• Ok, some of these guys are big names so it's tough to classify them as underdogs, but without a win counting towards the playoffs and most of them on the outside looking in, they're underdogs for the playoffs in my mind. First up, Joey Logano: cucumber win and all, JoLo runs well at MIS and really, really needs a win because he is in win or go home mode. Next up, Dale Earnhardt Jr: Another driver who has a good track record here at MIS that is win or go home mode. Seriously, how huge would a Junior win be this weekend and how much would the crowd love it? Matt Kenseth: yeah, he is in as of right now on points, but not safely. A win this weekend would lock that up and he has done it three times before at MIS. Chase Elliott: Chase is also currently in on points, but Kyle Larson showed off last year at MIS in August with his first career win in Cup, can Chase do it this year? Each of these guys are fighting for a playoff spot and have a ton of success at MIS in the past, so will one of them get it done?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Chase Elliott- Is it finally his time? Chase has three straight second place finishes in his first three MIS starts.
• Kyle Larson- Who was Chase second to the last two MIS races? Yup, Kyle Larson who has won back to back times here.
• Joey Logano- Guess who Chase was second to in his other second place finish, yup JoLo.

The Middle

• Brad Keselowski- BK, a Michigan native, has yet to win at MIS his "home track." BK does have six top tens in his last seven starts here, though.

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- I expect Kyle to turn this around as he started to do so earlier this year when he finished seventh here, but before that he had seven straight without a top ten and only one top 15 in that same time.
• Aric Almirola- Zero for ten on top tens here at MIS in his career. More telling is that Aric only has one top 15 in those ten races and only six top 20's.
• Austin Dillon- Austin does have two top tens in ten career starts at MIS, but he also has an average finish of 17.6 in that same time.

About the Track: Michigan

Track Stats

• Cale Yarborough won the first race at MIS in 1969 and also two of the first three.
• The furthest back a driver has started a race from and won was 32nd in 2009 by Mark Martin.
• A MIS race has been won 20 times from the Pole position including the last race in 2015 at MIS by Matt Kenseth and the first stop in 2016 by Joey Logano.
• A MIS race has been won from the pole five times in the last eight races
• Most cautions was 10 in 2006 and the race was won by Matt Kenseth. This is also the only MIS race that had double digit cautions in 89 races.
• David Pearson has the most career MIS wins with 9. Cale Yarborough follows with 8
• Cale Yarborough has the most top 5 finishes with 21 followed by Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon (19).
• Mark Martin has the most career top 10's with 31, followed by Bill Elliott with 29.
• David Pearson has 10 career Poles at MIS (Cup leading)

Track Info

• Length: 2 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 18 degrees
• Start/Finish: 12 degrees
• Backstretch: 5 degrees

2017 NASCAR Schedule: Michigan

Pure Michigan 400

By Richard Tix

All Times are Eastern (ET)

Friday August 11th, 2017

• 11:30 a.m.-12:55 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- NBCSN
• 1-1:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice- FS1
• 3-3:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice- FS1
• 5:05 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday August 12th, 2017

• 8:30-9:25 a.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice- CNBC
• 9:30 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series final practice- NBC Sports App
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series LTI Printing 200 (100 laps)- FS1

Sunday August 13th, 2017

• 3 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (200 laps)- NBCSN

2016 Michigan NASCAR Schedule

Pure Michigan 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)**

Friday August 26, 2016

• Noon-1:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 1:30-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first practice- FS2
• 4-4:55 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice- FS2
• 5:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday August 27, 2016

• 8:30-9:25 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice- CNBC
• 9:45 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying- FS1
• 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- CNBC
• 1 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Careers for Veterans 200 Presented by Cooper Standard and Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation (100 laps)- FS1

Sunday August 28, 2016

• 2 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (200 laps)- NBCSN

2015 Pit Road Week 23: Michigan

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Pure Michigan 400

By Richard Tix

Another successful trip to Michigan International Speedway is in the books for NASCAR Behind the Wall. Once again the experience was top notch. The MIS staff was friendly and helpful and Roger Curtis brought it when he packed the house (it was a nice sized crowd on Sunday).

However, that is where most of the enjoyment ended on race day. NASCAR was trying out its second High Downforce Package at MIS and it was, well, a drag. It didn't help facilitate passing and most of the day was single file racing with Matt Kenseth leading the way time after time.

Matt Kenseth was the top of the class all day, so nothing you can do to take the win from him, but it seemed to be too easy for the leader to pull away every restart. So, high downforce isn't the answer (most of us thought that, but now we know for sure).

I am glad NASCAR gave it a shot because they're doing it for the fans, drivers, and product. So, before going off on how terribe it is just understand they had to give it a shot. That being said, I hope this is the last time NASCAR tries this high downforce package. Not many people I came accross enjoyed the product it produced.

The most telling sign had to be was when drivers were asked about it post race and most either talked about something else (Harvick) or said something like it is NASCAR's decision, we just have to drive it (Keselowski). Some didn't even comment at all which say it all.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone at MIS and track president Roger Curtis for housing such a great event. It really is more than a race when you go to Michigan and they invite you like family. If you have yet to go, get your schedule opened up for next June, August, or both!

Pit Road Power Rankings (Week 22)

1. Kevin Harvick (LW-2)- Harvick has three more top 5's and top 10's than the next closest driver (Logano). He has lead a lap in the last five races and 20 of 23 laps. That is how often he is up front. Those kinds of stats could make it a cake walk for him to get to the final four. Finish: 2nd
2. Kyle Busch (LW-1)- He put himself in a whole after he spun in practice and had to go to the back up car. Before that, he qualified 6th and had a great car all weekend. Unfortunatly, track position was key so he never could get close enough. His run all the way up the field was impressive and about the only passing we saw all day. Finish: 11th
3. Matt Kenseth (LW-4)- I jumped him up this list a few weeks ago and got a lot of flack for it, well how about now? He has six straight top 10's including two wins, and four top 5's. He dominated on Sunday after leading 146 of 200 laps. I have said it for a few weeks now, but JGR is on fire right now. Finish: 1st
4. Joey Logano (LW-3)- Tough crowd, second in points and 4th in the Power Rankings. But, these are not based solely on where a driver is in points (I also want to mention many of the top 4 are interchangeable right now and you can make a case for any of them). Finish: 7th
5. Brad Keselowski (LW-5)- Fan or not, that MGD throwback scheme was sharp and would have looked nice in VL. BK really only had a top 10 car all day and that's where he finished. Finish: 9th
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-9)- Hendrick and Co didn't have the best day on Sunday, the lone bright spot was Jr. It wasn't a great day, but it was another quality day to get him onto Bristol. Finish: 10th
7. Carl Edwards (LW-8)- If you need any evidence past Kenseth and Busch winning for a JGR resurgence, just look at Carl's fight back. He started the year off very slow and he now has five top 10's in six races (the other being a 13th place finish). Finish: 6th
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW-6)- It was a long day for JJ at MIS this past Sunday. He overshot his pit stall once and then spun in turn four. He will bounce back, but he has looked human in 2014 and 2015. Finish: 39th
9. Kyle Larson (LW-11)- His top 15 finish is not going to move him up these rankings fast, nor do they help him in his Chase hopes, but it also is a sign of a bit more consistency. Finish: 13th
10. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- Kurt just hasn't seemed to be contending for wins as often as he was when he first came back and was on fire. However, he is still getting top 10 finishes. That wasn't the case on Sunday where he had a rough run. Finish: 20th
11. Paul Menard (LW-12)- Menard is doing enough, but he also isn't doing too little. Right now he would make the Chase, but in no way will he move on if he continues to just get top 15 finishes. He needs to find a bit more to find some extra top 10's along the way. Finish: 12th
12. Ryan Newman (LW-NR)- He is doing it again.... Only four top 5's, but if he runs this consistent he could still get to the last eight, with a shot at a final four again. His 16 top 15's and 19 top 10's are keeping him from dropping out of the Chase picture. Finish: 8th

Dropped Out: Clint Bowyer

Just Missed: Denny Hamlin

Honorable Mention: Austin Dillon (2nd)

2015 Week 23 Preview: Michigan

Pure Michigan 400

Michigan International Speedway

By Richard Tix

It is that time of year again, the time where I get to head back to Michigan International Speedway and focus on the race in person and not behind a TV and computer screen. There is nothing like going to a race in person and it never gets old even after attending year after year. Every time I go to MIS it is different as you continue to meet new fans and create new memories.

It's not just the race either, it's the whole weekend and experience. Michigan International Speedway has one of the best fan experiences around. Track president Roger Curtis (@MISroger) does a fantastic job not only promoting how awesome the MIS experience is by ways of social media, but also reaches out to fans attending the track (PS: If you follow him on Twitter he is great at interacting. Also, every 1,000 new followers he gets he gives a once in a lifetime NASCAR giveaway).

I have yet to meet him, but I have heard many good things from fans who have. I have heard he runs around the infield and the camping sites sharing his great attitude with fans who have made the trip from all over (including a lot from Canada). I have also witnessed him give away some great fan experiences over Twitter to lucky fans like the above mentioned. All because he cares about the fans experience and it gives him a way to give back.

Looking past Roger, even he will admit he isn't the reason the track is great all by himself, the whole staff, helpers, and track volunteers are top notch. They always reach out to help you get where you are going and keep you in a good mood.

After all of that you are still left with a fun track that is one of the fastest around that is housing your favorite driver for the weekend. I have always recommended the trip to MIS for anyone interested for every such reason just mention, but also you should plan a trip to any track near you within reason.

The best part about NASCAR is how great each track experience can be and how unique they are. I have yet to make another Cup track as it is not an easy feat while living in MN in my current standing, but soon I hope to start branching out and also hitting other stops during the year.

Fan's tend to focus too much on the negatives that come with going to a race like prices of tickets, hotels, and airfare. To be honest, there are always a way around many of these obstacles if you look hard enough. If you plan a head you can get great tickets for a reasonable price. Some hotels may jack up prices but if you look a bit further out (45 min-1 hr) you can still find great deals. It is not always doable, but if it is within your means and you are a NASCAR fan try and get to the track. The race day experience is what it is all about and MIS brings it! So, what are you waiting for? You still have time to go to MIS this year and pick up some great tickets!

Now, lets get back to our regularly schedule weekend preview!

The Good

• Joey Logano- JoLo won this very race back in 2013 which really seemed to get him on the fast track to where he is now. Since then he has finishes of 9th, 3rd, and 5th (5 straight top 10's total). Since switching to Penske Joey has been a front runner race after race, in fact Penske has been the new RFR in the past few years at MIS (not to the full extent obviously).
• Kevin Harvick- Michigan wasn't always one of Harvicks tracks, but since 2013 (5 races) he has four 2nd place finishes. Earlier this year was his lone blemish in the five race span, but I would expect him to get back on track this weekend and start a new top 10 streak.
• Clint Bowyer- What current Cup driver has 9 straight top 10's at MIS? If you answered Bowyer you would be correct. Now, he only has 1 top 5 in that span so he might not threaten for the win. The fact remains, no other driver has more than 5 top 10's in that 9 race stretch.
• Extra Credit- Paul Menard (4 straight top 10's, 5 in his last 6 starts)

The Middle

• Brad Keselowski- Middle? Lately he has been more on the borderline good category but lets be honest. these categories all have there flaws based on opinion. Since BK has been in the #2 he has 5 top 10's, 8 finishes of 13th or better, in 9 total races. He has three straight top 10's so the same statement holds true for this Penske driver, they have been better than RFR here for a few years.

The Bad

• David Gilliland- Sorry David, no pass for being on a small team. 18 races without a top 10 is rough, but considering his small team the 18 races without a top 15 is worse. Actually, he only has two top 20's and four top 25's in that time.
• Trevor Bayne- Trevor actually did fair well in his first MIS race with RFR earlier this year, so I want to point that out first. But, before that he had only one top 15 and two top 20's in 8 races. RFR will want to see more from him like they did in June (9th place finish).
• Kyle Busch- Let's start here, you don't ever count out a guy like Kyle. However, his last four races have been terrible here. He has four straight finishes of 30+ and a string of bad luck. Over his career he has had a few streaks like this (not to the extent) at MIS, and he always bounced back. Look for Kyle to be a candidate to be taken off this list next year.

About the Track: Michigan International Speedway

Track Stats

• Cale Yarborough won the first race at MIS in 1969 and also two of the first three.
• The furthest back a driver has started a race from and won was 32nd in 2009 by Mark Martin.
• A MIS race has been won 17 times from the Pole position, mot recently was three races ago won by Joey Logano.
• Most cautions was 10 in 2006 and the race was won by Matt Kenseth. This is also the only MIS race that had double digit cautions in 89 races.
• David Pearson has the most career MIS wins with 9. Cale Yarborough follows with 8
• Cale Yarborough has the most top 5 finishes with 21 followed by Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon (19).
• Mark Martin has the most career top 10's with 31, followed by Bill Elliott with 29.
• David Pearson has 10 career Poles at MIS (Cup leading)

Track Info

• Length: 2 miles
• Banking
• Turns: 18 degrees
• Start/Finish: 12 degrees
• Backstretch: 5 degrees

Michigan International Speedway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make / Model
1969-24	6/15/1969	38	Cale Yarborough	4	'69 Mercury
1969-37	8/17/1969	44	David Pearson	1	'69 Ford
1970-19	6/7/1970	40	Cale Yarborough	4	'69 Mercury
1970-34	8/16/1970	40	Charlie Glotzbach	1	'69 Dodge
1971-23	6/13/1971	40	Bobby Allison	1	'69 Mercury
1971-36	8/15/1971	40	Bobby Allison	2	'69 Mercury
1972-14	6/11/1972	40	David Pearson	3	'71 Mercury
1972-22	8/20/1972	40	David Pearson	4	'71 Mercury
1973-16	6/24/1973	40	David Pearson	2	'71 Mercury
1974-15	6/16/1974	36	Richard Petty	4	'74 Dodge
1974-22	8/25/1974	36	David Pearson	1	'73 Mercury
1975-15	6/15/1975	36	David Pearson	3	'73 Mercury
1975-20	8/24/1975	36	Richard Petty	4	'74 Dodge
1976-15	6/20/1976	36	David Pearson	8	Mercury
1976-20	8/22/1976	36	David Pearson	1	Mercury
1977-15	6/19/1977	36	Cale Yarborough	4	Chevrolet
1977-20	8/22/1977	36	Darrell Waltrip	3	Chevrolet
1978-15	6/18/1978	36	Cale Yarborough	3	Oldsmobile
1978-20	8/20/1978	36	David Pearson	1	Mercury
1979-16	6/17/1979	36	Buddy Baker	3	Chevrolet
1979-21	8/19/1979	36	Richard Petty	5	Chevrolet
1980-16	6/15/1980	37	Benny Parsons	1	Chevrolet
1980-21	8/17/1980	37	Cale Yarborough	2	Chevrolet
1981-16	6/21/1981	37	Bobby Allison	4	Buick
1981-21	8/16/1981	36	Richard Petty	7	Buick
1982-15	6/20/1982	37	Cale Yarborough	4	Buick
1982-20	8/22/1982	38	Bobby Allison	10	Buick
1983-15	6/19/1983	37	Cale Yarborough	9	Chevrolet
1983-20	8/21/1983	37	Cale Yarborough	7	Chevrolet
1984-15	6/17/1984	40	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1984-20	8/12/1984	40	Darrell Waltrip	7	Chevrolet
1985-14	6/16/1985	37	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1985-18	8/11/1985	40	Bill Elliott	1	Ford
1986-14	6/15/1986	41	Bill Elliott	8	Ford
1986-19	8/17/1986	42	Bill Elliott	3	Ford
1987-14	6/28/1987	40	Dale Earnhardt	5	Chevrolet
1987-19	8/16/1987	40	Bill Elliott	3	Ford
1988-14	6/26/1988	41	Rusty Wallace	5	Pontiac
1988-19	8/21/1988	42	Davey Allison	4	Ford
1989-14	6/25/1989	40	Bill Elliott	2	Ford
1989-19	8/20/1989	40	Rusty Wallace	2	Pontiac
1990-14	6/24/1990	40	Dale Earnhardt	5	Chevrolet
1990-19	8/19/1990	41	Mark Martin	5	Ford
1991-14	6/23/1991	41	Davey Allison	4	Ford
1991-19	8/18/1991	40	Dale Jarrett	11	Ford
1992-14	6/21/1992	41	Davey Allison	1	Ford
1992-19	8/16/1992	41	Harry Gant	24	Oldsmobile
1993-14	6/20/1993	41	Ricky Rudd	2	Chevrolet
1993-20	8/15/1993	41	Mark Martin	12	Ford
1994-14	6/19/1994	42	Rusty Wallace	5	Ford
1994-21	8/21/1994	41	Geoffrey Bodine	1	Ford
1995-14	6/18/1995	42	Bobby Labonte	19	Chevrolet
1995-21	8/20/1995	42	Bobby Labonte	1	Chevrolet
1996-14	6/23/1996	40	Rusty Wallace	18	Ford
1996-21	8/18/1996	41	Dale Jarrett	11	Ford
1997-14	6/15/1997	43	Ernie Irvan	20	Ford
1997-21	8/17/1997	43	Mark Martin	2	Ford
1998-14	6/14/1998	43	Mark Martin	7	Ford
1998-21	8/16/1998	43	Jeff Gordon	3	Chevrolet
1999-14	6/13/1999	43	Dale Jarrett	6	Ford
1999-22	8/22/1999	43	Bobby Labonte	19	Pontiac
2000-14	6/11/2000	43	Tony Stewart	28	Pontiac
2000-22	8/20/2000	43	Rusty Wallace	10	Ford
2001-14	6/10/2001	43	Jeff Gordon	1	Chevrolet
2001-23	8/19/2001	43	Sterling Marlin	15	Dodge
2002-15	6/16/2002	43	Matt Kenseth	20	Ford
2002-23	8/18/2002	43	Dale Jarrett	8	Ford
2003-15	6/15/2003	43	Kurt Busch	4	Ford
2003-23	8/17/2003	43	Ryan Newman	2	Dodge
2004-15	6/20/2004	43	Ryan Newman	4	Dodge
2004-23	8/22/2004	43	Greg Biffle	24	Ford
2005-15	6/19/2005	43	Greg Biffle	25	Ford
2005-23	8/21/2005	43	Jeremy Mayfield	11	Dodge
2006-15	6/18/2006	43	Kasey Kahne	1	Dodge
2006-23	8/20/2006	43	Matt Kenseth	3	Ford
2007-15	6/17/2007	43	Carl Edwards	12	Ford
2007-23	8/21/2007	43	Kurt Busch	15	Dodge
2008-15	6/15/2008	43	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3	Chevrolet
2008-23	8/17/2008	43	Carl Edwards	27	Ford
2009-15	6/14/2009	43	Mark Martin	32	Chevrolet
2009-23	8/16/2009	43	Brian Vickers	1	Toyota
2010-15	6/13/2010	43	Denny Hamlin	7	Toyota
2010-23	8/15/2010	43	Kevin Harvick	8	Chevrolet
2011-15	6/19/2011	43	Denny Hamlin	10	Toyota
2011-23	8/21/2011	43	Kyle Busch	17	Toyota
2012-15	6/17/2012	43	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	17	Chevrolet
2012-23	8/19/2012	43	Greg Biffle	13	Ford
2013-15	6/16/2013	43	Greg Biffle	19	Ford
2013-23	8/18/2013	43	Joey Logano	1	Ford
2014-15	6/15/2014	43	Jimmie Johnson	7	Chevrolet
2014-23	8/17/2014	43	Jeff Gordon	1	Chevrolet
2015-15	6/14/2015	43	Kurt Busch	24	Chevrolet

2015 Quicken Loans 400 Photo Review

MIS Weekend Articles:

• TV Schedule
• MIS Track Event Schedule
• Entry List
• Power Rankings