NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Pure Michigan 400 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Sunday, August 21st |
| SITE: Michigan International Speedway (1968) -- Brooklyn, Michigan |
| TRACK: two-mile oval - 3,600 feet (Frontstretch); 2,242 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 108,000; Grandstand Seating: 137,243 |
| ANNUAL: 42nd |
| TELEVISION: ESPN |
| ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 1 p.m. (et)/Green Flag: 1:16 p.m. (et) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Kevin Harvick |
| RUNNER-UP: Denny Hamlin |
| POLE WINNER: Kasey Kahne (Finished 14th) |
| LAPS: 200 |
| MILES: 400 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Ryan Newman, 2005 (194.232 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Dale Jarrett, 1999 (173.997 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $5,126,880 (2010 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $211,901; 2nd Place - $144,325; 3rd Place - $146,998 |
| 2010 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 8 | 6 | Tony Stewart | 4 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 33 | 7 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 5 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 24 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr | 9 |
| 4 | Greg Biffle | 6 | 9 | Elliott Sadler | 23 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 7 | 10 | Joey Logano | 27 |
| 2010 Pure Michigan 400 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 144.029 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 46 minutes, 38 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.731 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 25 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 17 among 9 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Kasey Kahne (187.183 m.p.h.) |
| Past Pure Michigan 400 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2010 -- Kevin Harvick (8th) -- Chevrolet -- 144.029 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Brian Vickers (1st) -- Toyota -- 131.531 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Carl Edwards (27th) -- Ford -- 140.351 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Kurt Busch (15th) -- Dodge -- 117.012 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Matt Kenseth (3rd) -- Ford) -- 135.097 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Jeremy Mayfield (11th) -- Dodge -- 141.551 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Greg Biffle (24th) -- Ford -- 139.063 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Ryan Newman (2nd) -- Dodge -- 127.310 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Dale Jarrett (8th) -- Ford -- 140.556 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Sterling Marlin (15th) -- Dodge -- 140.513 m.p.h. |
| 2000 -- Rusty Wallace (10th) -- Ford -- 132.597 m.p.h. |
| 1999 -- Bobby Labonte (19th) -- Pontiac -- 144.332 m.p.h. |
| 1998 -- Jeff Gordon (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 151.995 m.p.h. |
| 1997 -- Mark Martin (2nd) -- Ford -- 126.883 m.p.h. |
| 1996 -- Dale Jarrett (11th) -- Ford -- 139.792 m.p.h. |
| 1995 -- Bobby Labonte (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 157.739 m.p.h. |
| 1994 -- Geoff Bodine (1st) -- Ford -- 139.914 m.p.h. |
| 1993 -- Mark Martin (12th) -- Ford -- (144.564 m.p.h. |
| 1992 -- Harry Gant (24th) -- Oldsmobile -- 146.056 m.p.h. |
| 1991 -- Dale Jarrett (11th) -- Ford -- 142.972 m.p.h. |
| 1990 -- Mark Martin (5th) -- Ford -- 138.822 m.p.h. |
| 1989 -- Rusty Wallace (2nd) -- Pontiac -- 157.704 m.p.h. |
| 1988 -- Davey Allison (4th) -- Ford -- 156.863 m.p.h. |
| 1987 -- Bill Elliott (3rd) -- Ford -- 138.648 m.p.h. |
| 1986 -- Bill Elliott (3rd) -- Ford -- 135.376 m.p.h. |
| 1985 -- Bill Elliott (1st) -- Ford -- 137.430 m.p.h. |
| 1984 -- Darrell Waltrip (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 153.863 m.p.h. |
| 1983 -- Cale Yarborough (7th) -- Chevrolet -- 147.511 m.p.h. |
| 1982 -- Bobby Allison (10th) -- Buick -- 136.454 m.p.h. |
| 1981 -- Richard Petty (7th) -- Buick -- 123.457 m.p.h. |
| 1980 -- Cale Yarborough (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 145.352 m.p.h. |
| 1979 -- Richard Petty (5th) -- Chevrolet -- 130.376 m.p.h. |
| 1978 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 129.566 m.p.h. |
| 1977 -- Darrell Waltrip (3rd) -- Chevrolet -- 137.944 m.p.h. |
| 1976 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 140.078 m.p.h. |
| 1975 -- Richard Petty (4th) -- Dodge -- 107.583 m.p.h. |
| 1974 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Mercury -- 133.045 m.p.h. |
| 1973 -- Not Held |
| 1972 -- David Pearson (4th) -- Mercury -- 134.416 m.p.h. |
| 1971 -- Bobby Allison (2nd) -- Mercury -- 149.862 m.p.h. |
| 1970 -- Charlie Glotzbach (1st) -- Dodge -- 147.571 m.p.h. |
| 1969 -- David Pearson (1st) -- Ford -- 115.508 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Yankee 600 (1969), Yankee 400 (1970-1974), Champion |
| Spark Plug 400 (1975-93), GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 (1994-96), DevilBliss |
| 400 (1997), Pepsi 400 (1998-2002), GFS Marketplace 400 (2003-06) 3M |
| Performance 400 (2007-08), CARFAX 400 (2009-10). Race changed from 600 |
| to 400 miles (1970). |
| Past Pure Michigan 400 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2010 -- Kasey Kahne -- 14th |
| 2009 - Brian Vickers -- 1st |
| 2008 -- Brian Vickers -- 7th |
| 2007 -- Jeff Gordon -- 27th |
| 2006 -- Jeff Burton -- 42nd |
| 2005 -- Joe Nemechek -- 8th |
| 2004 -- None -- Weather |
| 2003 -- Bobby Labonte -- 37th |
| 2002 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr -- 10th |
| 2001 -- Ricky Craven -- 2nd |
| 2000 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr -- 31st |
| 1999 -- Ward Burton -- 43rd |
| 1998 -- Ernie Irvan -- 6th |
| 1997 -- Johnny Benson Jr -- 24th |
| 1996 -- Jeff Burton -- 9th |
| 1995 -- Bobby Labonte -- 1st |
| 1994 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 1st |
| 1993 -- Ken Schrader -- 27th |
| 1992 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 14th |
| 1991 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 8th |
| 1990 -- Alan Kulwicki -- 11th |
| 1989 -- Geoffrey Bodine -- 5th |
| 1988 -- Bill Elliott -- 3rd |
| 1987 -- Davey Allison -- 5th |
| 1986 -- Benny Parsons -- 26th |
| 1985 -- Bill Elliott -- 1st |
| 1984 -- Bill Elliott -- 3rd |
| 1983 -- Terry Labonte -- 4th |
| 1982 -- Bill Elliott -- 27th |
| 1981 -- Ron Bouchard -- 29th |
| 1980 -- Buddy Baker -- 6th |
| 1979 -- David Pearson -- 4th |
| 1978 -- David Pearson -- 1st |
| 1977 -- David Pearson -- 2nd |
| 1976 -- David Pearson -- 1st |
| 1975 -- David Pearson -- 2nd |
| 1974 -- David Pearson -- 1st |
| 1973 -- Not Held |
| 1972 -- Richard Petty -- 4th |
| 1971 -- Pete Hamilton -- 31st |
| 1970 -- Charlie Glotzbach -- 1st |
| 1969 -- David Pearson -- 1st |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen (August 14th) |
| SITE: Watkins Glen International -- Watkins Glen, New York |
| MILES: 225.4 |
| LAPS: 92 |
| WINNER: Marcos Ambrose |
| RUNNER-UP: Brad Keselowski |
| THIRD: Kyle Busch |
| FOURTH: Martin Truex Jr. |
| FIFTH: Joey Logano |
| POLE WINNER: Kyle Busch (Finished 3rd) |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 16 minutes, 2 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 99.417 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: Under Caution |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 14 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 14 among 8 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: Kyle Busch - pole; A. Allmendinger 1-8; M. Ambrose 9-16; Kyle |
| Busch 17-29; M. Ambrose 30-37; J. Montoya 38-41; J. Gordon 42-44; |
| Kyle Busch 45-57; B. Keselowski 58-59; C. Bowyer 60; M. Ambrose |
| 61-63; J. Johnson 64; J. Gordon 65-67; Kyle Busch 68-90; M. |
| Ambrose 91-92. |
| Pure Michigan 400 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 00 | David Reutimann (Zephyrhills, FL) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 5 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com/Carquest |
| 6 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/UPS |
| 7 | Robby Gordon (Orange, CA) | Dodge/Speed Energy |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/Stanley |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Freight |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Toyota/GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Mobil 1/Office Depot |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/Pure Michigan |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Kroger |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/Interstate Batteries |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Home Depot |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) | Ford/JDRF/Motorcraft/Quick Lane |
| 22 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/DuPont |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Duracell |
| 29 * | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Jimmy John's |
| 30 | David Stremme (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Cat Financial |
| 32 | Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) | Ford/FAS Lane Racing |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Chevrolet/Cheerios/Hamb. Helper |
| 34 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/TBA |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Accell Construction |
| 37 | Tony Raines (LaPorte, IN) | Ford/TBA |
| 38 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Ford/Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Wix Filters |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Target |
| 43 | A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) | Ford/Best Buy |
| 46 | Erik Darnell (Beach Park, IL) | Chevrolet/Red Line |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/Kingsford/Bush's |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's |
| 50 | T.J. Bell (Reno, VA) | Chevrolet/Green Smoke |
| 51 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Ford/TBA |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts |
| 60 | Mike Skinner (Susanville, CA) | Toyota/Big Red |
| 66 | Todd Bodine (Chemung, NY) | Toyota/HP Racing |
| 71 | Andy Lally (Northport, NY) | Ford/Interstate Moving Services |
| 78 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Brian Vickers (Thomasville, NC) | Toyota/Red Bull |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/TBA |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis, NC) | Chevrolet/Amp Energy/Nat'l Guard |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Aflac |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Kevin Harvick | 3rd | 2nd | 16th | 22nd | 11th | 15th | 8th | 12th | Won |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | --- | --- | 9th | 5th | 39th | 10th | 2nd |
| Carl Edwards | --- | --- | 10th | 4th | 22nd | 7th | Won | 4th | 3rd |
| Greg Biffle | --- | 4th | Won | 6th | 7th | 19th | 4th | 20th | 4th |
| Matt Kenseth | 11th | 9th | 8th | 3rd | Won | 4th | 5th | 14th | 5th |
| Tony Stewart | 2nd | 3rd | 9th | 5th | 3rd | 10th | 12th | 17th | 6th |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 26th | 25th | 19th | 7th |
| Martin Truex Jr | --- | --- | --- | --- | 30th | 2nd | 16th | 21st | 8th |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 7th | 10th |
| Jimmie Johnson | 7th | 27th | 40th | 10th | 13th | 3rd | 17th | 34th | 12th |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | --- | 33rd | 17th | 20th | 8th | 13th |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | --- | 5th | 29th | 4th | 31st | 40th | 11th | 14th |
| Marcos Ambrose | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 43rd | 35th | 15th |
| David Reutimann | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 23rd | 14th | 9th | 16th |
| Kyle Busch | --- | --- | --- | 43rd | 39th | 13th | 2nd | 23rd | 18th |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 10th | 32nd | 21st | 18th | 6th | 12th | 23rd | 3rd | 19th |
| Jamie McMurray | --- | 36th | 4th | 20th | 17th | 30th | 10th | 32nd | 20th |
| Regan Smith | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 29th | --- | 21st |
| Ryan Newman | 31st | Won | 14th | 12th | 25th | 16th | 21st | 15th | 23rd |
| Jeff Burton | 4th | 11th | 12th | 26th | 42nd | 14th | 11th | 18th | 24th |
| Jeff Gordon | 19th | 30th | 7th | 15th | 2nd | 27th | 42nd | 2nd | 27th |
| Mark Martin | 5th | 17th | 2nd | 17th | 5th | 42nd | 6th | 31st | 28th |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 24th | 34th |
| Paul Menard | --- | --- | --- | --- | 20th | 39th | 24th | 26th | 35th |
| Kurt Busch | 39th | 18th | 6th | 7th | 40th | Won | 36th | 36th | 40th |
| Brian Vickers | --- | --- | 22nd | 9th | 15th | 8th | 7th | Won | --- |
| Mover of the Week |
| Jeff Burton - Started in the 40th position and finished 9th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Carl Edwards |
| Darkhorse - Jeff Burton |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Jeff Gordon) - Finished 13th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Clint Bowyer) - Finished 11th |
| NOTES: |
|
Kevin Harvick gambled on fuel and tires last year when he opted to stay on
the track, while most of the leaders pitted for the final time during a late-
race caution. He passed Denny Hamlin with 11 laps remaining and then beat
Hamlin at the finish by 1.7 seconds for his third victory of the 2010 season
and the 14th of his Sprint Cup Series career. Harvick also won at Michigan
for the first time in his 20th Cup start here.
With the victory, Harvick recorded his first Cup win on a non-restrictor plate
track since November 2006 at Phoenix. He also gave RCR its first Cup win at
Michigan since Dale Earnhardt did it in 1990.
Although he started on the pole, Brian Vickers led only 12 laps, but it was
good enough to capture his second career title in 2009 at Michigan
International Speedway. Vickers reclaimed the lead for the third time with just
three laps remaining to defeat Jeff Gordon by 1.409 seconds. Jimmie Johnson,
who has had little luck at MIS, dominated the race, leading six times for 133
laps, but ran out of gas and placed 33rd. Vickers' win ended an 87-winless
streak, with his last triumph in October 2006 at Talladega.
With 18 laps remaining, Carl Edwards assumed control of the race in 2008, and
held on for a 0.947 of a second win over Kyle Busch for his 12th career Sprint
Cup title. Edwards, who started in the 27th position on the grid, led five
times for a race-high 84 laps. Pole sitter Brian Vickers finished seventh.
Edwards, who's victory total stands at 16, is winless since posting nine
titles in 2008.
After two days of rain delays, Kurt Busch won the 2007 race on a rare Tuesday
running at Michigan. Busch led a race-high 92 laps and then held off Martin
Truex Jr in a green-white-checkered finish to record his second Cup victory of
the season and the 17th of his career. With one win in 2011, Busch's now owns
23 Sprint Cup titles.
In 2006, Matt Kenseth took over the top spot on lap 169 of the scheduled 200-
lap event and held on to edge Jeff Gordon by less than a second for his 13th
career Sprint Cup title. Kenseth, who now totals 20 wins, led six times for a
race-high 87 laps, while Gordon led three times for 12 laps. Pole sitter Jeff
Burton failed to finish the race, as he retired after 17 laps due to engine
failure and placed 42nd.
Jeremy Mayfield recorded his fifth career Sprint Cup title in 2005, as he
edged Scott Riggs by 1.974 seconds. Mayfield took the lead for the first and
only time with just six laps remaining and held on for the win. Pole sitter
Joe Nemechek led for a total of 30 laps and finished eighth, while Kurt Busch,
who finished seventh, led five times for 65 laps.
Overall, the pole winner has gone on to win this race nine of 41 times. Bill
Elliott is the only driver to win this race three straight years (1985-87) and
is the last driver to repeat as champion. Over the years, Elliott amassed 29
top-10 finishes at Michigan. Harry Gant holds the record for winning this race
from the farthest back when he captured the 1992 event from the 24th spot.
David Pearson was a nine-time winner at this track, including five wins in
this race. In addition, Pearson was a 10-time pole winner at Michigan.
Michigan International Speedway sits on more than 1,400 acres in the Irish
Hills of Southeastern Michigan. Groundbreaking took place on Sept. 28, 1967.
The first Sprint Cup race at Michigan was held June 15, 1969. There have been
84 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Michigan, with 65 won from the top-10 position.
Although Jimmie Johnson owns several top-10 finishes at Michigan, he has never
won at the track, sporting a dismal 0-for-19 mark. His best placing was third
in 2007.
College Football Hall of Famer Desmond Howard (Michigan) will serve as the
grand marshal.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the August 27 IRWIN Tools Night Race at
Bristol Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won last year's race there.
08/16 21:14:19 ET
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As of August 16, 2011, at 09:14 PM ET
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Account
