MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Known for its wide racing surface and high banking on the track, Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is one of motorsports' leading facilities. Because of these two factors at least three- and four-abreast racing are held on regular basis. Michigan International Speedway (MIS) has been witnessed many unforgettable races, after its inauguration in 1968. Because of its closeness to Detroit, it can be considered a "backyard" track for all the manufacturers as last year's second race at MIS seemed as if it was held on Dodge property. Michigan International Speedway boasts a proud 32-year history of hosting America’s best racing action, situated on 1,200-plus acres in the scenic Irish Hills of southeastern Michigan with 18 degree banking and 73-foot wide sweeping corners, Michigan International Speedway provides drivers with three and four grooves to run around the two-mile.

HISTORY OF MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Started in 1968, Michigan International Speedway with 12,000-seating arrangements at center grandstand stood overlooking the new 2-mile oval. The Speedway also boasts of 25,000 seats at smaller grandstands on each side. The home of the state’s largest single-day, paid-admission sporting events since 1992, Michigan International Speedway is a full of racing events. On September 28, 1967, the transformation of dirt road took place to form a paved and D-shaped oval. More than 2.5 million yards of dirt were removed. Charles Moneypenny, who had also designed the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway, planned the design of the Michigan oval. The original plan comprising infield and exterior roads could be resurfaced into a 3-mile or two 1.9-mile road tracks. The tracks were designed by Formula One and are still utilizing for passenger car testing by area law enforcement agencies on a limited basis. The exterior road and interior road course race was held last time in 1973 and 1984 respectively.

The Michigan International Speedway has come across a long way since its inauguration and grown into a largest sports field in Michigan. In 1985 and in 1989, the center grandstand was extended and again in 1990, over 27,000 were added to the grandstand. After ten years, in 1999, with 28,000-seats, 10-1/2-story high structure was added to the center grandstand. Now the total seating capacity became 55,000 seats, more than four times of its original size. The first of two of the seven grandstands in turn 1 were built in 1990 and in 1992, the first North Concourse grandstands (turn four) were developed. The eighth North Concourse grandstand was erected in turn 3 by 1997. Michigan International Speedway has increased its reserved seating facility by 82,000, over the last decade and after 1985, the Speedway has increased its seating arrangements by nearly five times.

Lawrence H. LoPatin, a land developer of Detroit-area built the speedway at an estimated cost of $ 4 million to $ 6 million was the main catalyst in the project. The saucer-shaped track with 18-degree banking provides hair-raising thrills in the racing action right from the start. On October 13, 1968, the first race took place. Ronnie Bucknum was awarded $ 20,088 as the first driver to roll into Winner’s Circle. Cale Yarborough emerged as the winner of the first NASCAR race at the speedway on June 15, 1969, in a duel with LeeRoy Yarbrough. The two drivers battled much closed to each other for most of the final 150 laps. On the last lap, they both touched twice-entering turn 1 and Yarbrough collided with the wall. Coming out of the last turn, Yarbrough turned and crashed just 300 yards from the finish line.

MIS has been host to a number of historic races and many legendary drivers, including Richard Petty, Mark Donohue, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Gordon Johncock, Emerson Fittipaldi, Al Unser, Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Buddy Baker, Bruce McLaren, Neil Bonnett, Davey Allison, and Rick Mears have all celebrated victories in Winner’s Circle at Michigan International Speedway. LoPatin had dreamed of owning speedways in Michigan, Georgia, Texas, California and New Jersey, hot spots for speedways, in an age well before motor sports became part of mainstream America. He selected the land where MIS is situated on today, because of its closeness not only to Detroit, the Motor Capital of the World, but also to Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Canada and the entire Midwest.

The American Raceways Inc (ARI) went bankrupt as the other ARI speedways were an exhaust on the company’s budget; the Michigan International Speedway became as a profitable venture. The company looked for protection under bankruptcy laws, allowing the track to maintain its racing and testing schedules in 1971. In 1972, ARI got the receivership. Penske dreamed of MIS as a premier motorsports facility, when the oil crisis and hiked gas prices threatened all of racing in 1973. With an estimated $ 2 million Penske started work to improve the speedway to his standards, after purchasing the deed to Michigan International Speedway off the Lenawee County. Millions of dollars were invested on one capital improvement project after another with a goal of making Michigan International Speedway as one of the best superspeedways in the world. Under the Penske’s ownership, the seating arrangements were increased to over 125,000 from 25,000 seats at the grandstands with the addition of many buildings including three garages, 26 pit terrace suites, the administration building, two ticket offices, a maintenance building, Motorsports International (now Americrown) and CompTire buildings and warehouses, a sign shop and entertainment shop.

The speedway got a new logo in August, 2000 and declared to add “International” back to its name. In 1996, the course had been changed to Michigan Speedway to line up itself with the three other Penske-owned courses (California, Nazareth and North Carolina). ISC Creative Supervisor Jerry Stanley created the new logo. Presently considered as one of the country’s premier racing facilities, Michigan International Speedway is still focuses on constant improvements. A new 10,800-plus-seating capacity of grandstand was built in turn three with a marvelous view of the entire Speedway and surrounding Irish Hills in 2000. The track was rebuilt in 1977, again in 1986, and again in the spring of 1995. After the last resurfacing, MIS was the first track to use a polymer-enhanced asphalt especially formulated for high-banked racing and harsh Michigan winters. Previous surfaces were broken off and used to join the pave roads to the parking area..

TRACK INFORMATION

The magic surface of oval track of MIS, with just the right length and the right degree of banking makes both stock cars and Indy cars run competitive, high-speed events. The NASCAR weekends get the most attention of the people and makes nearly impossible to get tickets, even though more grandstands each year keep on increasing. MIS has replaced CART to the Indy Racing League for 2002 and beyond, MIS is the first race track to offer guest services to its fans attending the weekends events. It is also the first with hospitality trams to take guests from their cars to the gate and one of the first to have 3-D views of seating to compliment ticket sales on net. Music concerts, classic cars shows, camping, amusement rides and family entertainment add to the overall mood of a race weekend at MIS.

Opened
1968

First Winston Cup Racing
Motor State 500, June 5, 1969

Distances Covered
2-miles oval shaped

Banking in turns (1-4)
18 degree

Banking in front stretch
12-degree

Banking on backstretch
5-degree

Length in front stretch
3,.600 feet

Length in back stretch
2,242 feet

Owner
International Speedway Corp.

Qualifying record:
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 191.149 mph (37.667 sec.), Aug. 18, 2000

Race record
Dale Jarrett, 173.997 mph, June 13, 1999

Grandstand seating
136,384

Miles/Laps
400 miles, 200 laps

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Updated 8/16/2006 11:51 PM ET
NASCAR team reports ahead of the Nextel Cup tour's second stop of the season at Michigan International Speedway:
Jimmie Johnson

No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Johnson, who leads the points race by 124 points over Matt Kenseth, has had an average starting position of 12.6 and an average finish of 15.9 at Michigan and has never won there. He finished sixth in the rain-shortened Michigan race in June.

Last week: Johnson finished 17th at Watkins Glen, less than one spot below his average there. "There are tracks that come up on the schedule that I get excited for and feel that my chances are stronger at, but my own challenges are goals I give myself," he said. "One of them was a restrictor-plate win and we got two, and then a road-course win. I still feel like I've got a lot to learn on a road course. That's my next big goal is to get road-course racing under control and be a threat for the win there."

Etc.: Johnson has the highest average running position of all drivers with a 10.760.

Matt Kenseth

No. 17 Ford, Roush Racing

This week: The rain-shortened event in June snapped a string of six consecutive top-10 finishes for Kenseth at Michigan, where his average finish of 8.4 is second best among the 23 tracks at which he has raced in his Cup career. He has an 8.1 average finish at Las Vegas. Kenseth's lone Michigan win came in June 2002. Since entering the series full time in 2000, Kenseth has completed 4,849 laps on two-mile ovals (Michigan and Fontana), more than any other driver. "Michigan was kind of like our light at the end of the tunnel last weekend at The Glen," said Kenseth, who, like many drivers, has struggled on road courses.

Last week: Kenseth finished 21st at Watkins Glen, just his fourth finish outside the top 20 this season.

Etc.: Kenseth has another thing going for him this weekend — he will be driving chassis No. RK-323, in which he has led in five out of the six races he has used it this year.

Kevin Harvick

No. 29 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Harvick is one of the hottest drivers on the circuit heading to Michigan. He won last weekend's AMD at The Glen and has yet to finish outside the top 10 during the Race to the Chase — the 10-race lead-in to the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. In fact, his only finish outside the top five in this span was a ninth at Daytona in July. "Everyone is pulling in the same direction right now at RCR," Harvick said.

Last week: Harvick's win at The Glen gave him his fifth top-five finish in a row and has him third in points. Harvick is making a run at two NASCAR titles in the same season — he leads the Busch Series.

Etc.: Harvick will be behind the wheel of chassis No. 134, which made its debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May. Harvick started 12th in that race but finished 34th. He last used this chassis at Michigan in June, when he started 19th and finished 10th.

Jeff Burton

No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: In 25 starts at Michigan, Burton has recorded one pole, four top-five finishes, eight top-10s and has been running at the finish each time. His best finish there is third in June 1999, and he finished 11th in the rain-shortened race at Michigan in June, when he tried out a different car. "We felt good about our Michigan race, we just weren't as competitive as we were with our other stuff," he said.

Last week: Burton's 11th-place finish at Watkins Glen extended his streak of consecutive top-15 finishes to 16 races. The run includes two poles, three top-fives and 11 top-10s.

Etc: Team owner Richard Childress has two wins at Michigan, both by Dale Earnhardt — in June 1987 and June 1990. RCR boasts 15 top-five and 32 top-10 Michigan finishes with seven drivers, including Childress, a former driver in NASCAR's top division who recorded top-10s at Michigan in June 1978 and in August 1979.

Kyle Busch

No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Busch, who ranked 20th at this point last year, has 12 top-10 finishes in 22 races in 2006. His streak of eight straight top-15 finishes began at Michigan in June, when he was 14th. In his other two races at Michigan, Busch was 43rd in this race one year ago and ninth in June 2005. He has led in two of his three races there. Busch is 199 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with four races left in the "Race to the Chase."

Last week: Busch finished ninth despite mechanical problems at Watkins Glen and remained fifth in the standings. "Man, that felt like we won the race," Busch said. "What a way to fight back. I thought the day was done after the truck arm mount broke. No one on the team panicked. They didn't miss a beat and had to weld that thing together."

Etc.: Busch ranked 12th in the point standings after race No. 16 at Infineon.

Mark Martin

No. 6 Ford, Roush Racing

This week: Martin is just one position behind where he was last year at this same point. He has had only one DNF (Talladega in October 2005) in the 47 races since Dover in June 2005. Martin has four victories and 26 top-10 finishes in 41 races at Michigan. His last victory there was in June 1998. He finished 17th in this race one year ago and was 27th there in June. Martin has a 12.121 average finish at the 2.0-mile track and has led in 24 of his 41 races there. "I love the race track, I really do," Martin said. "I always look forward to going up there and race." Martin is just 143 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with four races left in the "Race to the Chase."

Last week: Martin finished 20th at Watkins Glen.

Etc.: Martin has not won a race since his victory at Kansas in October 2005, 29 races ago.

Tony Stewart

No. 20 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: In 15 races at Michigan, he has five top-three finishes, the most recent being a second place in June 2005, and nine top-10 finishes, and he has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight races there. His average Michigan finish dropped to 14th when he was 41st in June.

Last week: Stewart's second-place finish at Watkins Glen was his 14th top-15 of the season and his third runner-up finish. Despite not winning the race, he was excited that Harvick scored the road-course win. "He is a good friend of mine," Stewart said. "It is fun racing guys you trust like that; that was a lot of fun. ... Second place is OK for us."

Etc: Stewart scored his fifth career Cup win in the 2000 June Michigan race when he started 28th, the farthest back any Cup driver has come to win at Michigan.

Denny Hamlin

No. 11 Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing

This week: Hamlin, who was 12th in his first race at Michigan in his rookie year, has 10 top-10 finishes in 2006 and has won twice, sweeping both races at Pocono Raceway. He is just 110 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with four races left in the "Race to the Chase."

Last week: Hamlin finished 10th at Watkins Glen and dropped from seventh to eighth in the standings. "We ran top-10 most all day until that pit strategy deal — we took the safe route of taking four tires and fueling late," he said. "We took the safe bet, and that's what we needed to do. I think this is a really big race for us. It's definitely one of those races where we needed to get a top-15 finish. ... A lot of guys in front of and behind us in points had troubles."

Etc.: Hamlin has been the highest-finishing rookie in 12 of the 22 races this season.

Jeff Gordon

No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Gordon, who has two victories (Infineon and Chicago) and 14 top-15 finishes in 22 races this season, has two victories and 18 top-10s in his 27 races at Michigan. His last victory there was in June 2001. He finished 15th in this race one year ago and eighth there in June. Gordon has led 844 laps in his 27 career races at Michigan, which ranks sixth all-time. He is just 84 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne with four races left in the "Race to the Chase."

Last week: Gordon finished 13th at Watkins Glen and dropped from eighth to ninth in the standings. "If we hadn't have gotten spun there, we were going to be up there in fifth or sixth, I believe, and that would have been a great day for us," he said. "So we salvaged what we could."

Etc.: Gordon has not finished four races this year, more than any driver in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

No. 8 Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Inc.

This week: With four races to go before the Chase begins, Dale Jr. is 30 points behind ninth-place Jeff Gordon and 54 points in front of 11th-place Kasey Kahne. In 22 races, Dale Jr. has one win (Richmond), six top-fives, nine top-10s and 15 top-15s. He finished a career-best third in the June race at Michigan, his first top-five and third top-10 there. He'll be driving the same car he used in June.

Last week: Earnhardt Jr. finished 18th at Watkins Glen to remain 10th in the point standings. "Kahne is right behind us and he is awesome at some of these tracks coming up," Earnhardt said. "It's going to be one of the toughest on-track challenges we've had since being in the Cup Series."

Etc: Earnhardt has led laps in seven of 14 races at Michigan, including three in the June race this year. The most laps he has led in a Michigan race came in 2002, when he was in front for 37.

Kasey Kahne

No. 9 Dodge, Evernham Motorsports

This week: Kahne won the pole and the race at Michigan in June, and he hopes to repeat that feat this weekend. It was his fourth win of the season. He has two other top-five finishes at the track in five starts.

Last week: For the second consecutive race, a last-lap mishap put a huge dent in Kahne's hopes of making the Chase. Kahne was in position to collect a career-best road-course finish of 12th with a lap to go, but he went off the course in turn six and ended up 22nd. As a result, the Dodge driver still trails 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 54 points with only four races left until the Chase begins.

Etc.: Kahne said his recent run of poor finishes "don't reflect the potential of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge team. We certainly have had a car capable of top-10 finishes in each (race). We just have to execute and do what we're capable of doing."

Kurt Busch

No. 2 Dodge, Penske Racing South

This week: Busch has five top-10 finishes in 11 starts at Michigan, including a win in 2003.

Last week: Busch dominated the first 53 laps of the Watkins Glen race, leading 38 of them. But the pole-sitter was penalized on lap 54 for pitting too soon. The penalty dropped him to the rear of the field. He rallied to make it back into the top 10 before spinning on the last lap and dropping to 19th.

Etc.: Even after his Watkins Glen disappointment, Busch still believes he can make the Chase, and he continues to use Matt Kenseth as an example of why it can be done. A year ago, Kenseth was 165 points out of the top 10 with four races to go. Busch is 172 points back at the same place in the season. Kenseth finished third, first, seventh and second in those four races. Busch will need to almost duplicate that record if he is to contend for the 2006 championship.

Greg Biffle

No. 16 Ford, Roush Racing

This week: Biffle has four straight top-six finishes at Michigan, including two victories, and has finished no worse than sixth in five of the last six races there. He will need another top-five run, however, if he wants to stay within shooting distance of the top 10. With only four more races left until the Chase begins, Biffle has dropped to 13th in the standings, 180 points back of 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Last week: Biffle's hopes of challenging for this year's championship took a hit at Watkins Glen when he was knocked into the fence by Kyle Petty early in the race. As a result, Biffle finished 38th. "I don't know if Kyle ran out of room or maybe he couldn't stop as quick and got into the back of us," Biffle said.

Etc.: Biffle leads all drivers in the miles led category with 1,238. He has led at least one lap in six of the seven races he's run at Michigan.

Carl Edwards

No. 99 Ford, Roush Racing

This week: Edwards is 4-for-4 when it comes to top-10 finishes at Michigan, and he has improved his finish each time beginning with a 10th in his first Nextel Cup start on Aug. 22, 2004. In 2005, Edwards finished fifth in the first race and fourth in the August event. He was second in June. That makes his average finish in his four races at the two-mile track 5.25, first among all active drivers. Edwards is still looking for his first Cup win of 2006.

Last week: Edwards kept alive his slim hopes of making the Chase with his fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen.

Etc.: Edwards tied for second in the Chase for the Championship a year ago, and many people were expecting him to be one of the drivers to beat in 2006. But he began the year with a last-place finish in the Daytona 500 and has been trying to recover ever since. The highest he has been in the standings is 13th.

Brian Vickers

No. 25 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

This week: Vickers, who has two ninth-place finishes in five starts at Michigan, will make the 100th start of his Nextel Cup career this weekend as he goes after his ninth straight top-20 finish. During this eight-race stretch, Vickers has moved from 22nd to 15th in the points race. Vickers finished 17th in the first race this year at the two-mile speedway.

Last week: Vickers finished 16th at Watkins Glen. "We had a decent car," said Vickers. "The biggest problem for us ended up being our brakes. Then, on the white flag the transmission jumped out of gear, which cost us a couple of spots."

Etc.: Vickers believes that because "the cars are built so much better (today) and the components are so much more durable, that allows us to race hard each and every lap. Years ago, cars weren't as durable and you had to take care of your equipment until the end of the race before going after it."

Ryan Newman

No. 12 Dodge, Penske Racing South

This week: Newman has won four races at Michigan, two each in the Cup and Busch Series. He has finished in the top 15 in eight of the 10 Cup races he's run at Michigan, including the last six in a row. He will be making his 175th consecutive start this weekend.

Last week: Newman was happy to end up eighth at Watkins Glen after all the problems he had late in the race. "The motor mounts broke in the car with about 15 (laps) to go," said Newman. "The motor was just sitting there flopping around and the throttle was hanging on me wide open. I was using the kill switch to shut it off. That's why I dropped back those last two laps."

Etc.: Newman was upset with himself for overshooting his pit stall on his first pit stop.

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Updated 8/16/2006 11:51 PM ET
NASCAR team reports ahead of the Nextel Cup tour's second stop of the season at Michigan International Speedway:



Clint Bowyer

No. 07 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

This week: Bowyer finished a disappointing 39th in his first Cup race at Michigan in June after being involved in an accident.

Last week: In his first Nextel Cup start at Watkins Glen, Bowyer finished 14th. "We learned a lot in the Busch race on Saturday, and I was able to carry that information over to the Cup race," he said. "All in all, I am pretty satisfied with a 14th-place finish."

Etc.: Bowyer believes things will go a lot better this weekend because he's bringing a different car to Michigan. "In June we brought a car that had a little different body on it than what I had been used to running, and I just couldn't get it into the corner," he said. "We're bringing the same car we ran at Indy (where he finished fourth) and that's obviously a car I'm comfortable with, so hopefully we'll have a lot better run."

Jamie McMurray

No. 26 Ford, Roush Racing

This week: In seven starts at Michigan, McMurray has only one top-10 finish, a fourth. But he said he can't wait to get to the track this weekend. "Michigan is a speedway that traditionally Roush (cars) perform extremely well at and a track that I have a lot of fun racing," said McMurray.

Last week: McMurray thought he had a good chance of winning the Watkins Glen event with about 15 laps to go, but he was not able to get around leader Kevin Harvick at the time. "Really, I thought I was better than Kevin," said McMurray, who ended up third. "The cautions hurt our car. I was just real loose on the restarts. The longer my car would run, it seemed like the better it would get and the better it felt."

Etc.: McMurray admits "it's been a very tough year. It's been a struggle and it's been very frustrating, not only for me but for everybody on the team."

Casey Mears

No. 42 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

This week: Mears finished seventh in the first Michigan race this year, his first top-10 finish in seven starts at the two-mile facility. Mears began the year with top-10 finishes in the first three races but has had only two since.

Last week: After running as high as fifth at Watkins Glen, Mears was extremely disappointed to end up 35th, a lap down. After spinning on lap 77, the engine stalled and Mears was unable to get the car re-fired. He fell a lap down. "We had a great car today capable of finishing in the top five, at least," he said. "I don't know what happened when I spun out, but I just feel bad because the guys deserved a good finish today."

Etc.: Mears hopes to keep Dodge's winning ways at Michigan going — a Dodge driver has won four of the last six races at the track.

David Gilliland

No. 38 Ford, Robert Yates Racing

This week: Gilliland is set to take over the No. 38 on at least a temporary basis this weekend after Elliott Sadler was given his release on Tuesday, allowing him to start driving the No. 19 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports immediately. Sadler replaces Jeremy Mayfield, who was fired last week. Sadler had been in limbo since asking to be freed from his contract with Robert Yates Racing in July.

Last week: Sadler's seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen, after recovering from an early spin, was a milestone for him — the New York road course was the only track on the Nextel Cup circuit where he had not posted a top-10 finish in his career.

Etc.: Gilliland would be ineligible for the 2007 rookie-of-the-year competition if he drives in more than seven events the rest of this season, which has led to speculation that Mayfield will handle some of the races.

OTHERS

Martin Truex Jr.

No. 1 Chevrolet, DEI

This week: Truex finished 16th in his Michigan debut in June. A rookie has finished in the top 10 in six of the last seven August races at Michigan, and Truex believes he can make it seven of eight this weekend. The best finish by a first-year driver in the August event at Michigan (since 1975) is third by Tony Stewart in 1999.

Last week: Engine problems forced Truex to settle for a 28th-place finish at Watkins Glen. "This one stings," said Truex. "We had a great car. The handling was good and the power was there."

Reed Sorenson

No. 41 Dodge, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

This week: Sorenson is returning to the track where the 20-year-old rookie driver scored his first top-five finish. For that reason, Sorenson said "the entire Target team has been anxious to return to Michigan. "We were a legitimate front-runner during the race in June, and we believe we can be just as competitive (this weekend)," he said.

Last week: Sorenson was delighted to finish 12th in his first Cup start at Watkins Glen. "We were a lot faster at the end of the race," said Sorenson. "We definitely used our fuel mileage to our advantage."

Dale Jarrett

No. 88 Ford, Robert Yates Racing

This week: Jarrett and Mark Martin lead all active drivers with four victories at Michigan. Jarrett and Martin also lead all active drivers with 15 top-five finishes at the two-mile course. But Jarrett realizes that another victory or even a top-five finish is not likely this weekend. "Anytime you go to a track where you have run well in the past, you'd like to go and know that your team and car is a threat for the win, but I can't say that right now," said Jarrett.

Last week: Jarrett finished 26th at Watkins Glen after overcoming early handling problems.

Bobby Labonte

No. 43 Dodge, Petty Enterprises

This week: Labonte has won three times at Michigan, two of his victories coming in 1995, when he became the seventh driver to sweep both Michigan races in the same year. No one has scored a sweep since Labonte did it. Labonte and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers with four poles at the two-mile track. ... Greg Steadman has been named interim crew chief on the No. 43 Dodge after Todd Parrott announced last week that he will be returning to Robert Yates Racing.

Last week: Labonte rallied in the waning laps at Watkins Glen to finish 24th.

Robby Gordon

No. 7 Chevrolet, Robby Gordon Motorsports

This week: Gordon has only one top-10 finish and three top-20s in 13 Michigan starts but believes his recent tire test at Atlanta Motor Speedway will help him run much better this weekend. "We learned a lot during the Atlanta test that we think will help us at the intermediate speedways," said Gordon.

Last week: Gordon finished fourth at Watkins Glen, his sixth top-10 finish in eight races at the road course, all top-fives.

***

Notes provided by The Sports Xchange

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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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Great race. Jeff Gordon is back! Great race and points day for him. Congratulations to Matt Kesneth, I wish Jeff Gordon could have caught him though because Jeff Gordon was faster than him, but oh well, atleast he finished 2nd.

Yes it was a good race. It was a good race for everyone in the chase except, the Busch bros. & J. Burton. J.J. did not have the best of days, losing a little ground on Kenseth, but it could have been a lot worse. I think that is how it is going to be for the next 3 races. Gordon was catching Matt, just ran out of time. NBC would have loved that, talk about deja vu. Tony is slowly climbing back in to a good spot for the chase. We shall see a clearer picture after this coming weekend.