Michigan
Figurative look using the June '07 race as a starting point
By Jarrod Breeze, NASCAR.COM
It used to be at Michigan International Speedway that good runs on race day coincided with a good two-lap sprint during qualifying. In the first 44 races at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, there was never a winner who started outside the top 10 and only seven started outside the top five.
That's not necessarily the case anymore. Including Dale Jarrett's victory in August 1991 from the 11th starting position, 15 of the next 32 races at MIS have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. Nine have started 18th or higher.
Carl Edwards won in June from the 12th starting position, and that race was filled with drivers who had to work their respective way through the grid en route to a solid finish. Tony Stewart finished third after starting 41st. Stewart holds the mark for the highest starting position (28th) by a winner (June 2000).
In all, seven drivers started 21st or higher in the June '07 race but managed top-15 finishes. One of those drivers was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished fifth after starting 23rd. Incidentally, Junior holds the track qualifying record at 191.149 in Aug. 2000. He finished 31st that day, the last car still running at the finish.
Interesting Fact
9 Drivers who finished on the lead lap at Michigan in June, fewest of any race this season. It was the fewest total at MIS since June 1999 when only five drivers finished on the lead lap (in order of finish): 1. Dale Jarrett; 2. Jeff Gordon; 3. Jeff Burton; 4. Ward Burton; 5. Bobby Labonte.
Fun Fact
19 Months between shaves for Tom Giacchi, the motor-coach driver for Carl Edwards, who after back-to-back wins dared his friend not to shave until he won again. That was in November ... of 2005. Edwards didn't win again until June 2007, at Michigan.
All the Facts (Top 20 at MIS, June '07)
1 Carl Edwards' victory brought an end to a 52-race winless streak and gave him a 7.3 average finish at Michigan, best among all drivers with more than two starts. He finished 22nd in the August 2006 race, his only non-top-10 in six starts at MIS.
2 Martin Truex Jr.'s runner-up was his third consecutive top-five during a stretch in which he finished no worse than third in four of five races. Truex had a 23.0 average finish in his two starts at MIS last year as a rookie and trudged home 30th in the August race.
3 Tony Stewart finished third for the second consecutive Michigan race. It marked his eighth top-10 in the past 10 races at MIS. In 17 career starts, Stewart has one win (June 2000), eight top-fives and 11 top-10s.
4 Casey Mears posted his first top-five at Michigan and just his second top-10 in nine career starts, both in the past three races. It marked Mears' second consecutive fourth-place finish and third top-five in a four-race span that began with his first career victory. He's had but one top-five since.
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of two drivers (Jeff Gordon) with a current string of three consecutive top-10s at Michigan, including two top-fives. After having never finished better than seventh in his first 13 MIS races, Junior hasn't finished worse than sixth since the beginning of 2006.
6 Kyle Busch posted his best finish at Michigan and first top-10 since a ninth-place run in his first race there in 2005. Busch has struggled in his two August races, however, with a DNF resulting in a last-place finish in 2005 and completing just 132 of the 200 laps in 2006 to finish 39th.
7 Kevin Harvick's worst finish in the past three races is 11th and his average finish of 16.1 is consistent with his average starting position of 16.8. Harvick has two top-fives in 13 Michigan starts and both were in August races (2002, 2003).
8 Jamie McMurray recorded his first top-10 at Michigan since finishing fourth in the August 2004 race. The June finish marks one of seven top-10s on the season for McMurray, matching his total from last year.
9 Jeff Gordon has 20 top-10s in 29 starts at Michigan, and his career average finish is an even 10.0. Gordon finished second in the August 2006 race, the sixth time the two-time winner at MIS has been the runner-up there.
10 Michael Waltrip's only top-10 this season came in the 15th race of the season, but just the third for which he had qualified. Of his nine career top-10s at Michigan, six have come since the beginning of 2002.
11 Bill Elliott's fourth start in the 21 car has been his best in the 10 races he has driven the legendary Wood Brothers machine. The track's third-winningest driver with seven, Elliott also finished 11th in his most recent start at Michigan before this year (August 2005).
12 Paul Menard's best finish of the season came in the only race where's he led a lap -- one lap. He finished 20th in his first Cup start at MIS, in August 2006.
13 Robby Gordon has improved upon his 24.6 average finish at Michigan with results of 18, 12 and now 13 in his past three races there. His lone top-10 in 15 starts at MIS was sixth place in August 2003.
14 Denny Hamlin led his first lap at Michigan, but came away with his worst finish there in three starts. It ended a five-race string of top-10s and was one of only two non-top-10 blemishes in a 12-race span. He finished 12th and ninth in his two MIS starts as a rookie.
15 David Reutimann has made 16 Nextel Cup starts in his career, and Michigan represents his best finish.
16 Clint Bowyer has the worst average finish (29.3) of any of the drivers currently in the top 12 in points. Bowyer finished 39th and 33rd in his two starts as a rookie last year.
17 David Gilliland improved upon his 38th-place finish in August 2006, which marked his first start in the No. 38 car.
18 Dave Blaney has had only one better finish since Michigan, ninth at Indy. He has two top-10s in 15 Michigan starts, both in 2001.
19 Jimmie Johnson led a personal-high 56 laps after starting second. Johnson has one pole in 11 MIS starts, but engine failure in the August 2004 race resulted in his only DNF and worst finish (40th) there.
20 Sterling Marlin's finish was the fifth-best of his season, and the best of his final five races in the No. 14 Chevrolet before being released by Ginn Racing.
All the Facts (Notables at MIS, June '07)
24 Jeff Burton has'’t had a top-10 at Michigan since the August 2002 race although he has finished 11th four times and twice more in the top 13. Last August, Burton, who started from the pole, completed only 17 laps before engine failure forced him from the race and saddled him with a 42nd-place finish.
25 Kurt Busch suffered his worst finish of the nine Michigan races in which he has been running at the finish. Three of his four DNFs at MIS have come in the August races, including a crash last year that resulted in a 40th-place finish.
29 Mark Martin's worst finish of the season is a far cry from his 10.5 average finish in 16 races this year and his 12.3 average finish in 43 career starts at Michigan.
37 Ryan Newman has never finished worse at Michigan in the 11 races he has been running at the finish. He hasn't finished better than 12th at MIS since winning consecutive races in August 2003 and June 2004.
38 Greg Biffle's finish ended a streak of five consecutive top-10s and marked his worse showing in nine Michigan starts.
42 Matt Kenseth has never finished worse than 17th in 15 Michigan starts before crashing out. He is the defending winner of the August race and has two victories, six top-fives and 10 top-10s at MIS.
43 Juan Montoya crashed out in his first start at Michigan. He won the following week on the road course at Sonoma. Last week, he crashed out on the road course at Watkins Glen. Will he come full circle in the return to MIS?
Figurative look using the June '07 race as a starting point
By Jarrod Breeze, NASCAR.COM
It used to be at Michigan International Speedway that good runs on race day coincided with a good two-lap sprint during qualifying. In the first 44 races at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, there was never a winner who started outside the top 10 and only seven started outside the top five.
That's not necessarily the case anymore. Including Dale Jarrett's victory in August 1991 from the 11th starting position, 15 of the next 32 races at MIS have been won from a starting position outside the top 10. Nine have started 18th or higher.
Carl Edwards won in June from the 12th starting position, and that race was filled with drivers who had to work their respective way through the grid en route to a solid finish. Tony Stewart finished third after starting 41st. Stewart holds the mark for the highest starting position (28th) by a winner (June 2000).
In all, seven drivers started 21st or higher in the June '07 race but managed top-15 finishes. One of those drivers was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished fifth after starting 23rd. Incidentally, Junior holds the track qualifying record at 191.149 in Aug. 2000. He finished 31st that day, the last car still running at the finish.
Interesting Fact
9 Drivers who finished on the lead lap at Michigan in June, fewest of any race this season. It was the fewest total at MIS since June 1999 when only five drivers finished on the lead lap (in order of finish): 1. Dale Jarrett; 2. Jeff Gordon; 3. Jeff Burton; 4. Ward Burton; 5. Bobby Labonte.
Fun Fact
19 Months between shaves for Tom Giacchi, the motor-coach driver for Carl Edwards, who after back-to-back wins dared his friend not to shave until he won again. That was in November ... of 2005. Edwards didn't win again until June 2007, at Michigan.
All the Facts (Top 20 at MIS, June '07)
1 Carl Edwards' victory brought an end to a 52-race winless streak and gave him a 7.3 average finish at Michigan, best among all drivers with more than two starts. He finished 22nd in the August 2006 race, his only non-top-10 in six starts at MIS.
2 Martin Truex Jr.'s runner-up was his third consecutive top-five during a stretch in which he finished no worse than third in four of five races. Truex had a 23.0 average finish in his two starts at MIS last year as a rookie and trudged home 30th in the August race.
3 Tony Stewart finished third for the second consecutive Michigan race. It marked his eighth top-10 in the past 10 races at MIS. In 17 career starts, Stewart has one win (June 2000), eight top-fives and 11 top-10s.
4 Casey Mears posted his first top-five at Michigan and just his second top-10 in nine career starts, both in the past three races. It marked Mears' second consecutive fourth-place finish and third top-five in a four-race span that began with his first career victory. He's had but one top-five since.
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of two drivers (Jeff Gordon) with a current string of three consecutive top-10s at Michigan, including two top-fives. After having never finished better than seventh in his first 13 MIS races, Junior hasn't finished worse than sixth since the beginning of 2006.
6 Kyle Busch posted his best finish at Michigan and first top-10 since a ninth-place run in his first race there in 2005. Busch has struggled in his two August races, however, with a DNF resulting in a last-place finish in 2005 and completing just 132 of the 200 laps in 2006 to finish 39th.
7 Kevin Harvick's worst finish in the past three races is 11th and his average finish of 16.1 is consistent with his average starting position of 16.8. Harvick has two top-fives in 13 Michigan starts and both were in August races (2002, 2003).
8 Jamie McMurray recorded his first top-10 at Michigan since finishing fourth in the August 2004 race. The June finish marks one of seven top-10s on the season for McMurray, matching his total from last year.
9 Jeff Gordon has 20 top-10s in 29 starts at Michigan, and his career average finish is an even 10.0. Gordon finished second in the August 2006 race, the sixth time the two-time winner at MIS has been the runner-up there.
10 Michael Waltrip's only top-10 this season came in the 15th race of the season, but just the third for which he had qualified. Of his nine career top-10s at Michigan, six have come since the beginning of 2002.
11 Bill Elliott's fourth start in the 21 car has been his best in the 10 races he has driven the legendary Wood Brothers machine. The track's third-winningest driver with seven, Elliott also finished 11th in his most recent start at Michigan before this year (August 2005).
12 Paul Menard's best finish of the season came in the only race where's he led a lap -- one lap. He finished 20th in his first Cup start at MIS, in August 2006.
13 Robby Gordon has improved upon his 24.6 average finish at Michigan with results of 18, 12 and now 13 in his past three races there. His lone top-10 in 15 starts at MIS was sixth place in August 2003.
14 Denny Hamlin led his first lap at Michigan, but came away with his worst finish there in three starts. It ended a five-race string of top-10s and was one of only two non-top-10 blemishes in a 12-race span. He finished 12th and ninth in his two MIS starts as a rookie.
15 David Reutimann has made 16 Nextel Cup starts in his career, and Michigan represents his best finish.
16 Clint Bowyer has the worst average finish (29.3) of any of the drivers currently in the top 12 in points. Bowyer finished 39th and 33rd in his two starts as a rookie last year.
17 David Gilliland improved upon his 38th-place finish in August 2006, which marked his first start in the No. 38 car.
18 Dave Blaney has had only one better finish since Michigan, ninth at Indy. He has two top-10s in 15 Michigan starts, both in 2001.
19 Jimmie Johnson led a personal-high 56 laps after starting second. Johnson has one pole in 11 MIS starts, but engine failure in the August 2004 race resulted in his only DNF and worst finish (40th) there.
20 Sterling Marlin's finish was the fifth-best of his season, and the best of his final five races in the No. 14 Chevrolet before being released by Ginn Racing.
All the Facts (Notables at MIS, June '07)
24 Jeff Burton has'’t had a top-10 at Michigan since the August 2002 race although he has finished 11th four times and twice more in the top 13. Last August, Burton, who started from the pole, completed only 17 laps before engine failure forced him from the race and saddled him with a 42nd-place finish.
25 Kurt Busch suffered his worst finish of the nine Michigan races in which he has been running at the finish. Three of his four DNFs at MIS have come in the August races, including a crash last year that resulted in a 40th-place finish.
29 Mark Martin's worst finish of the season is a far cry from his 10.5 average finish in 16 races this year and his 12.3 average finish in 43 career starts at Michigan.
37 Ryan Newman has never finished worse at Michigan in the 11 races he has been running at the finish. He hasn't finished better than 12th at MIS since winning consecutive races in August 2003 and June 2004.
38 Greg Biffle's finish ended a streak of five consecutive top-10s and marked his worse showing in nine Michigan starts.
42 Matt Kenseth has never finished worse than 17th in 15 Michigan starts before crashing out. He is the defending winner of the August race and has two victories, six top-fives and 10 top-10s at MIS.
43 Juan Montoya crashed out in his first start at Michigan. He won the following week on the road course at Sonoma. Last week, he crashed out on the road course at Watkins Glen. Will he come full circle in the return to MIS?
