Batman Returns 400:
Michigan International Speedway brings high speeds and three different grooves. Wide and fast can make great racing or it can make a good race to nap through. That same wide track also keeps the number of cautions down which sometimes allows the leaders to get away from the pack.
At the same time fast and wide can bring four cars dicing for the lead lap after lap. You just never know what Michigan might bring.
The Track:
Built in 1968, Michigan is a 2 mile 'D' shaped oval with 18 degrees of banking in the corners. Even the front 'D' has 12 degrees of banking. This makes for high speeds on the smooth, wide oval.
Race Distance:
200 laps = 400 miles
The Big Picture:
This is race number 15 of 36. Solidly in the championship grind. If you're not in the top 15 after this week your Chase For The Cup dreams are fading fast.
The current points top ten are: 1. Jimmie Johnson 2,062. 2. Greg Biffle 1,939. 3. Elliott Sadler 1,781. 4. Carl Edwards 1,759. 5. Mark Martin 1,734. 6. Ryan Newman 1,733. 7. Kevin Harvick 1,715. 8. Rusty Wallace 1,714. 9. Jeff Gordon 1,700. 10. Tony Stewart 1,682.
Storylines:
This week they'll be talking about Goodyear tires and the problems that they had last week in Pocono. Is there a problem with the tires? No. Teams were just running them too soft and with too much camber.
We'll also see more focus on the points chase. Look at who's NOT currently in the top ten. Former champions Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Dale Jarrett, and Bobby Labonte are all on the outside looking in.
Media Coverage:
TV: Fox Sunday June 19th 1:30PM Eastern.
Radio: MRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 2:10PM Eastern
Last Year:
In 2004 Ryan Newman overcame an early unscheduled pit stop to clear debris from his radiator to take the win. Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin also lead the race late in the day.
Predictions:
Last year Ryan Newman hadn't won yet all season long but had been fast as evidenced by winning some poles. Sound familiar? I'll take Ryan Newman this week to score his first win of 2005. For my backup I'm going with a bit of a dark horse. Kurt Busch won this race in 2003 and I think he could overcome his recent demons and get back to his winning ways. His is a team ready to prove that they're not done yet.
