Greg Biffle pulls away from Brad Keselowski as he goes on to win the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway August 2012
Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images

Michigan has been known to play naughty and nice. In June, Hendrick Motorsports was on the track’s good side until disaster started to strike toward the end of the race. They went from dominating to having a day to forget in a matter of laps. That was an example of how this two-miler can come out and bite. Who’ll be the victim of Michigan’s destruction this weekend? It could be anyone, but keep a close eye on the drivers running toward the front.

The Pure Michigan 400 will go green on Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 1:16 PM ET. The race will consist of 200 laps making up the 400 miles. As seen in June, it’s a survival game to win and complete every lap since many of the dominant cars early in the Quicken Loans 400 found themselves in the garage by the checkered flag. Sun will fill the sky on Sunday with a high of 81 F and only a 10% chance of rain. Watch the race on ESPN or listen to it on MRN.

Last Augusts’ race featured some wild events. Mark Martin looked to have the car to beat and was proving that until he hit lapped traffic. When Bobby Labonte and Juan Pablo Montoya were battling to stay on the lead lap, Labonte spun and Martin had just caught them as the leader. Martin had to spin to avoid colliding with one of the lapped cars and when he spun, he slid down pit road and eventually went through the pit wall opening. His car then slid right into an end of a pit wall and ruptured an oil tank. Thankfully, Mark was okay, but his car was not.

Greg Biffle went on to win that race after Jimmie Johnson had an engine let go late in the running. Biffle also won the June race this year so a victory on Sunday will get him his third straight Michigan win.

Watkins Glen proved to be a wild road course race last weekend and it had a clear impact on the Chase. Wrecks knocked Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon from the top-ten in the standings and it put them back to fighting for their Chase chances. Kahne and Newman now hold the wild cards and one wild card contender before The Glen has snuck into the top-ten. That contender is Brad Keselowski who now sits eighth and in a pretty good place for the Chase. Keselowski has some of his best tracks coming up so if he can do what he always does at those events, he’ll be squared away for the Chase.

There is yet to seen, a race that doesn’t shake up the Chase positioning, so that means Michigan will put another twist on the upcoming playoffs. Biffle, Keselowski, and Gordon are among the names of drivers who need a win to either continue or save their Chase hopes. All three are proven as fast this season, so seeing one of them in victory lane won’t be a surprise. If anyone thought the wildness was left in Watkins Glen, think again because as the Chase nears, the action will undoubtedly pick up.

Event Schedule

12:00-1:30 PM ET (Friday) Sprint Cup Series Practice, televised on SPEED

3:40 PM ET (Friday) Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, televised on SPEED

8:30-9:25 AM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Practice, not televised

11:00-11:55 AM ET (Saturday) Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, (Check your local listings)

1:00 PM ET (Sunday) Sprint Cup Series’ race, the Pure Michigan 400, televised on ESPN

Next Race- Irwin Tools Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee

Entry List via Jayski.com