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Goodyear Tire Notes: This is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Goodyear brought to the NASCAR Nextel Cup/Craftsman Truck Series weekend in June -- this is a popular set-up in the 2007 tire lineup, being run at many major NASCAR tracks -- Michigan, California, Dover, Kansas and Kentucky (Busch and Craftsman Truck only) -- in addition, this left-side code (D-4078) is run with a different right-side at Chicagoland, Texas and Homestead this season -- while the left-side code is new this season, this right-side code (D-4062) was run at Michigan, Dover and Kansas in 2006 -- as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Michigan -- air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, August 17, 2007      
10:00 a.m.              Gates Open to the Public 
11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.   NNCS Practice 
 1:10 p.m. -2:15 p.m.   NBS Practice 
 2:30 p.m. -3:00 p.m.   NBS Rookie Practice 
 3:10 p.m.              NNCS Qualifying (Two Laps, All Positions) 
 4:45 p.m. -5:45 p.m.   NBS Final Practice 
    
Saturday, August 18, 2007      
 9:00 a.m.              Gates Open to the Public 
10:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. NNCS Practice 
11:10 a.m.              NBS Qualifying (Two Laps, All Positions)
   (Impound) 
 1:50 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.  NNCS Final Practice 
 3:00 p.m.              Pre-Race Activities & Driver Introductions 
 3:30 p.m.              Start of CARFAX 250 NBS Race (125 Laps, 250 Miles)  

Sunday, August 19, 2007      
 8:00 a.m.              Gates Open to the Public 
 1:30 p.m.              Pre-Race Activities & Driver Introductions 
 2:00 p.m.              Start of 3M Performance 400 NNCS Race (200 Laps, 400 Miles) 

NNCS= NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
NBS=  NASCAR Busch Series
  
All Times Local (Central) * Schedule is tentative and subject to change. 

Denny Hamlin Wins Busch Race

Hamlin Celebrates Busch Victory * CIA Stock Photo

Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing, had a dominate car when the race started and it only got better from there. Hamlin first took the lead on lap 27 by beating everyone out of the pits following the second caution and although he fell back in the pack for various reasons, he was able to drive right back to the front. The final clincher came on the final pit stop when Matt Kenseth was leading and Hamlin was running second. Both drivers made green flag stops and were nose-to-tail coming into the pits but Kenseth's right front tire changer dropped a lugnut. The extra 2 1/2 seconds it took on Kenseths car was the difference when both drivers got back up to speed. Hamlin used that advantage and clean air to pull away from Kenseth and drive on to victory. It was the fourth win For Hamlin in the Busch Series in 66 career races.
To read the full article...     (Insider Racing News)
For full final race results...     (Final Results)
For top-40 Nextel Cup drivers points...     (Busch Series Points)

Biffle On Michigan Busch Pole
Greg Biffle, driving the No. 16 RoushFenway Racing Ford, is on this afternoon's CarFax 250 Busch Series pole at Michigan International Speeway, after turning the quickest lap in qualifying. Biffle toured the 2-mile track in 38.596 seconds for a speed of 186.548 mph. It was Biffle's 12th pole in 196 attempts. Biffle also has 18 victories in the series. Brian Vickers will start second and David Ragan rolls of in the third spot. Then comes Reed Sorenson in fourth and Denny Hamlin in fifth. Marcos Ambrose qualified sixth followed by Paul Menard, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte and Ward Burton to round out the top ten. Two drivers failed to qualify, Eric McClure and Ron Young. The race is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, the spanish sports network.

Buschwackers Invade MIS
The tradition of having half the NASCAR Busch Series field comprised of full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers at Michigan International Speedway will continue in Saturday’s CARFAX 250. A total of 22 drivers will attempt to qualify for both the CARFAX 250 Busch Series race and the 3M Performance 400 NEXTEL Cup race this weekend. Of the 22 which will attempt to pull “double duty,” 18 have attempted to run a full-Cup schedule.

Cup drivers haven’t only attempted to race in the Busch Series, they have also won, many times. Since the Busch Series’ debut at MIS in 1992, eight of the 15 races have been won by a then full-time NEXTEL Cup Series driver (Mark Martin, ’93 & ’95; Bobby Labonte, ’94; Jeff Burton, ’98; Michael Waltrip, ’02; Kevin Harvick, ’03; Ryan Newman, ’05; Dale Earnhardt Jr., ’06).(MIS)

The drivers attempting to race in both races this weekend include Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Ward Burton, Carl Edwards, David Gilliland, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Kevin Lepage, Mark Martin, Casey Mears, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Reed Sorenson, Tony Stewart, Brian Vickers, and J.J. Yeley.

Jason Leffler, Proud New Papa
Jason Leffler, driver of the NASCAR Busch Series No. 38 Great Clips Toyota, and his wife Alison, welcomed their son into the world on Thursday, August 16, 2007, shortly before 7pm. Charlie Dean Leffler, who was named in honor of Leffler’s father, weighed six pounds, nine ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Leffler will return to Michigan this morning and will drive the No. 38 Great Clips Toyota Camry in all scheduled activities leading up to Saturday afternoon’s Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

Last Year's Race
Dale Earnhardt Jr. became only the fourth driver to win multiple times in the NASCAR Busch Series at MIS. The CARFAX 250 on Aug. 19 started with veteran NASCAR driver Mark Martin on the pole, leading the field which consisted of 22 drivers who also competed in the NEXTEL Cup event the following day. Martin was only able to lead the first lap, allowing 12 other drivers to lead throughout what should have been a 250-mile race, but turned into a 256-mile event.

The extra six miles came from the green-white-checkered scenario as with two laps to go Todd Kluever stalled down the backstretch. When the restart took place on lap 127 Carl Edwards was leading, with Robby Gordon in second and Earnhardt following closely in third. The chaos began on the backstretch when Earnhardt went to the high side of Gordon and ended up tagging Edwards in the back bumper, causing the Roush Fenway driver to spin out. The caution that ensued allowed the race to end, with Earnhardt at the front of the field. During the final laps under caution, Edwards left pit road and ran into the side of Earnhardt’s Chevrolet, later confronting Earnhardt in Gatorade Victory Lane. Edwards led 31 laps, but ended up finishing one lap down in 23rd place. The win gave Earnhardt his second in the Busch Series at MIS, his first coming in 1999.

Harvick Hinges On History; RCR Charges Toward Owner Standings Lead
Reigning and two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 21 AutoZone Chevrolet) isn’t running a full-time schedule, but he’s still pushing towards the top of the list of all-time greats in this final year with series sponsor Busch Beer. The series’ hottest driver, Harvick comes to Michigan International Speedway having won two consecutive races (Montreal, Watkins Glen) and can become the seventh driver in series history to produce three consecutive victories. Ryan Newman (2005) was the last to do so. Harvick boasts four wins in his last five races; the exception was a second-place finish at Daytona International Speedway last month. He’s now tied with Jack Ingram for second on the all-time win list with 31.

A win at Michigan also would give him four wins in the last four races he’s entered, although not consecutive events. He won at Chicagoland Speedway and skipped O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis before embarking on his current two-race streak. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2001-03) and Newman (‘05) hold the mark with wins in five straight starts, though not in consecutive races.

Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammates, Jeff Burton and Scott Wimmer, are on a hot streak as well. They have the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet only 41 points behind the driver and owner-leading No. 60 Sharp Ford of Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing. The No. 29 RCR team has made up 227 points on the No. 60 over the last five races to pull within its closest margin of the season. Those two teams have been 1-2 in the owner standings since the first race at Nashville Superspeedway in April. The No. 29 was a season-high 302 points out of first following the second Nashville race in June.

The series driver and owner championships have been split once before, also involving RCR. In 2003, Brian Vickers (No. 10 Fan1st.com Toyota) won the driver’s title, but the duo of Harvick and Johnny Sauter won the owner championship for Childress in the No. 21 PayDay Chevrolet.

Living The Dream: Michigan Native Keselowski Back Home In No. 88
It’s quite a homecoming for Brad Keselowski (No. 88 NAVY Chevrolet) as the Rochester Hills, Mich., native prepares to make his fourth start for owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports. Keselowski has been impressive since taking over the No. 88 Chevy at Chicago, registering two top-15 finishes, including his first career top 10.

Road specialist Andy Pilgrim handled the past two events for JR Motorsports at Montreal and Watkins Glen, but now the seat goes back to Keselowski in front of the hometown crowd.

“Coming back with JR Motorsports, I’m looking to seal the deal this year and I think we have a really good shot at it,” he said of his prospects for a full-time ride with the organization.

He hopes to race against his brother, Brian, who will attempt to qualify his No. 49 Dodge for their father Bob. The Keselowski racing tradition runs three generations deep in Michigan, starting with the siblings’ grandfather, John. The family has competed in all levels of racing from late models to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

“We live about an hour-and-a-half from the track and racing has always been a part of our lives, so competing in front of our hometown crowd will be a lot of fun,” Brian said

Michigan Busch Series History

Busch Series Rookie News

RAYBESTOS® ROOKIE CONTENDER POINT STANDINGS BEFORE FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 300

 
DRIVER                       POINTS
 
 1. David Ragan                 199
 2. Marcos Ambrose              181
 3. Juan Pablo Montoya          165
 4. Kyle Krisiloff              164
 5. Brad Coleman                131
 6. Brad Keselowski             118
 7. Robert Richardson Jr.        84
 8. Justin Diercks               51

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