The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Camping World Truck Series are at Michigan International Speedway and the NASCAR XFINITY Series is at Road America this weekend; storylines follow… The Race: Pure Michigan 400 The Place: Michigan International Speedway The Date: Sunday, Aug. 28 The Time: 2 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 1 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400 miles (200 laps) Playoff Spots Dwindling With Three Regular Season Races Remaining Last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway changed everything. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the resulting Chase Grid looks very different now than it did prior to Bristol. Consider the following… Chris Buescher finished fifth, which catapulted him into the top 30 by 13 points – thereby placing him firmly in Chase contention for the first time since his victory at Pocono. All 12 race winners are now on the Chase Grid. Buescher’s finish, paired with Kyle Larson’s 24th-place run, pushed Larson off the Grid. Ryan Newman finished 28th, which dropped him three spots in the standings, and likewise, the Chase Grid. He’s now 16th on the Grid, and if there’s a new winner in the next three races, he’s in danger of missing the playoffs. Austin Dillon (4th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2nd) both turned in top fives, which either solidified their Chase standing (Dillon) or bolstered their chances (Stenhouse). So, what does all that mean? Paste the above four bullets into Google Translate, and you may get this (but probably not): “Just win. It’s a lot easier.” Win and you’re in. That’s the goal – and only surefire way to land a Chase spot – for those with ‘zeroes’ in the win column. One winless driver, in particular, could threaten at Michigan International Speedway: Greg Biffle. For one, Biffle’s Roush Fenway Racing team leads all organization in wins at Michigan, with 13. Secondly, Biffle boasts the Michigan wins lead among active drivers with four. NASCAR Rolls Out Lower Downforce Package For Third Time This Season NASCAR will roll out its updated lower downforce rules package it used at Michigan-1 and Kentucky earlier this season in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN). The rules package developments are part of an industry-wide collaboration to further enhance the racing. Earlier this season, welded truck trailing arms and new brake cooling rules were put into place. The following updates to the rules package help to further reduce downforce and sideforce: Reduce skew generated sideforce by setting rear toe to zero (same rule used in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race) Aero package tweaks to reduce aero-generated downforce and sideforce Spoiler shortened from 3.5 inches to 2.5 inches Splitter reduced to 2 inches Resize of deck fin to match spoiler Team Penske has won every race where this package has been used this season. Joey Logano triumphed in the Michigan-1 race, while Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag at Kentucky. Logano Goes For Michigan Sweep Joey Logano will go for the sweep of Michigan after winning the June race at the two-mile track from the pole. The No. 22 Ford driver has Michigan figured out. He owns seven straight top-10 finishes there, including two wins. During that streak, Logano has led the most laps in three races. For his career, Logano claims two wins, four top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 12.8 in The Great Lakes State. June Michigan Race Produced Youngest Top 3 In Sprint Cup History The June Michigan race produced the youngest average age of the top-three finishers in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history. Joey Logano (26 years old) won, followed by Chase Elliott (20) and Kyle Larson (23). Their average combined age is 23.0 years old. Kenseth Attempts To Defend Fall Wolverine State Victory Matt Kenseth will attempt to defend his August Michigan victory from last season in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. In 34 career starts at Michigan, Kenseth boasts three wins, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s and a 10.2 average finish. Kenseth’s 102.7 driver rating at Michigan is the second-highest mark at the two-mile track. He trails Chase Elliott in the category, who only has one start there. Keselowski Tries For First Win In Home State Brad Keselowski, a Rochester Hills, Michigan native, attempts to become the eighth active driver to win a race in his home state in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. The seven active drivers with wins in their home states are: Jimmie Johnson (7 victories), Denny Hamlin (7), Tony Stewart (2), Aric Almirola (1), Kyle Busch (1), Kevin Harvick (1) and Ryan Newman (1). The No. 2 Ford driver’s best finish at the two-mile track was a runner-up showing in August of 2012. Overall, he has four top fives, seven top 10s and a 13.0 average finish in 14 Michigan starts. Keselowski has finished in the top 10 in his last five races at MIS, including a fourth-place showing in June. He does have two NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at Michigan, in 2009-10. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc. Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Blashill To Serve As Grand Marshal – Detroit Red Wings Head Coach Jeff Blashill will serve as the Grand Marshal at Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. Born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Blashill led the Red Wings to their 25th consecutive playoff appearance last season in his first campaign as head coach. “It’s an honor to serve as grand marshal for the Pure Michigan 400,” Blashill said. “I was born and raised in Michigan and have had the opportunity to spend most of my coaching career here, so I know how passionate the fans are for all sports. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to meet the drivers, take part in the pre-race activities and soak in the atmosphere on race day.” The Race: Road America 180 Fired Up By Johnsonville The Place: Road America The Date: Saturday, Aug. 27 The Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 2:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 182.16 miles (45 laps) NASCAR XFINITY Series and Road America Are Known For First-Time Winners Over the last six and half seasons (2010-2016) the NASCAR XFINITY Series has seen 20 first-time series winners, and over that time, six (30%) have come from two tracks: Road America and Texas Motor Speedway. The two are tied for the series-most first-time winners with three each during that time. Road America’s series first-time winners are Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013) and Brendan Gaughan (2014) Texas Motor Speedway’s series first-time winners are Trevor Bayne (2011), Chase Elliott (2014) and Erik Jones (2015). This season, the NASCAR XFINITY Series has seen two new first-time winners – Daniel Suárez at Michigan and Justin Marks at Mid-Ohio. Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones, Darrell Wallace Jr., Blake Koch and Ryan Sieg are all drivers inside the top-12 in points that are still looking for their first NASCAR XFINITY Series career win. Will We See A Seventh Different Winner At Road America In the six previous NASCAR XFINITY Series races held at Road America, the fans have witnessed six different drivers visit Victory Lane – Carl Edwards (2010), Reed Sorenson (2011), Nelson Piquet Jr. (2012), AJ Allmendinger (2013), Brendan Gaughan (2014) and Paul Menard (2015). That begs the question, ‘Will we see a seventh?’, and with it, a new driver to lock into the Chase? Road America is currently tied with Richmond for the fourth longest active different-winner streak in the series at six each. If Road America sees its seventh different winner it will tie Michigan (seven) for the third longest active different winner streak behind Daytona (11) and Las Vegas (eight). RCR’s Brendan Gaughan is the only previous Road America winner that is entered this weekend. Road America Marks Third And Final Road Course Of The 2016 Schedule For the third and final time this season the NASCAR XFINITY Series will go road course racing. This weekend, drivers will be turning both left and right as they compete on the multi-elevational, 4-mile course known as Road America on Saturday, August 27 in the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville (NBCSN at 3 p.m. ET). The 14-turn course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin has hosted six NASCAR XFINITY Series races posting six different winners and five different pole winners (last season’s qualifying was cancelled due to weather). The road courses on the schedule continue to provide great action. This season the NASCAR XFINITY Series first went to Watkins Glen International, a seven turn, 2.45-mile course in Watkins Glen, New York; where Joey Logano captured the victory driving for car owner Roger Penske. Next the series headed to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13 turn, 2.258-mile road course in Lexington Ohio; the race was won by Justin Marks driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. In the first six races at Road America, three have been won from the pole (2010, 2012 and 2013), and the deepest a winner has started in the field is 12th – Reed Sorenson (2011). NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase Approaches There are only four races left on the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season schedule until the Chase begins at Kentucky Speedway on September 24. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who is currently eligible for the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase: The top three seeds currently belong to the three title-contending race winners: Erik Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing) with three victories (Bristol, Dover and Iowa); Elliott Sadler (JR Motorsports); and Daniel Suarez (Joe Gibbs Racing), who each have one win. The remaining nine inside the top 12 in points are: 4. Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports) 5. Ty Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) 6. Brendan Gaughan (Richard Childress Racing) 7. Brennan Poole (Chip Ganassi Racing) 8. Brandon Jones (Richard Childress Racing) 9. Darrell Wallace Jr. (Roush Fenway Racing) 10. Ryan Reed (Roush Fenway Racing) 11. Blake Koch (Kaulig Racing) 12. Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing). Currently 12 different drivers, seven different organizations/teams and three different manufacturers reside on the Chase Grid. Richard Childress Racing Looking To Go Three-In-A-Row At Road America Over the past two seasons Richard Childress Racing has flexed its muscles at Road America, winning in 2014 with driver Brendan Gaughan, and then again last season with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran and Wisconsin native Paul Menard. With a win this season at Road America, Richard Childress would take the series lead in car owner victories at the historic road course. Childress is currently tied with Steve Turner for series-most car owner wins at Road America with two each. Not since 2005-2007 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Texas Motor Speedway with driver Kevin Harvick, has Richard Childress Racing won at one track for three consecutive seasons. RCR has three drivers trying to make the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase – Ty Dillon, Brendan Gaughan and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Brandon Jones – all of whom are looking for their first win of 2016. In last season’s Road America race Menard was not the only RCR driver to have a chance to win, all four RCR cars entered that weekend led at least one lap during the race, with Menard leading the most of the RCR crew at nine laps led; including the final six. Brendan Gaughan is the only former R.A. winner that is entered this weekend. In four starts at Road America, he has posted one win, two top fives and an average finish of 7.7. Road specialist Michael McDowell will be in the No. 2 RCR Chevrolet that won last year’s event. McDowell has made four series starts at Road America posting a pole in 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2012. Ty Dillon has made two starts at Road America posting an average finish of 14.5, and Brandon Jones will be making his series track debut this weekend. NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.: NASCAR In Wisconsin – NASCAR has hosted 41 national series races (NSCS one, NXS 25 and NCWTS 15) in the state of Wisconsin at two different tracks – Road America (seven) and the Milwaukee Mile (34). The very first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Wisconsin was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in 1956 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race was by Tim Flock (Mercury). It was the only Sprint Cup Series race held in Wisconsin. … Wisconsin Natives Aplenty In The NASCAR XFINITY Series – A total of 52 drivers that have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Wisconsin. Of the 52 Wisconsin drivers, 32 have made at least one start in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, led by Matt Kenseth (Cambridge) with 288 series starts. 13 of the 52 Wisconsin drivers have won in a NASCAR national series. Of the 13 winners, five have won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series – Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, 29 wins), Scott Wimmer (Wausau, six wins), Paul Menard (Eau Claire, three wins), Johnny Sauter (Necedah, three wins) and Dick Trickle (Wisconsin Rapids, two wins). Nicolas Hammann (Elkhart Lake), Paul Menard (Eau Claire), Travis Kvapil (Janesville), Dexter Bean (Westby), and Paige Decker (Eagle River) have all competed in at least one NASCAR XFINITY Series race this season and call Wisconsin their home state. Paul Menard is the only Wisconsin native to win a NASCAR national series race in his home state – Road America (2015). The Race: Careers For Veterans 200 The Place: Michigan International Speedway The Date: Saturday, Aug. 27 The Time: 1 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 200 miles (100 laps) Kennedy Scores First Career Victory Ben Kennedy shot under William Byron with 20 laps remaining in last Wednesday’s UNOH 200, then held off Brett Moffitt’s tight pursuit on the final six laps to win his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Kennedy, great-grandson of NASCAR Founder Bill France Sr. and son of International Speedway Corporation CEO/NASCAR Vice Chairperson Lesa France Kennedy, is the first member of the France family to win a NASCAR national series race. With the victory, Kennedy virtually earned a berth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase. He sits fifth on the Chase Grid on the strength of his win, two top fives and six top 10s and 11.2 average finish. “We put this deal together (with GMS Racing) a couple months ago and I never imagined – I never would have imagined going into this race that we would be here today,” Kennedy said. “I thought we were a top-15 truck or a top-10 truck, but to actually be here in Victory Lane means the world to me.” Kennedy joins Johnny Sauter as the second GMS Racing driver to earn a Chase berth. Kyle Busch Motorsports is the only other team that has two drivers locked into the Chase. He’ll try for his second consecutive victory in Saturday’s Careers For Veterans 200 at Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FS1). Wins At A Premium Before NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase With six winners – a likely six of the eight Chase spots locked up – the pressure is squarely on those drivers with a ‘zero’ in the wins column. Right now, six drivers are all-but-guaranteed a playoff spot via their win(s): William Byron (5 victories), Matt Crafton (2), Johnny Sauter (1), Christopher Bell (1), Ben Kennedy (1) and John Hunter Nemechek (1). Daniel Hemric (39 points ahead of Cole Custer on the cutoff line) and Timothy Peters (+29) hold the final two spots on points. The first four out at the moment are Custer (-29 points behind Timothy Peters for the final Chase berth), Tyler Reddick (-32), Cameron Hayley (42), Spencer Gallagher (-65) and Ben Rhodes (-66). The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will race at Michigan International Speedway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Chicagoland Speedway before the Chase begins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 24 (1 p.m. ET on FS1). Among the Michigan winners in Saturday’s filed: Travis Kvapil (2) and Johnny Benson (1). Series Wins Leader Byron Signs With Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series standings leader William Byron signed a multi-year driver agreement with Hendrick Motorsports, the team announced last Thursday. Byron will race full-time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series for Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports beginning in 2017. Byron currently paces the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in wins (5), top fives (7), driver rating (111.1), laps led (402) and average running position (7.2). The NASCAR Next alumnus captured the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in 2015. Next year will not be Byron’s first foray with JR Motorsports – owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller and Rick Hendrick. He won two races competing for the team’s late model program from 2014-15. The experience marked Byron’s first time racing full-sized stock cars. “Even before I started racing, it was a dream of mine to drive for Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “I have so much respect for the way Mr. Hendrick supports his people and encourages everyone to work together. This is the biggest announcement and biggest opportunity of my life, and I will do everything I can to make the most of it. I’m proud to be part of this team.” Moffitt Taking Advantage Of Opportunity With Red Horse Racing Brett Moffitt has made the most of his time with Red Horse Racing. In three starts in the No. 11 Toyota in place of Matt Tifft, Moffitt has finished 31st (Kentucky), third (Pocono) and a career-best second (Bristol). Moffitt started second at Kentucky before engine trouble relegated him to the 31st-place finish. Moffitt won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award last season. “I’m really excited heading into Michigan,” Moffitt said. “We’re taking the same truck that we ran at Kentucky and then again at Pocono and they actually did some more to work it, so hopefully it’s even better. I think we are showing really strong and got a third-place and a second-place here. We just need one more, so that’d be a good place to win and hopefully then at the road course as well.” Consistent Hemric Posts Series-Leading 10th Top-10 Finish Daniel Hemric placed third at Bristol for his fifth top-five and series-leading 10th top-10 finish of the season. He has finished third in three of his last five races. At the moment Hemric ranks seventh on the Chase Grid, 39 points ahead of Cole Custer on the cutoff line. Hemric will go for his first career win at Michigan where he finished seventh last year in his first-ever start there. source – NASCAR communications
