Earnhardt Jr Rises at Michigan! Ends 143-Race Winless Streak

Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR

The lead storyline through the first two days of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race weekend at Michigan International Speedway circulated around the tires Goodyear brought to the newly repaved 2-mile oval. With an emergency Saturday evening practice session subtracting magnitude of the issue, Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway would receive headlines for another more positive reason. After 200 laps, a driver piloting a superhero-themed car battled his foes for a much-needed triumph.

The Sunday main event was initially threatened by rain showers that drenched the Michigan oval. Pushing the start of the Quicken Loans 400 past 3pm eastern time, the 43-car Father’s Day race still received enough daylight in the mid-June sky to create a rich, Sprint Cup spectacle.

Pole-sitter Marcos Ambrose #9 Ford was part of a trio of blue oval-badged race cars that would lead all but one of the race’s first 69 laps. Ambrose, the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle and the #17 car driven by Biffle’s Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth led early at the Michigan racetrack. Over the span of the Ford Fusions leading, four cautions would slow the progress of the Quicken Loans 400. With two being competitions caution called so the tire situation of days prior would be assessed, the issue was ultimately defused in the 400-mile race limited to only some blistering Goodyear rubber coming off some cars. The race’s first caution involved a lap 3 spin by the #51 Chevrolet driven by the heavily scrutinized Kurt Busch. The Phoenix Racing #51 car would also spin on lap 121 of the Quicken Loans 400 ending with the elder Busch driver placed 30^th in the finishing order.

Photo Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR

Progressing from a 17^th place qualifying position, the black and green #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr had been moving in the right direction during the first one-third distance of the Michigan International Speedway race. On lap 70, the Hendrick Motorsports car themed to support the upcoming Batman movie “Dark Knight Rises” flew to the front of the Quicken Loans 400. The site of Earnhardt Jr’s last points-scoring win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series back in 2008, crowds were anxious to see if the #88 Chevrolet will have the staying power to keep the top spot to the end.

Unwilling to simply allow NASCAR Sprint Cup’s most popular driver to claim a win, the efforts of Dale Earnhardt Jr was challenged by auto racing comrade Tony Stewart. In a similar Hendrick Motorsports prepped Chevrolet Impala to that of Earnhardt Jr’s team vehicle, Stewart powered his #14 car around the #88 on lap 87. Jeff Gordon’s #24 Chevrolet and the #42 of Juan-Pablo Montoya would also spend a handful of laps at the front of the 400-mile event. After Ford’s dominating the early stage of the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Chevrolet had an impressive control of the later stages of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
As Chevrolet and Ford teams enjoyed being at the peak of competition at Michigan, one of Toyota’s most prolific organizations had an outing at Michigan they would prefer to forget. Joe Gibbs Racing saw all three cars fall deep in the running order. First, the #18 car of Kyle Busch spent an extended time in the garage due to a valvetrain issue on the car’s race engine. Busch returned the race 40 laps down to the leader and would finish the day 32^nd across the start/finish line.

In back-to-back incidents, the remaining Joe Gibbs Racing vehicles driven by Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin were taken out of competition. Logano’s #20 Toyota was part of a lap 127 wreck that collected the #38 of David Gilliland and the #5 Hendrick Motorsports car of Kasey Kahne. Both winners in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Joey Logano and Kahne would retire from the Quicken Loans 400. The #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin would leave the Michigan race on lap 134 when an apparently harmless spin turned into an inferno from the Joe Gibbs Racing car’s engine compartment. Denny Hamlin was classified 34^th in the race while the #20 of Joey Logano ended the day in 35^th spot.

Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for NASCAR

When the final caution period of the Quicken Loans 400 concluded on lap 140, the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr led Tony Stewart across the flag for the crucial green flag. Without another yellow flag slowing the Michigan race in the last 60 laps, teams would require one remaining pit stop for fuel under green flag racing conditions. A pivotal moment, the Hendrick Motorsports crew rose to the occasion to give Earnhardt Jr a flawless, final pit service stop for two tires and fuel on lap 164. Retaking the lead on lap 171, the #88 Chevrolet would lead the final 30 circuits around the Michigan International Speedway to cross the line first.

Victorious at the Quicken Loans 400, Dale Earnhardt Jr entered the winner’s circle in what was celebrated as a popular 2012 race win. Convincing winning the Michigan International Speedway race by 5.3 seconds over Tony Stewart, the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led for 95 laps on the day. In what had previously been a rare state, Dale Earnhardt Jr was the class of the field. “I saved a little in my pocket in the last 50 laps and ran only as hard as I thought I needed to, and at the end of the race, this thing was a rocket and I couldn’t slow it down, it was so fast.” said Earnhardt Jr.

143 races and 4 years since his last Sprint Cup Series win in a regular event, this second win with Hendrick Motorsports is the result of some long struggles. Responding to the racing fortunes of past races, Earnhardt Jr commented, “I was so nervous in the last few laps of that race four years ago, and today, this was the worst -- that’s the worst feeling riding around there with 15 laps to go wondering what’s going to happen or how you were going to lose.” While just winning his first race of 2012, Dale Earnhardt Jr has actually been enjoying a strong season overall with the victory at Michigan now catapulting him to second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points standing.

Finishing second, Tony Stewart placed ahead of the Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusions of NASCAR Sprint Cup point’s leader Matt Kenseth and the #16 car of Greg Biffle. With Dale Earnhardt Jr becoming the third driver to add a win to Hendrick Motorsports’ 2012 tally, two teammates also had strong outings at Michigan concluding with top-10 runs. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Chevrolet finished 5^th just ahead of Jeff Gordon’s #24 car. Clint Bowyer for Michael Waltrip Racing was the highest finishing Toyota Camry in the Quicken Loans 400 with the #15 5-Hour Energy car.

With many of the approximate 82,000 spectators in audience electric in the celebration of the Dale Earnhardt Jr victory, the next trip for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup tour is to the California road course in Sonoma for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.


2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quicken Loans 400
Michigan International Speedway
Race Result
　

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Make
1	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMtnDew/TheDarkKnightRises/NtnlGuard Chev
2	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
3	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
4	16	Greg Biffle	3M/Salute Ford
5	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
6	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
7	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
8	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
9	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
10	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
11	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
12	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
13	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
14	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
15	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
16	47	Bobby Labonte	Charter Toyota
17	43	Aric Almirola	Medallion Ford
18	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King Toyota
19	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
20	13	Casey Mears	Valvoline NEXTGEN Ford
21	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
22	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Duracell Chevrolet
23	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
24	33	Austin Dillon	American Ethanol Chevrolet
25	36	Dave Blaney	Seal Wrap Chevrolet
26	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King Toyota
27	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
28	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet
29	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
30	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet
31	32	Ken Schrader	Federated Auto Parts Ford
32	18	Kyle Busch	Snickers Toyota
33	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
34	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
35	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
36	10	Tony Raines	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing/JPO Absorbents Toyota
38	98	Michael McDowell	Presbyterian Healthcare Ford
39	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota
40	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
41	23	Scott Riggs	North TX Pipe Chevrolet
42	26	Josh Wise	MDS Transport Ford
43	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford

Ambrose Takes Michigan Cup Race Pole with 203.241 MPH Lap

Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Michigan International Speedway's brand new surface presented drivers the opportunity to orchestrate a rare feat in modern NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. With speeds exceeding the 200-mile per hour mark in Friday practice, the two-mile Michigan oval was providing an experience that was commonly seen at the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway prior to restrictor plates were introduced during the late 1980s. With a qualifying time of 190.345 miles per hour recorded by Jamie McMurray in the second Michigan race of 2011, the 2012 qualifying session is set to become the fastest non-restrictor plate track time trial.

In the third practice Friday alone for Sunday's Quicken Loans 400, 14 cars exceeded 200 miles per hour for average speed around the two-mile track. Setting up what was going to be a fast qualifying session Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, speed in practice was repeated by NASCAR Sprint Cup cars. With 19 cars breaking the 200-mile per hour barrier in their timed laps into the Quicken Loans 400, the #9 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford of Marcos Ambrose was the fastest during the very fast session. Lapping the two-mile, newly-paved oval in 35.426 seconds, the average speed through the pole-winning lap was 203.241 miles per hour.

Second fastest in NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Michigan International Speedway was the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick. Harvick was two-tenths of a second slower than Ambrose translating to an average speed just over 202 miles per hour. Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman rounded out the top-5 for the Quicken Loans 400 line-up Sunday.  

Realizing that the fast times were also putting the reliability of the Goodyear tires at risk, NASCAR has allowed the tire supplier to provide a new set of left side tires for the weekend. A harder and predictably set to drop lap times for Sunday's event, the new Goodyear left-side tires are being supplied to Sprint Cup teams for the first time in a special 75-minute afternoon practice session after the NASCAR Nationwide Series race.


2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Quicken Loans 400
Michigan International Speedway
Qualifying Results

	Car #	Driver	Sponsor/ Car Maker
1	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Ford
2	29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Folds of Honor Chevrolet
3	16	Greg Biffle	3M/Salute Ford
4	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
5	39	Ryan Newman	US ARMY Chevrolet
6	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford EcoBoost Ford
7	21	Trevor Bayne	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
8	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
9	20	Joey Logano	The Home Depot Toyota
10	48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's Chevrolet
11	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Office Toyota
12	78	Regan Smith	Furniture Row Chevrolet
13	15	Clint Bowyer	5-hour Energy Toyota
14	55	Mark Martin	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
15	43	Aric Almirola	Medallion Ford
16	56	Martin Truex Jr.	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
17	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	DietMtnDew/TheDrkKnghtRises/NtnlGrd Chev
18	27	Paul Menard	Menards/Duracell Chevrolet
19	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevrolet
20	22	AJ Allmendinger	Shell Pennzoil Dodge
21	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target Chevrolet
22	33	Austin Dillon	American Ethanol Chevrolet
23	23	Scott Riggs	North TX Pipe Chevrolet
24	13	Casey Mears	Valvoline NEXTGEN Ford
25	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite Dodge
26	51	Kurt Busch	Phoenix Construction Services, Inc. Chevrolet
27	98	Michael McDowell	Presbyterian Healthcare Ford
28	24	Jeff Gordon	DuPont Chevrolet
29	19	Mike Bliss	Humphrey Smith Racing, LLC Toyota
30	26	Josh Wise	MDS Transport Ford
31	47	Bobby Labonte	Charter Toyota
32	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King Toyota
33	31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar Chevrolet
34	18	Kyle Busch	Snickers Toyota
35	38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's Ford
36	36	Dave Blaney	Seal Wrap Chevrolet
37	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
38	34	David Ragan	Front Row Motorsports Ford
39	93	Travis Kvapil	Burger King Toyota
40	32	Ken Schrader	Federated Auto Parts Ford
41	10	Tony Raines	Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
42	99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal Ford
43	49	JJ Yeley	America Israel Racing/JPO Absorbents Toyota

Hamlin Breaks Through With Win At Michigan

Photo Credit: Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(June 19, 2011)

BROOKLYN, Mich. — For the first time this season—at a track where he was expected to contend—Denny Hamlin finally dodged the pitfalls that have plagued him in previous races and closed the deal.

First out of the pits after a stop under caution on Lap 192 of 200, Hamlin held off Matt Kenseth after a restart with five laps left and claimed his first victory of the season in Sunday’s Heluva Good 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin, who won his 17th Sprint Cup race, crossed the finish line .281 seconds ahead of Kenseth. Unlike previous races at his best tracks, such as Martinsville, Richmond and Pocono—where Hamlin was strong early but succumbed to a variety late-race problems—Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota was at its best in the closing laps of Sunday’s race.

“We finished—that’s the thing,” Hamlin said in victory lane. “We got it done. Everyone knows that we’ve been strong. Today we didn’t look as strong as what we normally do here, but we got it working there at the end.

“We made a magic adjustment, and the car took off. This is the point of the season where we really need to start hitting our stride, and hopefully we’ve got another good 10 weeks before the Chase starts.”

Kyle Busch, Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third for the second week in a row. Paul Menard came home fourth for his best result of the season, and Carl Edwards finished fifth and expanded his lead in the series standings to 20 points over second-place Kevin Harvick (14th Sunday).

Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin and Brian Vickers completed the top 10.

Kenseth spun his tires on the final restart but got a push from Edwards, his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, and closed on Hamlin over the final five laps—but ran out of time.

“I got a bad restart, and Carl pushed me back to clean air, which was real nice of him, and I got back to Denny, but I couldn’t get around him,” Kenseth said. “We were kind of slow for about 10 laps on most runs, and then it seemed like we were the best car from 10 (laps) until we needed fuel.

“I just didn’t have enough time to get around him. I tried everything I could, and I just couldn’t figure out how to do it.”

The victory and third-place finish for the Gibbs cars were a welcome change from the start of the weekend. On Friday, NASCAR ordered all three JGR teams to replace oil pans that had not been submitted for approval. (JGR’s third driver, Joey Logano, finished 18th.) NASCAR is pondering sanctions for the unapproved parts, with an announcement expected early in the week.

Hamlin cracked the top 10 in the Cup standings for the first time since the third week of the season at Las Vegas. The runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in last year’s Chase, Hamlin is ninth, 77 points behind Edwards with 11 races left before the field for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is set.

Hamlin got the opportunity he needed when a caution on Lap 158—the result of an accident involving Juan Pablo Montoya and Andy Lally in Turn 4—interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops and scrambled the running order for a restart on Lap 164.

Edwards passed Kenseth and Busch for the lead on the restart lap, with Hamlin in pursuit. With the top-10 drivers in fuel-saving mode, Edwards continued to pace the field, pulling away from Hamlin by a second and a half, before contact from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin sent Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the Turn 1 wall to bring out the final caution.

On Lap 192, when the lead-lap cars came to the pits—most for two tires and fuel—Hamlin’s crew executed its best stop when it counted most.

Johnson continued to have problems with Michigan, one of four active Cup tracks where the five-time defending champion hasn’t won a race. Johnson spun off Turn 2 just eight laps into the race, flattened three of his four tires and broke the sway bar on the No. 48 Chevrolet.

Ultimately, Johnson lost two laps as his crew repaired the car. He salvaged a 27th-place finish but lost most of the ground in the standings he had gained on Edwards last week at Pocono. Johnson fell from second, six points back, to fifth, 29 points in arrears.

Kurt Busch Bashes to Third-Straight Cup Pole at Michigan

Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

 

The last of the 46 cars to attempt a qualifying run for the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips 400, Kurt Busch piloted the #22 Pennzoil Dodge to his third-straight pole on the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup tour. Achieving the top spot in qualifying with a time of 38.156 second run, Busch's result stood the test of David Reutimann's effort in the Michael Waltrip Racing #00 Toyota. Extending his recent pole-streak, Kurt Busch also repeats as lead qualifier in the spring race at Michigan.

 

Outside of the top-10, 2008 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr starts 15th with his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Earnhardt Jr actually led the whole Hendrick Motorsports team as Mark Martin will start 19th, Jimmie Johnson 21st and the #24 car of Jeff Gordon will be taking the green flag in 31st spot.

 

Another notable driver out of the top-10 in qualifying at Michigan International Speedway is the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader. The Roush Fenway driver Carl Edwards starts 23rd at Michigan positioned differently to the beginning of last week's race at Pocono. Having a 40-point point deteriorate to just a 4-point interval over Jimmie Johnson, #99 Ford of Edwards suffered a rare drivetrain issue. Carl Edwards has two wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series at Michigan

 

Prior to Kurt Busch's pole lap, the biggest news in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage at Michigan International Speedway has been situated on Joe Gibbs Racing attracting the ire of the sanctioning body's scrutinizing. On Friday, oil pans from the team's three Toyotas (the #11, #18 and #20) were confiscated in pre-practice inspection. In qualifying, Denny Hamlin was the highest-qualifying member of Joe Gibbs Racing stable with his #11 Fed Ex Toyota. Kyle Busch starts 24th while Joy Logano in the #20 car will start on the tail end of the 43-car field due to an engine change made after the Toyota's race motor expired on Friday. 

 

The closest race to the Motor City of Detroit, qualifying gave a reason for Chevrolet and Ford to be somewhat worried. Four Toyota Camrys entered the top-10 with Chevrolet Impalas taking three spots and two positions belonging to Ford Fusion race cars. Kurt Busch was the only Dodge in the top-36 for the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips 400. 

 

The NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway will start at 1:00pm Eastern time.

 

 

Starting Lineup

NASCAR Sprint Cup

Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips 400

Michigan International Speedway

1. 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge
2. 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota
3. 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford
4. 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
5. 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
6. 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
7. 16 Greg Biffle Red Cross/3M Ford
8. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota
9. 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet
10. 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Office Toyota
11. 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
12. 51 Landon Cassill Security Benefits/ThankATeacherToday Chevrolet
13. 39 Ryan Newman USArmy236Bday/BMooreNASCARHOF Chevrolet
14. 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
15. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet
16. 47 Bobby Labonte RainEater/Advance Auto Parts Toyota
17. 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
18. 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford
19. 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
20. 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
21. 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet
22. 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
23. 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Now Hiring Ford
24. 18 Kyle Busch Snickers Toyota
25. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Cars 2 Chevrolet
26. 43 A J Allmendinger Best Buy Ford
27. 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet
28. 38 Travis Kvapil Fellowship of Christian Athletes Ford
29. 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
30. 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota
31. 24 Jeff Gordon Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet
32. 30 David Stremme Inception Racing Chevrolet
33. 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
34. 46 J J Yeley Red Line Chevrolet
35. 32 Mike Bliss bluCigs Ford
36. 71 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford
37. 7 Robby Gordon SPEED Energy/Walgreens Dodge
38. 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing LLC Toyota
39. 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota
40. 34 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
41. 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
42. 36 Dave Blaney Golden Corral/GetAuctionAccess.com Chevrolet
43. 81 Scott Riggs Whitney's Collision.com Chevrolet

Race Weekend Schedule & Weather Forecast: June 17th to 19th 2011

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

West Allis, Wisconsin
Milwaukee Mile
IZOD INDYCAR Series/ Firestone Indy Lights Series

Friday:

3:00pm- IZOD INDYCAR Practice

Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

 
3:45pm- IZOD INDYCAR Practice (All Cars)
 
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 0%




Saturday:


8:45am- Firestone Indy Lights Practice

Temperature: 17 degrees Celsius (63 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


9:45am- IZOD INDYCAR Practice

Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


11:55am- Firestone Indy Lights Practice

Temperature: 18 degrees Celsius (65 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


12:55pm- IZOD INDYCAR Practice

Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius (67 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


3:50pm- Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
 
Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


4:45pm- IZOD INDYCAR Qualifying
Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


Sunday:

12:30pm Firestone Indy Lights David Hobbs 100



Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius (67 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


3:30pm- IZOD INDYCAR The Milwaukee 225
Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 20%



Brooklyn, Michigan
Michigan International Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup/NASCAR Nationwide Series/ ARCA Racing Series

Thursday:

2:30pm- ARCA Practice

Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 30%




Friday:

10:00am- ARCA Qualifying

Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


11:30am- NASCAR Nationwide Practice

Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


12:30pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice

Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


2:00pm- NASCAR Nationwide Practice

Temperature: 24 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


3:30pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice

Temperature: 24 degrees Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


5:15pm- ARCA RainEater Wiper Blades 200

Temperature: 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 20%


Saturday:

11:10am- NASCAR Nationwide Qualifying

Temperature: 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


1:10pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying

Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (71 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%


3:30pm- NASCAR Nationwide Alliance Truck Parts 250

Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 50%



Sunday:

1:00pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

Temperature: 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 30%

Harvick Streaks Past Hamlin for Michigan Sprint Cup Win

Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

With 22 races in the books, the pressure is weighing heavily on a multitude of NASCAR Sprint Cup teams as the series arrives for their second yearly visit to the Irish Hills of Michigan. As 43 cars were led to the start of the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Kevin Harvick's 2010 season had been the year NASCAR race fans were long expecting from the driver who took over the vehicles of Dale Earnhardt Sr ten seasons ago. Leading the points ahead of Hendrick Motorsports pair of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson as well as the highly-energized Penske Racing lead veteran driver Kurt Busch, Harvick and Richard Childress Racing are riding high heading into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. On the other side of the points, several drivers such as Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Jamie McMurray are on the outside of the top-12 Chase positions with Michigan being the 4th to last opportunity to gain valuable ground.


Polesitter Kasey Kahne driving the #9 Budweiser Ford was quickly dethroned from the top spot by a strong start from the #48 Lowes Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson.Surprising in the light of Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR Sprint Cup career, Johnson has been winless in 19 previous races at Michigan International Speedway. Leading the Carfax 400's first 14 laps, Johnson's luck would not change at the race track. By lap 15, Johnson was hunted by the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle and passed for the 1st place position. With a history of good finishes at Michigan, Biffle was a definite presence through the first half of the Carfax 400 race. Returning to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race track for the first time since his private jet crash, Roush-Fenway Racing's founder Jack Roush witnessed first-hand the improving state of his Ford Fusions in competition. 


Calmly, the first 200 miles of the race resulted in two cautions. The initial yellow flag was thrown for oil spewing from the blown engine of Kurt Busch's Dodge. Back-sliding 6 spots in the 2010 driver's point standings, Kurt Busch lost touch with the top half of the Chase but is still holds a 180 point cushion on 12th place Clint Bowyer. Compounded by poor finishes of Busch's teammate, the Carfax 400 was a tough day for Penske Racing. A track Penske Racing team owner Roger Penske within his business portfolio, the best race result from the 3-car team was 32rd for Sam Hornish Jr.   


Ending Greg Biffle's stint in the lead after the #16 Ford led 3 times for 66 laps, Tony Stewart's #14 Chevy took over in front through the midpoint of the Carfax 400. Handing off the lead briefly over a pit stop, Stewart's rear-view mirror filled with the #29 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick. Taking the lead for lap 111, Harvick stayed out in front for the longest consecutive period in the Michigan race. On the latter side of Kevin Harvick's 45-lap stint, a series of two-car incidents occurred to bring out yellows. Both conflicts residing in turn 4, Ryan Newman was first spun out with assistance coming from the Home Depot #20 of Joey Logano. After the race, Newman angrily confronted Logano over the lap 149 contact.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR

With one Chase contender involved in the lap 149 caution, top 12 drivers Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton wound up with damaged cars just 6 laps later. Running solidly in the top-10 up to that stage in the Carfax 400, Burton ended the race 24th while Gordon would find himself 27th in the final running order.

In a final caution for debris on lap 169, teams had three laps to plan for their final run. Opting for the superior control of new tires, Greg  Biffle led a contingent to pit road while Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and a few others chanced track position being more valuable. While Stewart led off the restart for 11 laps, his fast-moving former teammate Denny Hamlin flew by to lead lap 178. A different circumstance to the dominant (yet arguably boring to watch) performance in the June race, the #11 FedEx Toyota started buried in the back after the Joe Gibbs Racing team elected to switch to a back-up car. Denny Hamlin would lead 12 laps under the hot pursuit of the #29 Chevy. Kevin Harvick ate into the small interval to Hamlin up until he was able to make his winning move on lap 190.   

As the choice to stay out proved to be the winning decision for Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle was able to charge to only 4th place at the end one position behind the #99 Ford driven by teammate Carl Edwards. With Matt Kenseth behind Biffle in 5th, Roush-Fenway Racing delivered 3 cars home in the top-5 motivated by their team owner's presence. Also having inspiring runs at the end was Martin Truex Jr 8th in the #56 NAPA Toyota and Elliott Sadler who brought his #19 Ford across for 9th place. Truex Jr overcome early difficulties having suddenly lost several positions early in the Carfax 400. 

When selecting NASCAR Sprint Cup championship contenders at the beginning of the year, no one mention forwarded the possibility of Kevin Harvick leading the points following 23 races. Thanks to his victory in the Carfax 400, Kevin Harvick now leads by 293 points over Jeff Gordon with a Chase opportunity all-but guaranteed.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Carfax 400
Michigan International Speedway


Race Results


Top-10

1 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet

2 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota

3 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 

4 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 

5 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford

6 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet

7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet

8 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Toyota

9 19 Elliott Sadler Henry Ford Museum: Racing in America Ford

10 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota

Other Notables 

12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

13 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

18 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota

19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Drive the Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet

20 1 Jamie McMurray Philips Norelco Chevrolet

27 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

28 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 

34 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge

40 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite/Vortex Dodge

Armirola Wins in Michigan; his 2nd NASCAR Truck Series Race

Photo Credit: Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(June 12, 2010)

BROOKLYN, Mich.—Aric Almirola passed Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch three-wide through the middle with seven laps left in Saturday’s VFW 200 and held on to win the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Bodine finished second and retained his series lead by 55 points over Almirola, who won for the second time this season in Billy Ballew’s No. 51 Toyota. Busch ran third, followed by Ron Hornaday Jr. and polesitter Austin Dillon, who overcame a late pit-road penalty to post his second straight top five.

“I didn’t think it was the greatest place to be,” Almirola said of his middle position after a restart on Lap 93 of 100. “But I knew we were going to run wide open through the corner. We were either going to crash, or we were going to make it out the other side—because I knew how important clean air was.

“I knew that was my only shot to get out in the lead, and if I didn’t get out in the lead, there was no chance of us winning the race. So I went down in Turn 1, and I knew I was going to run a shorter distance than Todd (who was on the outside), so I just tried to hang tight on Kyle’s door and get him loose, which I did.

“By the time we got off Turn 2, I was almost clear of Todd, and then when we went through (Turns) 3 and 4, I cleared him. So I think that was the move of the race, as far as I’m concerned.”

In a race that featured a track-record 20 lead changes, Almirola didn’t go to the front until his pass on Lap 93. Bodine had held the lead for a restart on Lap 89 and had begun to pull away when Nelson Piquet Jr. spun through the frontstretch grass to bring out the fifth and final caution of the afternoon.

“Maybe it caught me a little off guard,” Bodine said of Almirola’s pass for the lead. “Aric’s a hell of a racer, and they had a good truck when it counted. On a short run like that—especially as many laps as we rode around under caution, with the tires cooling down—everybody’s handling pretty good for three or four laps, five laps.

“I really believe that, if this race was 10 laps longer, I probably would have beat him—but, guess what, there weren’t another 10 laps.”

Notes: The race was red-flagged for 40 minutes, 12 seconds because of a rain shower that caused the third caution on Lap 34. … Timothy Peters finished sixth and remained third in the standings, 165 points behind Almirola. … Matt Crafton retired after 83 laps with an engine failure and fell three spots to 10th in points.

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR