Location: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
What: Citizens Bank 400
When: Sunday, June 17, 2:00 p.m./ ET.(race time)
TV: TNT, 12:30 p.m. ET (Pre-race Show)
Radio: MRN/XM Satellite Channel 144
Posted awards: $5,137,383
Leader Bonus: $10,000
Race length: 400 miles, 200 laps
Track layout: 2-mile oval
Length of Front Stretch: 3,600 Feet
Length of Back Stretch:2,242 Feet
Degree of Banking in Corners: 18°
Degree of Banking on Straights: 12°(Front) * 5°(Back)
Qualifying/Race Data:
2005 polesitter: Kasey Kahne
2005 winner: Kasey Kahne
Qualifying for Sunday’s event is scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. ET Friday, June 15.
Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck Series will be running the same tire codes this weekend, though the Cup tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler" -- this is the fourth major NASCAR track to which Goodyear has brought this specific combination of left- and right-side tires this season -- Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck teams have previously run this tire setup at California and Dover during earlier companion weekends -- truck series teams have also run this combination at Kansas -- in addition, this left-side code (D-4078) has been run with a different right-side code by Cup teams at Texas in April -- while this left-side code is new to the Goodyear tire lineup for 2007, 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 Event Schedule
Thursday, June 14..Not Open to the Public
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice
3:00 p.m. ARCA RE/MAX Qualifying (2 Laps)
Friday, June 15
9:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
10:00 a.m. 11:25 a.m. Craftsman Truck Series Practice
11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Practice
1:10 p.m. 1:40 p.m. Craftsman Truck Series Rookie Practice
1:50 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Craftsman Truck Series Final Practice
3:10 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Qualifying (2 Laps)
5:00 p.m. PreRace Activities & Driver Introductions
5:15 p.m. Start of ARCA RE/MAX Series 200 Race
Saturday, June 16
9:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
10:00 a.m. 10:50 a.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Practice
11:05 a.m. Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying (2 Laps) Impound
1:20 p.m. 2:20 p.m. NEXTEL Cup Series Final Practice
2:45 p.m. PreRace Activities & Driver Introductions
3:00 p.m. Start of Craftsman Truck Series 200 Race
Sunday, June 18
8:00 a.m. Gates Open to the Public
1:30 p.m. PreRace Activities & Driver Introductions
2:00 p.m. Start of Citizens Bank 400 NEXTEL Series Cup Race
All Times Eastern * Subject to change
Edwards Wins At Michigan
Edwards Leads Truex * CIA Stock Photo
Carl Edwards broke a fifty-two race drought, not since November of 2005 has he graced Victory Lane. On Sunday at Michigan International Speedway he laid all that baggage to rest by winning the Citizen's Bank 400, his fifth career victory, which also coincided with his 100th NASCAR Nextel Cup race. It was at Michigan three years ago that Edwards first stepped into a Cup car. The win also allows his motorhome driver to shave off the beard that he vowed keep until Edwards won again. Little did he know it would be 18 months later.
The race looked like it was going to come down to a fuel mileage race, some drivers were running out as the race ended and Jimmie Johnson was out of gas with nine laps left. The win was the 16th career NASCAR victory at MIS for car owner Jack Roush.
Martin Truex Jr. finished a strong second place. He led a total 54 laps before falling victim to Edwards. Truex was putting the pressure on Edwards in the closing laps but ran out of tires at the end. Tony Stewart, who started in the 41st spot on the grid, finished third, still jawing about how good his car could have been had David Gilliland not run into him in Saturday's final practice session. Casey Mears finished fourth followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip to round out the top ten.
There were twenty-two lead changes among eleven different drivers. There were four cautions for a total of nineteen laps. The Nextel Cup Series moves to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California next Sunday for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The race will be televised on TNT and is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.
To read the full article...(Insider Racing News) For full final race results...(Insider Racing News) For top-40 Nextel Cup drivers points...(Insider Racing News)
Yeley Picks Up First Pole
J.J. Yeley, driving a Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet, picked up his first NASCAR Nextel Cup pole on Friday by turning a lap of the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway -- in 38.399 seconds, tranlating to a speed of 187.500 mph. Yeley is the seventh different pole winner in 2007. This pole qualifyies Yeley automatically to be in the 2008 shootout. It is the fifth pole at Michigan for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jimmie Johnson missed by only .001 second, turning a lap of 38.400 seconds and will start on the outside of Yeley on Sunday in the Citizen's Bank 400. Kyle Busch will roll off in third place and Ryan Newman qualified fourth. Rounding out the top ten are Joe Nemechek, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch. Failing to qualify were Dale Jarrett, Ward Burton, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike Bliss, Kevin Lepage and Kenny Wallace.
For Full Starting Lineup...(Insider Racing News)
Roush Fenway Racing Teams Hope History Repeats Itself This Weekend
As a team owner, Jack Roush has been to Victory Lane nine times at Michigan International Speedway, second all-time to the Wood Brothers’ 11 wins at the two-mile oval. If there was ever a time when his Roush Fenway Racing teams were looking for a repeat performance, then this Father’s Day weekend certainly fits the bill.
Two members of the Roush Fenway team – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 DEWALT Ford) and Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford) – have each won twice at Michigan. Kenseth also has six top fives and 10 top-10 showings at Michigan, while Biffle has four top fives and six top-10 finishes, in addition to his two wins.
“It's just a fun track,” Kenseth said. “You move around and try to find a groove that works for your car, and there's always a lot of passing there and I think it's always an exciting race.”
Kenseth has moved up to second in the standings and has been a model of consistency thus far in 2007, with 10 top 10s, six top fives and one win (at California).
“I feel really good about where we're at,” Kenseth said. “Obviously we're in a nice position in points and halfway through I think on the way to the Chase (for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup). I feel pretty comfortable where we're at in the points, and we're just working really hard to get our cars better for the end of the year when it really counts.”
While Biffle has struggled to regain his 2005 form, when he finished second in the Chase while winning a series-high six races, Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) has been a solid fixture in the top 10 for most of 2007. Edwards is currently seventh in the standings.
Gordon Continues Quest For His Fifth Series Championship
Jeff Gordon continues to have the type of season that breeds championships.The standings leader claimed his 79th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory last Sunday by winning the Pocono 500. With rain clouds threatening the area (the race was eventually called after 106 laps and Gordon declared the winner), crew chief Steve Letarte made a gutsy call and had the No. 24 Chevrolet make a service call on pit road at Lap 83 during green flag racing. Gordon relinquished the lead at that point, but was able to regain it on Lap 100 when Carl Edwards pitted. When the rain came at Lap 104, the red flag was displayed and Gordon was the leader. Nearly 35 minutes later, the race was called and Gordon had claimed his fourth win of the season.
Gordon’s 79 career victories rank sixth all-time. He needs five more wins to move past Cale Yarborough (83) and six more to overtake Darrell Waltrip (84) and Bobby Allison (84) and move into third place on the series’ all-time win chart. Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105) hold down the top two spots.
Gordon is pursuing his fifth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championship. Only Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty have won more series championships than Gordon, with both of those former legends claiming seven crowns. Gordon’s last title came in 2001. He’s started 487 consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races, the longest active streak. He’s also had success at Michigan, with two wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10’s and four poles.
Newman Turning Things Around For No. 12 Dodge Team
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge) has been one of the hottest drivers on the circuit the past month. Thanks to back-to-back second-place finishes at Dover and Pocono and five top-10 showings over the last six races, Newman has climbed 13 spots in the championship standings over this stretch and is knocking on the door of cracking the Top 12.
Currently in 13th place, Newman trails 12th-place driver Mark Martin (No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet) by just 22 points. Newman has won twice at Michigan (2003-04) and is beginning to resemble the Ryan Newman of old, highlighted by his series-best eight victories and 11 poles in 2003, the year he finished a career-best sixth in the championship race. Newman, the 2002 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, posted four consecutive top-10 finishes from 2002-05, a period in which he won 12 races, had 50 top five and 74 top-10 finishes, and sat on 34 poles.
“The last two weeks at Dover and Pocono have been really good for our team,” Newman said, “and we know we’re on the cusp of getting that next win and I think these last two weeks, our team has proved that we’re capable of getting there, we just need to complete the deal.”
Newman slumped to an 18th-place finish a year ago, but with new crew chief Mike Nelson at the helm, things are looking up for the South Bend, Ind. native, who goes by the nickname “Rocketman” for his ability to win the pole.
"I consider Michigan my home track,” Newman said. “My dad used to take me up there when I was younger to watch the races before NASCAR came to Indianapolis and so it’s got a special meaning to me and it would be great to get my next win there this weekend and give my dad a great Father’s Day gift. We’ve won at this track before and we’re close to doing it again.”
An Inside Look At This Week’s Top News Items
Chevrolet ran its consecutive win streak to 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races with Jeff Gordon’s triumph last Sunday at Pocono. The manufacturer has won 13 of the 14 races thus far in 2007. However, a Chevrolet driver has not won at Michigan International Speedway since 2001 (Gordon), having gone winless in 11 straight races there. That is the longest drought for Chevrolet at any track on the circuit.
Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge) will be making his 300th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start this Sunday at Michigan.
Carl Edwards will be making his 100th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at MIS. This track is also the site of Edwards’ first ever NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start (8/22/04).
Martin Truex Jr. (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) continues to work his way up the point standings and is 11th heading into this weekend’s action. Truex, who broke through with his first career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory two weeks ago at Dover, followed that up with a third-place finish at Pocono.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet) notched a pair of top-10 finishes at Michigan a year ago, including a third-place showing at this race in 2006.
To commemorate the 50th running of the Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway has created “Celebrity Tickets for Charity,” a philanthropic initiative that allows professional athletes, musicians, famous actors, TV personalities and other celebrities to showcase their artistic talents by designing the most famous ticket in all of motorsports. The winning design will be announced July 7 and will appear on the ticket for the 2008 Daytona 500. The top-10 finalists for this celebrity ticket contest will be unveiled this Friday at a 1:45 p.m. press conference in the media center at Michigan International Speedway
John Andretti Returns To Petty Enterprises
This weekend, John Andretti returns to the wheel of a Petty Enterprises Dodge. Andretti will fill-in for Kyle Petty in the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge for this weekend’s Michigan 400. Petty will once again be in the TNT booth for Sunday’s event. Andretti makes his return to Petty Enterprises after making this year’s Indianapolis 500. He will be the only competitor in Sunday’s race that raced in this year’s event. Andretti last raced for Petty Enterprises in 2003. He has 197 career starts with Petty Enterprises. Michigan is a familiar track to Andretti. He has 19 career starts at the track and 11 of them with Petty Enterprises. Andretti has five top-10 and one top-five finish in Nextel Cup competition at the track.
Michigan Notebook Items
Michigan International Speedway has hosted a NASCAR race in June every year since 1969. In the one year that MIS hosted one NASCAR race – 1973 – the race took place in June. The Citizens Bank 400 will be the 76th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at MIS.
The pole position has been the most productive starting position at MIS in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series competition, producing 15 race winners in 75 total races. Kasey Kahne’s victory in last June’s 3M Performance 400 came from the pole.
If you don’t win the pole, you may want to start fourth at MIS. Since NASCAR’s top series began racing at MIS in 1969, 12 drivers have won races starting from the fourth position. The most recent winner from the fourth spot was Ryan Newman in the June 2004 NEXTEL Cup event. Nine drivers have won from the No. 3 position and just eight drivers have won from the second starting spot in MIS history.
Since the Citizens Bank 400 has been a NASCAR Father’s Day tradition for years, it’s only appropriate to talk about historical father/son combinations. Richard and Kyle Petty ran together on Father’s Day eight times, the first of which was June 15, 1980 as Richard finished fifth and Kyle finished behind his dad in seventh place. Richard and Kyle have competed in the June race at MIS on 12 different occasions, with Kyle finishing higher than Dad six out of the 12 times. In August of 2000, Dale Earnhardt and his sons Kerry and Dale Jr. all drove in the Cup race at MIS, which was the first and only time all three competed together in a NASCAR event.
The winner of the June event at MIS has gone on to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship seven times since the track’s first NASCAR race in 1969. The list includes Richard Petty (1974), Cale Yarborough (1977, 1978), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990), Dale Jarrett (1999), and most recently, Jeff Gordon in 2001 when he passed Ricky Rudd on the last lap to win.
Don’t look for one car make to dominate the Citizens Bank 400. In the backyard of the automotive capital of the world, no manufacturer has swept the top-five finishing positions in the June race at MIS.
Recently, Ford and Dodge have combined to win the last 11 NEXTEL Cup races at MIS. Ford has taken six checkered flags and Dodge five since June 2001, when Jeff Gordon won with a Chevrolet. Sterling Marlin’s August victory in 2001 at MIS was the first time a Dodge won a Cup event since 1977.
Last year, Reed Sorenson became just the second NEXTEL Cup rookie in the past 10 years to record top-10 finishes in both Cup races at MIS in the same season. He finished fifth in June and eighth in August. Kasey Kahne also accomplished the feat in 2004 (2nd in June, 5th in August).
Juan Pablo Montoya will be making his first career start in a stock car at MIS, but he is no stranger to victory lane at the two-mile oval. Montoya took the checkered flag in a 2000 CART race at MIS. He also holds a second place finish at MIS in his only other start at the track in 1999.
Ricky Rudd will return to MIS in 2007 after not competing at the two-mile oval last season. Rudd holds MIS records for most career starts (58) and miles completed (20,420), which he will look to add to in the Citizens Bank 400. The next closer active driver to eclipsing both records is Kyle Petty (51 starts, 18,646 miles), who is running a partial schedule in 2007.
Will Hendrick Motorsports Continue Its Winning Ways This Week?
Thus far this season, Hendrick Motorsports has won 10 of the 14 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races. Roush Fenway Racing has won just one – Matt Kenseth at California Speedway. This weekend’s Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway might be the perfect opportunity for Roush Fenway to close the gap a little bit.
Roush Fenway has excelled at MIS in the recent past with three wins in the last five races. Kenseth won the second Michigan race last season and Greg Biffle won one apiece in 2004 and 2005. Add Carl Edwards’ three top-five finishes in fives races and Roush Fenway has to be optimistic heading into the season’s 15th race.
The three drivers sit at or near the top of a handful of key Loop Data statistics taken over the last two years at Michigan. They rank 1-2-3 in the all-encompassing Driver Rating category. Biffle is first with a 118.1, Kenseth second at 111.3 and Edwards third with a 109.8.
They also hold the top three spots in Average Running Position. Biffle has a 6.527, Edwards has a 7.970 and Kenseth has a 10.208. Of the three, Biffle has the best numbers. He also sits in first in Fastest Laps Run with 65, Green Flag Speed and Laps in the Top 15 (680).
Edwards ranks second in Laps in the Top 15 with 626 and Kenseth is third with 607. Additionally, Edwards and Biffle rank 1-2 in Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 while under green). Edwards has 210 Quality Passes and Biffle has 188. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one driver not with Roush Fenway who could also run up front. Earnhardt, who has not won a race since May 6, 2006 (Richmond), has tremendous numbers at Michigan over the last four races. Earnhardt has a Driver Rating of 99.1 (fifth best), Average Running Position of 11.250 (fourth best), 45 Fastest Laps Run (fifth best), 486 Laps in the Top 15 (eighth best) and 176 Quality Passes (third best).
Rookie News
Juan Pablo Montoya was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the June 10 Pocono 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Montoya finished 20th and took Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors for the sixth time this season.
Montoya leads David Ragan by six points (152-146) in the Raybestos® Rookie standings entering the June 17 Citizen’s Bank 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
Reed Sorenson was the Raybestos® Rookie of the Race in the 2006 Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan, claiming a fifth-place finish in a rain shortened event. He scored the first top-five finish by a Raybestos® Rookie since Kasey Kahne finished second in 2004.
DID YOU KNOW? A Raybestos® Rookie has finished inside the top-10 in the each of the last three consecutive June races at Michigan.
DID YOU KNOW? Only twice since 1975 have TWO or more Raybestos® Rookies have led the spring race at Michigan. In 2004, Brendan Gaughan (once for 13 laps) and Scott Riggs (once for one lap) led the race. Prior to 2004, the most recent race where two Raybestos® Rookies led a lap was in 1986 with Alan Kulwicki (once for one lap) and Michael Waltrip (once for two laps).
DID YOU KNOW? The only Raybestos® Rookie to win a pole in 38 previous Citizens Bank 400 races at Michigan is Loy Allen. Allen grabbed the top starting position for 1994 race.
Rookie Point Standings
DRIVER POINTS
Juan Pablo Montoya 152
David Ragan 146
Paul Menard 93
David Reutimann 82
AJ Allmendinger 64
Brandon Whitt 2
Weekend Event Schedule
Thurs, June 14
7:00 AM ARCA RE/MAX Series Remaining Haulers Enter
7:30 AM ARCA RE/MAX Series Garage Opens
8:30 AM ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie Meeting
9:00 AM ARCA RE/MAX Series Driver-Spotter meeting and Draw for Qualifying
10:00-12 Noon Practice
2:00 PM Pre-Qualifying Tech In-Line Time
3:00 PM Pole Qualifying (All Positions / 2 laps)
6:00 PM ARCA RE/MAX Series Garage Closes
Fri, June 15
9:00 AM ARCA RE/MAX Series Garage Opens
2:30 PM FMM Chapel Service
3:00 PM ARCA RE/MAX Series Driver, Crew Chief and Spotter Meeting
5:00 PM ARCA RE/MAX Series Driver Introduction
5:15 PM Start of the Michigan ARCA 200 (100 laps / 200 miles)
Darnell Wins ARCA Race
Despite a healthy line-up of top-quality teams in his rear view mirror, Roush Racing’s Erik Darnell drove away from Penske Racing’s Sam Hornish, Jr. to win the ARCA RE/MAX 200 Friday afternoon at Michigan Int’l Speedway. Darnell, in the fuel conservation mode, stretched his advantage to 20 lengths at the final stripe over Hornish, Jr., who finished second in his career-first series start. It was Darnell’s second RE/MAX Series victory of the season. Hornish, looking for stock car seat-time, had fueling issues and had to make an unscheduled pit stop late in the race, which set the Defiance, Ohio driver well back in the order for the final 20 circuits. Erin Crocker, in the Evernham Motorsports MAC Tools-Mac Card Dodge, finished third, becoming the highest finishing female in Michigan Int’l Speedway history. Tim McCreadie, in a Richard Childress Racing Camping World Chevrolet, finished a solid fourth in his career-first RE/MAX Series start. Series regular Jeremy Clements, in the One Stop Convenience Stores Chevrolet, battled back from one lap down to finish fifth. ...More
Sam Hornish On ARCA Pole
Sam Hornish, Jr. earned his career first SIM Factory Pole Award Thursday afternoon at Michigan Int'l Speedway. The former Indy 500 winner and IRL Champion sits on the pole for Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 200, marking his career first stock car pole. Hornish circled the 2-mile paved oval in 38.667 seconds in his No. 27 Mobil 1 Dodge. Friday's ARCA 200 will mark the Penske Racing driver's career first ARCA RE/MAX Series start. Erin Crocker starts on the outside front row in the No. 98 Mac Tools-Mac Card Dodge. Erik Darnell, Tim Andrews and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-five qualifiers.
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