NASCAR Driver Capsules, June 13
Capsules for the top 20 drivers in the Sprint Cup standings, plus five additional drivers of note.
By Jerry Bonkowski and Bob Moore
48 JIMMIE JOHNSON, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: Jimmie Johnson remained in first place for the ninth straight week after Pocono. He leads second-ranked Carl Edwards by 51 points and third-ranked Clint Bowyer by 69 points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 22 career starts, 0 wins, 4 top-5s, 9 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: second in summer 2011. Finished fifth in last year's spring race and was 27th in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: There are five tracks Johnson has yet to win at in his Sprint Cup career, and Michigan is one of them (others are Chicago, Homestead, Kentucky and Watkins Glen). In fact, Michigan is one of his worst tracks, something he hopes to change this Sunday. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race: "We've had weird things happen at Michigan, but one of these times it (a win) will happen for us; and I hope it's this year."
LOOKING BACK: After struggling the previous two weeks to finishes of 22nd (Charlotte) and 17th (Dover), Johnson bounced back in a big way with a dominant win at Pocono this past Sunday, leading 128 of the race's 160 laps.
ETC.: Johnson has completed 97.0 percent (4,209) of the 4,339 total laps contested in 22 career starts at Michigan. His average start is an outstanding 8.8, but his average finish is only 15.2. He has two DNFs there.
99 CARL EDWARDS, Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Carl Edwards remained in second place for the sixth consecutive week after Pocono. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 51 points and is 18 points ahead of third-ranked Clint Bowyer.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 17 career starts, 2 wins, 9 top-fives, 13 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2007 and summer 2008. Finished 11th in last year's spring race and rebounded to sixth in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Even though he's been in second place for nearly half the season already, Edwards has been seemingly running below the radar, with so much emphasis placed on points leader Jimmie Johnson. Here's Edwards' thoughts on being second in the standings: "With Greg Biffle stepping up last week at Pocono, this race is an opportunity for us to turn our performance up. We have run well here and I love this track. It's fast and wide and a fun place to race. I'd love to get Jack (team owner Jack Roush) and Fastenal (sponsor) to victory lane in Michigan."
LOOKING BACK: Even though he led nine laps, Edwards' appearance at the front of the pack was not for long, as he eventually finished a mediocre 18th at Pocono.
ETC.: Edwards has completed 99.1 percent (3,310) of the 3,339 total laps contested in 17 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 21.1, but has an outstanding average finish of 8.2. He has zero DNFs there.
15 CLINT BOWYER, Toyota
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Clint Bowyer remained in third place for the second consecutive week after Pocono. Bowyer is 69 points behind series leader Jimmie Johnson, trails second-ranked Carl Edwards by 18 points and leads fourth-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 13 points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 14 career starts, 0 wins, 0 top-fives, 6 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: seventh in spring and fall 2012. Finished seventh in last year's spring race and was also seventh in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: After struggling there early in his career, Bowyer has really improved at Michigan, with finishes of eighth, eighth, seventh and seventh in his last four starts there. Here's how crew chief Brian Pattie looks at this Sunday's race: "Clint has run well at Michigan the last couple years and I hope that trend continues. We had solid runs there last season, but nothing spectacular - we didn't lead a lot of laps, but finished in the single digits in both races. Our cars were really good last year."
LOOKING BACK: Bowyer had an average race at Pocono last Sunday, finishing 15th.
ETC.: Bowyer has completed 98.2 percent (2,690) of the 2,739 total laps contested in 14 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 18.4 and average finish is 16.7. He has one DNF there.
88 DALE EARNHARDT JR., Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved up two spots in the standings to fourth-place after last Sunday's race at Pocono. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 82 points, is 13 points behind third-place Clint Bowyer and leads fifth-ranked Kevin Harvick by five points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 27 career starts, 2 wins, 6 top-fives, 10 top-10s and 2 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2008 and spring 2012. Finished first in last year's spring race and was fourth in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Earnhardt's last two Sprint Cup career wins have been at Michigan, the last being last spring there, snapping a 143-race winless streak. He's looking for magic again this Sunday: "I think you approach it like any other race, but we are going in with a lot more confidence because we ran well there last year. But you've got to be patient. I looked through the notes from last year, and we didn't unload perfect. We had to work to get it right. You don't go in with confidence that you are going to go there and it will be perfect. You have the confidence to know that we will get it dialed in."
LOOKING BACK: Even though he didn't lead any laps, Earnhardt had one of the strongest cars in the field this past Sunday at Pocono, recording one of his best finishes thus far this season: third-place.
ETC.: Earnhardt has completed 99.2 percent (5,252) of the 5,295 total laps contested in 27 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 15.0 and average finish is 14.8. He has two DNFs there.
29 KEVIN HARVICK, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After climbing six spots in the standings in the previous two races, Kevin Harvick dropped one spot - from fourth to fifth - after Pocono. He trails series leader Jimmie Johnson by 87 points, is five points behind fourth-ranked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and leads sixth-ranked Matt Kenseth by 16 points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 24 career starts, 1 wins, 3 top-fives, 8 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in summer 2010. Finished 10th in last year's spring race and was 16th in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Harvick is one of only four drivers with two or more wins thus far this season. He has had an up-and-down history at Michigan, and after last summer's 16th-place finish there, he looks to go back upward this Sunday: "If you're having a bad day, you can get behind at Michigan really fast. Usually, when you're hooked up at Michigan, the leaders have clean air and move through traffic pretty well, but if you're in the middle of the pack, you find yourself getting behind and going a lap down pretty quick. You're going to end up with a green flag pit stop and a whole bunch of green flag laps. You just have to be going the time the green flag drops and keep yourself in position."
LOOKING BACK: Harvick has been doing well of late, having won at Charlotte, ran eighth at Dover and ninth at Pocono this past Sunday.
ETC.: Harvick has completed 99.1 percent (4,660) of the 4,701 total laps contested in 24 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 18.1 and average finish is 14.8. He has one DNF there.
20 MATT KENSETH, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Kenseth dropped two spots, from a tie for fourth to sixth after Pocono. Kenseth has now dropped three spots in the standings in the last two races. He trails series leader Jimmie Johnson by 103 points (a loss of 29 points from last week's 74 points in arrears), is 16 points behind fifth-ranked Kevin Harvick and leads seventh-ranked Kyle Busch by six points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 27 career starts, 2 wins, 12 top-fives, 17 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2002 and summer 2006. Finished third in last year's spring race and 17th in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Michigan has been one of Kenseth's more successful tracks. He likes the length (2.0 miles), the width and the speed that is generated there. Of course, all those good runs in the past have been in a Ford. It should be interesting to see what he does in his first time in a Toyota at Michigan this Sunday. This will be the second consecutive race where horsepower in all Toyota's will be tuned down slightly to improve durability within the motors. Kenseth reflects on what the first race with less horses was like this past Sunday at Pocono: "It was fine. The 18 (Kyle Busch) and 11 (Denny Hamlin), I think, finished up okay and we were fine before we had the problem (crash). We were okay. Jimmie (Johnson) had us covered, but there was a couple runs where we were pretty respectable. I didn't think it was a big deal. I think we had the tools if we had the car just right to win until whatever happened to it."
LOOKING BACK: Kenseth had a top-10 car at Pocono until he got into a wreck. That set him back to an eventual and disappointing 25th place finish.
ETC.: Kenseth has completed 97.7 percent (5,172) of the 5,295 total laps contested in 27 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 18.3 and average finish is a far more impressive 9.6. He has one DNF there.
KYLE BUSCH, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Kyle Busch continued his move upward in the standings. After moving up three spots following Dover, he moved up another spot after Pocono, from eighth to seventh. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 109 points, is six points behind sixth-ranked Matt Kenseth and leads eighth-ranked Kasey Kahne by 12 points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 16 career starts, 1 wins, 3 top-fives, 5 top-10s, 0 poles. Best career finish: First in summer 2011. Finished 32nd in last year's spring race and was 13th in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Busch is looking to rebound from last spring's disappointing 32nd-place finish at Michigan. Here's his thoughts on this Sunday's race: "Regardless of new pavement (MIS was resurfaced prior to last season) or not, it's wide-open racing, and you can run from top to bottom. The biggest thing used to be to find grip there. But with the new surface, there is a ton of grip now. Before, you had grip for maybe five laps, and then you'd just be out to lunch. But now the tire wear is all out the window, and the racetrack is very fast. And the wide racetrack is good. That's what makes Michigan so exciting and so fun. That's the biggest deal about it."
LOOKING BACK: After finishing fourth at Dover the week before, Busch had another strong run this past Sunday at Pocono, finishing sixth.
ETC.: Busch has completed 92.7 percent (2,909) of the 3,139 total laps contested in 16 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 15.0, while his average finish is 16.4. He has one DNF there.
5 KASEY KAHNE, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: After dropping two spots after Dover, Kasey Kahne dropped yet another position after Pocono, falling to eighth place. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 121 points (a loss of 40 additional points to Johnson after Dover), is 12 points behind seventh-ranked Kyle Busch and leads ninth-ranked Brad Keselowski by 14 points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 18 career starts, 1 win, 7 top-five, 8 top-10s, 2 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2006. Finished a disappointing 33rd in last year's spring race due to a crash, but rebounded to a third-place finish in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Kahne had a strong car at Michigan last spring, only to have his day end early due to a crash. He's looking for a rebound similar to his third-place finish there last summer, especially since Sunday will be Father's Day: "My dad worked on sprint cars when I was little so I grew up learning about racing. He taught me about the cars, and I also wanted to race and ultimately race for my dad at some point. Because of him is why I race cars and why I got into it. He was the one who taught me first off about the cars, how they worked, how to work on them and I enjoyed it. I've learned a lot from him over the years, and it's been great having him around and having his support at all my races."
LOOKING BACK: Kahne's day ended in a wreck at Pocono, ultimately winding up with one of his worst finishes of the season: 36th.
ETC.: Kahne has completed 97.3 percent (3,445) of the 3,539 total laps contested in 18 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 11.2, and his average finish is 15.7. He has two DNFs there.
2 BRAD KESELOWSKI, Ford
Team: Penske Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: After two weeks in 10th place, defending Sprint Cup series champion Brad Keselowski moved up one spot to ninth after this past Sunday's race at Pocono. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 123 points, is two points behind eighth-ranked Kasey Kahne and leads 10th-ranked Greg Biffle by three points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 7 career starts, 0 wins, 2 top-fives, 2 top-10s and 0 poles. Best career finish: Second in summer 2012. Finished 13th in last year's spring race and was runner-up in the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Keselowski continues to be shut out of victory lane this season. He's hoping that changes Sunday at Michigan, especially coming off his second-place finish there last year, plus the fact it's Father's Day and he hails from Rochester Hills, Mich.: "I really want a win at my home track. But I think (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) has a big influence on my mindset when I go up to race at MIS. I'm way more relaxed and I think it has shown in the results over our last couple of races. We still don't have a Cup win there, though, and that definitely drives me. It would be one of the biggest wins of my career."
LOOKING BACK: Finishing 16th, Keselowski was one of only a handful of drivers who managed to lead some laps (four) in a race dominated by winner Jimmie Johnson this past Sunday at Pocono.
ETC.: Keselowski has completed an impressive 99.7 percent (1,400) of the 1,404 total laps contested in seven career starts at Michigan. But he definitely needs to improve on qualifying: his average start is 23.1 and average finish is 18.3. He has zero DNFs there.
16 GREG BIFFLE, Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Greg Biffle climbed three spots, from 13th to 10th, after this past Sunday's race at Pocono. He trails points leader Jimmie Johnson by 126 points, is three points behind ninth-ranked Brad Keselowski and leads 11th-ranked Jeff Gordon by two points.
MICHIGAN RECORD: 20 career starts, 3 wins, 9 top-fives, 12 top-10s, 1 poles. Best career finish: First in summer 2004, spring 2005 and summer 2012. Finished fourth in last year's spring race and won the summer race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Michigan has been one of Biffle's most successful tracks. He always seems to ratchet up his game a little bit more because the track is not far from the headquarters of both Ford and Roush Racing. Here's his thoughts on Sunday's race: "Michigan is one of my favorite tracks; it's a big fast place and has lots of room to race. We can get strung out a bit, but there is always something going on, someone is always catching someone else. There is always a lot of strategy going on. Fuel mileage and pit stops are very important. I've had a lot of success at Michigan in the past and I think this will be a good weekend for us."
LOOKING BACK: Even though he didn't lead even one lap, Biffle was strong and fast at Pocono, finishing with a season-best second-place finish.
ETC.: Biffle has completed 99.8 percent (3,930) of the 3,939 total laps contested in 20 career starts at Michigan. His average start is 13.2 and average finish is 11.8. He has zero DNFs there.
24 JEFF GORDON, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 11th, only two spots out of the top 10. Stands second in the wild card standings.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Two wins and 25 top-10 finishes including 18 top-five's in 40 starts. Also won five poles. Finished sixth in two of the last three races.
LOOKING AHEAD: A year ago, Gordon stood 22nd in the standings at this point in the season. But he was able to rally in the next 12 races to make the Chase. "We are further up in the standings, but we're going to need to battle just as hard as we did last year over the summer months to earn a Chase spot," said Gordon. "But our focus doesn't need to be on anyone else - it needs to remain on what we as a team are doing. And we need to continue doing everything possible to win."
LOOKING BACK: Gordon ran just outside the top 10 all day as he battled a loose-handling race day. He ended the day in 12th place. "We were just a little off," said Gordon. "We just couldn't get the balance to where we needed it to consistently run in the top 10. And all those restarts at the end didn't help things."
ETC.: When asked if he was planning on racing through the 2016 season now that Axalta Coating Systems has signed a new three-year agreement, Gordon said, "I want to race a long time, but I can't say how long that is going to be at this time. Can you pencil any driver in for every weekend of every year? We're still competitive and still being challenged and have goals and my back is hanging in there."
27 PAUL MENARD, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 12th, 10 points out of the top 10. Lost three spots last week to fall out of the top 10.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Finished ninth last August for his second top-nine finish in the last four events.
LOOKING AHEAD: Menard said, "Michigan is a really fast two-mile track, and with the new Gen-6 car this year we may experience even faster speeds than we did last year after the track was repaved. I'm going to have some extra seat time this weekend running in the Nationwide race, so hopefully I can apply what I learn in Saturday's race to Sunday's 400-miler."
LOOKING BACK: Menard was running in the top 15 when disaster struck on the last lap of the Pocono race. The right-front tire blew out sending Menard hard into the third-turn wall. As a result, he ended the day in 30th place, losing 15-16 points in the process. "Our Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet was pretty good for most of today's race, but it was a tough way to end the day with a blown tire on the final lap," said Menard. "But we'll keep our heads up and look for a better result in Michigan next Sunday."
ETC.: Menard and the 27 team are still reeling from the horrible ending to the Pocono race that knocked them out of the top 10. "We've had a tough couple weeks," said Menard. "But I'm optimistic we can turn our luck around this weekend and bring home a good finish and gain some valuable points back at Michigan."
14 TONY STEWART, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 13th, 17 points out of the top 10. Gained three spots last week. Stands first in the wild card standings as a result of his Dover win.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Will be seeking his sixth top-nine finish in the last seven races. Finished second last June. Overall has one win and 19 top-10 finishes including 11 top-five's in 28 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Stewart said, "The good thing is we have confidence from the last three weeks. Hendrick horsepower has been huge. Having four of the top-five cars last week at Pocono proves that the Hendrick engine department really has been a factor (in the team's recent success). The good thing is all three of us are getting better at the same time. Really shows the work that SHR is doing."
LOOKING BACK: Despite being hit by Brad Keselowski and knocked sideways late in the race, Stewart was able to rally in the waning laps to finish fourth for his third straight top-10 finish. "Really happy with it (his finish)," said Stewart. "We got kind of pinched down there in the tunnel turn and got hit in the left rear and moved up the track. We fell back to 12th and fought back to fourth with all of those restarts. So, we are definitely pretty happy with that."
ETC.: Stewart was delighted to see two of the Stewart-Haas cars finish in the top five at Pocono. Teammate Ryan Newman ended up fifth. "It's one thing when one car runs good, but to have two or all three of us (Danica Patrick is the third member of the team) running good shows that we are gaining momentum," said Stewart. "It's not just one team; the whole organization is gaining momentum. I'm really proud of our group at SHR. I'm not a dad, but I feel very much like a proud dad today."
43 ARIC ALMIROLA, Ford
Team: Richard Petty Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 14th, 18 points out of the top 10. Lost two spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Finished 17th in the June race a year ago for his best finish in two starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Almirola said, "I think we will have a good package for Michigan. We saw what Marcos (Ambrose, his teammate) did last year siting on the pole with one of the fastest laps on a non-plate track in decades. It is going to be really fast this year. Everyone has a little extra pressure to run good with the manufacturers based there, so hopefully we will have a good weekend for Ford."
LOOKING BACK: Almirola finished 21st at Pocono. "It was a frustrating day for us," said Almirola. "We expected to finish better than that. We weren't too bad when we raced in the top 10, but once we got shuffled back in the pack; we really struggled in the 'dirty' air. The guys worked hard to get the car to handle better, but we couldn't get the track position we needed."
ETC.: Crew chief Todd Parrott feels one of the keys to running well at Michigan is having "your car turn well in the center of the corners. And it needs to have good drive off the turns to be successful. The track is wide, which typically allows for a lot of two and three-wide racing in the corners. We are going to do our best to bring a fast, good-handling race car to the track this weekend."
78 KURT BUSCH, Chevrolet
Team: Furniture Row Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 15th, 21 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Two wins and eight top-10 finishes in 24 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Busch said, "Michigan is a different track with the new pavement. It has one groove there right now. We were there testing a few weeks back and it was very slick outside just the one groove that's burned in. That's right around the middle of the track. Trying to go low the car got real slick and slid up and going high the front-end really pushed bad because there was no grip up there during testing. We need another solid run at Michigan to keep us in the hunt for the Chase."
LOOKING BACK: Busch overshot his pit box on his final pit stop resulting in a lengthy stop that dropped him to 24th place with only 34 laps to go. But Busch rallied to finish seventh. "We had a fast car again, ran up front but a mistake on my part on pit road stalled our momentum," said Busch. "But we battled back with a solid finish. To win you have to be perfect and we weren't today. But the good news is we had a fast car again."
ETC.: Busch now has eight top-10 finishes in 20 races since joining the Furniture Row team late in 2012. This is the same number of career top-10's that the team earned in 193 starts before Busch started driving for the Denver, Col.-based team. "We've made great strides in the past month," said Busch. "We need to continue the progression. I don't see any reason why we can't."
22 JOEY LOGANO, Ford
Team: Penske Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 16th, 26 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Three top-10 finishes in eight starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Logano feels he and his team can't "make any mistakes" in the coming weeks if they want to make the Chase. "Whether that's me as a driver, I can't make any mistakes or as a team, whether that's on a pit stop or a mechanical failure or setup mistake. We can't afford to make them because of where we are in the points."
LOOKING BACK: Logano finished 10th at Pocono for his third straight top-10 finish. "It was just so hard to pass today," said Logano. "I felt like we had probably a seventh or eighth-place car and we about got to where we needed to be. We were up there at one point and then we'd get a bad restart or something happens in front of you and you lose three or four spots and you try to get them back. I think what you saw were the restarts being so chaotic because it's so hard to pass after four or five laps into a run. You've just got to make it happen in two laps (after a restart)."
ETC.: Logano is in his first year with Penske Racing, and he's quite pleased with how well his new team is performing, especially crew chief Todd Gordon. "My team is super-strong," said Logano. "They are definitely a championship-winning team and we're growing every day and I'm proud of that. Todd has got the same mentality as me, and I feel like we're very similar in a lot of ways, which works out good for us. I feel like our strengths and weaknesses are fairly similar and we're able to work on those together, and we're very open about what those are."
56 MARTIN TRUEX, JR., Toyota
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 17th, 31 points out of the top 10. Lost three spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Finished 10th last August for his fourth top-10 finish in 14 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: After dropping from ninth to 17th in the standings in a two-week period, Truex knows he needs a good run at Michigan "to get back on the right track. We need to get back to finishing in the top 10. We need to get back to running like we did at Texas (second) and Kansas (fourth)."
LOOKING BACK: Truex finished a disappointing 23rd at Pocono. "We missed it today," said Truex. "We battled a loose NAPA Toyota all day long. We got up to 11th and thought we might make it out of here OK but then got caught on pit road when NASCAR threw the caution flag (when A J Allmendinger cut a left-front tire and almost came to a stop on the front stretch). It cost us a lot of track position and we did our best to get all we could. We have some work to do before we come back here (in August)."
ETC.: Truex is quite fond of crew chief Chad Johnson. "I think what makes it work between me and Chad is the fact that he understands how the system works and how to get the most out of it. He knows how to get the right information out of people and then give the right feedback to make our cars even better. As far as the engineering side goes, he's not afraid to go out on a limb and work on stuff himself to make our cars faster."
39 RYAN NEWMAN, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 18th, 32 points out of the top 10. Gained two spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Finished eighth in the August race for his third top-eight finish in the last four events. Overall has two wins and seven top-10 finishes including five top-five's in 23 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Newman admits "A win in any race right now would be big. It would be very special to be in victory lane at Michigan. It's close to home for me, and it being in Quicken Loans' backyard means a lot. It's Chevrolet's backyard, as well. So it would have significant importance. But in the grand scheme of things, winning any race would be important for us (in his bid to make the Chase)."
LOOKING BACK: A gamble by crew chief Matt Borland paid big dividends as Newman finished fifth at Pocono. Newman was running outside the top 20 when Borland told Newman not to pit during the first caution flag on lap 67 of the 160-lap event. This decision vaulted Newman into the lead, and he was able to stay up front for the remainder of the race with the help of a number of caution flags in the final 35 laps. "Strategy worked out to our benefit with the yellows there at the end," said Newman. "This is something we definitely needed as a team."
ETC.: Newman said his team is heading to Michigan "with a sense of renewed confidence. We had a good finish at Charlotte (sixth), and while we didn't have the finish to show for it, we had a good weekend at Dover. We were fast in practice, and we were fast in the race until we had issues that took us out early. Myself and Tony (Stewart) both had good finishes last weekend at Pocono, so we're certainly feeling good heading into the Quicken Loans 400."
1 JAMIE MCMURRAY, Chevrolet
Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
WHERE HE STANDS: 19th, 32 points out of the top 10.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Four top-10 finishes in 20 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: McMurray said, "The one word that comes to mind about Michigan to me is fast. With the new track surface at Michigan last year, we ran some really fast times. It will be interesting to go there with the new Gen-6 car for the first time. We finished 14th in both races last year at Michigan, so we will look to improve on that."
LOOKING BACK: McMurray rallied in the final 50 laps to finish 13th at Pocono. "Our guys on the Banana Boat Chevy SS worked hard today and make a lot of changes to make our car better," said McMurray. "We were off quite a bit at the beginning of the race, but these guys never gave up. I am not too disappointed with that finish."
ETC.: Only 34 points separate 10th from 20th in the Sprint Cup standings. To McMurray that means "someone is going to have to put together a string of top-10s" to separate themselves from the group. "And if someone in that group can win a couple of races, it would be huge," adds McMurray. "There are a lot of guys who still have a shot at making the Chase."
17 RICKY STENHOUSE, JR., Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 20th, 34 points out of the top 10. Lost five spots last week.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Will be making his Sprint Cup debut. Finished second in the 2011 Nationwide Series race.
LOOKING AHEAD: Stenhouse said, "A strong run at Michigan would be huge. We always look forward to Michigan because it's in the backyard of Ford and Roush Industries. We struggled last week so we need to rebound this weekend. Michigan is a fast two-mile wide track. Track position is essential so hopefully we can qualify well on Friday and stay up front for the duration of the 200-lap race."
LOOKING BACK: Stenhouse finished 26th at Pocono. "The last time I raced at Pocono was in 2008 (in an ARCA race) and the track has changed so much since then," said Stenhouse. "Practice being rained out on Friday really hurt us because we needed to log lap here. Track position was important because it was so hard to pass and make up ground. We just couldn't get our Valvoline Ford to turn in three, but we learned a lot that we will bring back next time and improve on our finish."
ETC.: Stenhouse is still looking for his first top-10 finish of his rookie Sprint Cup season. "We've come close a few times, but we haven't been as consistent as we need to be," said Stenhouse. "We'll be glad when we started going to a track for the second time. I think that is when we'll start running like we want."
31 JEFF BURTON, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 21st, 39 points out of the top 10. Is only five points out of the top 20.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Nine top-10 finishes in 38 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Burton believes "It (Michigan) will be faster this year than last year with this new Gen-6 race car. With this car and a little more knowledge about the tires among things, it wouldn't surprise me to see us go faster (than the 203.241 miles per hour that won the pole a year ago). Michigan (a two-mile track) does feel fast," added Burton, "but it doesn't feel as fast as somewhere like Dover. It is big, wide and smooth so the sensation of speed isn't like it is at a place like Dover (a one-mile, high-banked track)."
LOOKING BACK: Burton finished 11th at Pocono. "Today was another day where the 31 team showed we are making progress with our 1.5-mile and above track program," said Burton. "I dug us a hole early in the race by missing a shift on a restart and restarts were so important today. You have to be aggressive. I expected us to run well here after our successful test session last week and we did."
ETC.: Burton will team up with a Bay Area heart transplant survivor in the first-ever Heart Walk to BEAT Heart Disease next week at Sonoma Raceway in Sears Point, Calif. The one-mile walk and breakfast will begin at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, June 21 in the Club 7 hospitality tent above the Turn 7 Terrace at the road course.
42 JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, Chevrolet
Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
WHERE HE STANDS: 22nd, 58 points out of the top 10. 24 points out of the top 20.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Finished eighth in the June race a year ago for his third top-10 finish in 12 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Montoya points out "We've been good at Michigan since the repave. One of our top-10s finishes (in 2012) came there in the same race last year and then we almost had another top-10 finish in the fall race until we had a tire rub (which forced an unscheduled pit stop). Our Target Chevy has been really good this year. The speed is there and the guys have been doing a great job finding the right balance with the cars so I'm looking forward to a strong run this weekend."
LOOKING BACK: Montoya ran in the top 10 for the first 133 laps before getting too loose while trying to pass Matt Kenseth in the tunnel two. The two touched before both cars went spinning to bring out the third caution flag with only 26 laps remaining. Both Montoya and Kenseth were able to continue with Montoya restarting in 25th place. He rallied in the waning laps to finish 14th. "There weren't enough laps left in the race to drive it back up through the field and get the top-10 finish the team deserved," said Montoya.
ETC.: Montoya is quite happy with the cars he's driving this year. "We've had a lot of speed since we unloaded with this (new Gen-6) car," said Montoya. "Since we started working the new car the car had a lot of speed. We just made a lot mistakes as a team (early in the year). We had a lot of failures and loose wheels. We really talked to the guys and said we just have to execute. If we do, we have top-10 even top-five cars. And since Richmond, we have performed a lot better."
9 MARCOS AMBROSE, Ford
Team: Richard Petty Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 23rd, 74 points out of the top 10, 40 points out of the top 20.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Will be seeking his third straight top-nine finish. Won the pole for the June race last year with a record speed of 203.241 miles per hour.
LOOKING AHEAD: Ambrose said, "Michigan is an oval track that we have circled as a place where we feel confident I could get my first oval win. Our team was very strong there last year. We started and finished both races in the top 10. That's what it takes to get a win. You have to be up front and challenging the leaders. We did that last year, and I think we can do it again this year."
LOOKING BACK: Ambrose finished 17th at Pocono. "That's probably what we deserved," said Ambrose. "We had a 17th-place car and we finished 17th with it, so we'll take it. We fought hard all day and rallied hard. We couldn't get the track position there at the end on those restarts, and then I got bounced around on that last restart and we lost a few spots."
ETC.: Ambrose said he hopes his qualifying record "stands, but I feel it may be in jeopardy. These new cars are just faster and we've seen track records fall almost each week. It may be crazy to think about how much speed we'll have this time. I'm sure the tires may slow us down a bit, but we'll see."
55 MARK MARTIN, Toyota
Team: Michael Waltrip Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 24th, 99 points out of the top 10. 65 points out of the top 20.
MICHIGAN RECORD: Five wins (most among active drivers) and 31 top-10 finishes including 18 top-five's in 54 starts.
LOOKING AHEAD: Martin said, "I love Michigan. It's like a big short track. The track lends itself to guys who focus on the handling of their race cars. That's always been my specialty. The cars are different this year so I don't know if we'll repeat last year's performance. We'll just have to see how we stack up against the competition."
LOOKING BACK: Martin finished 19th at Pocono. "We just couldn't get through the corners as good as we needed to get up there and fight for it (the win)," said Martin. "We did a good job with what we had. We were just down on speed a little bit and on handling a little bit. It was just one of those days."
ETC.: Martin won the pole for the August race last year and dominated the early portions of the event before getting involved in an scary wreck on lap 65. "Man, we were rolling," recalls Martin. "What a hot road. You dream of racing a car like I had in August. Some cars got together and we got jammed up and slid toward pit lane. I hit the wall at a pretty freak angle. It could have been really bad if I would have got in the hole a little deeper where it caught me in the door instead of in the crush area back there (behind the driver's door). When I got home and finally saw it on television I understood why everyone was talking about that wreck. It looked pretty spectacular the way it hit the end of the wall, but these cars are amazingly safe."
11 DENNY HAMLIN, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 25th, 110 points out of the top 10, 76 points out of the top 20. Gained one spot.
MICHIGAN RECORD: During one five-race period between 2009 and 2001, Hamlin had two wins, a second, a third and a tenth.
LOOKING AHEAD: Hamlin feels he and his team are going to have to be at their very best this weekend to have any shot at winning the Michigan event. "You can't always have the fastest car," said Hamlin. "Sometimes a driver is going to have to make something up and for these next few weeks, at least, it looks like I'll need to do that."
LOOKING BACK: Hamlin finished eighth at Pocono for his third top-eight finish in the last four races. But he actually lost two points in his bid to be in the top 20 by Richmond, the last race before the Chase begins for the 2013 championship. "Really, we were a little bit off all weekend," said Hamlin. "Really eighth is about where I thought we were going to end up. My pit crew gave me a chance to at least battle those guys for a few laps by picking me up four or five spots on the last stop. But by no means did we have a winning car this weekend."
ETC.: Hamlin knows he needs to win two races in the next 12 events to have any realistic chance of making the Chase. And because of his past success at Michigan, he felt this could be one of those weekends. Or he did before Toyota decided to cut back on horsepower to make sure their engines last. "This week is going to be another critical horsepower track, we know that," said Hamlin. "It's a tough compromise. I'm a racer. I'd rather blow up leading than run 15th all day. We'd rather know we have a chance to win. We're going to have to deal with it until everything in Costa Mesa (Calif., where Toyota Racing Development is located) is sorted out and they have the reliability and the comfort to give us what we need."
