Tag Archives: Pure Michigan 400

Strong Weekend for Ryan Blaney and Wood Brothers Racing at Michigan

Posted on by
Photo - Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images

After a few frustrating weeks for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Ryan Blaney and his Wood Brothers Racing team, Michigan International Speedway brought the team a much welcomed fourth place finish in the Pure Michigan 400.

But, that fourth place finish wasn’t easily earned.

Blaney in his No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford Fusion reported a flat right-front tire going into turn one on lap 62. Thankfully, the problem occurred during a round of green-flag pit stops which sent the driver to pit road for service. Continue reading →

Diversity Graduate Kyle Larson Scores First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Victory

Posted on by
Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 28, 2016 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Photo - Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 28, 2016 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Photo – Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Californian Becomes First D4D, NASCAR Next Grad To Win In Sport’s Premier Series

Kyle Larson won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway to become the first graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and the NASCAR Next programs to win at the sanctioning body’s top level.

Larson, the 24-year-old Elk Grove, California, native of Japanese-American heritage, has already won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. His first win came in 2013 at Rockingham Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He has since won another NASCAR Camping World Truck race, as well as four NASCAR XFINITY Series races. Continue reading →

Kyle Larson Captures Emotional First Victory at Michigan

Posted on by

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In the last few laps of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway, tears began to well up in Kyle Larson’s eyes.

When Larson subsequently took the checkered flag to win the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of his career, the emotion was all but overwhelming—and for good reason.

The victory came in Larson’s 99th start in the series, long after most observers expected Larson to record his first win. It also broke a 99-race drought for Chip Ganassi Racing, dating to Jamie McMurray’s victory at Talladega in October 2013. Continue reading →

Matt Kenseth Cruises to Dominant Sprint Cup Victory at Michigan

Posted on by

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From Matt Kenseth’s point of view, the competition package NASCAR used at Michigan International Speedway could well have had a big, bright bow on it.

The Coors Light Polesitter for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Kenseth quickly exhibited his mastery of the high-drag aerodynamic package, leading 146 of 200 laps in winning for the third time this season, the third time at Michigan and the 34th time in his career.

The 2003 premier series champion had to survive a restart with 13 laps left, after Jimmie Johnson spun off turn four to cause the eighth and last caution of the race. With a push from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, Kenseth cleared Kevin Harvick after the lap 187 restart and went on to win by 1.722 seconds. Continue reading →

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 Preview

Posted on by

309940

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Next Race: Pure Michigan 400

The Place: Michigan International Speedway

The Date: Sunday, Aug. 16

The Time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

TV: NBCSN, 2 p.m. (ET)

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM Ch. 90

Distance: 400 miles (200 laps)

‘Top-30 for No. 18’: A Kyle Busch Production

A mere 11 races after returning from a broken leg and foot suffered in February, Kyle Busch has cracked the top-30 in the point standings and is now eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch will qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs if he can stay in the top-30 at the end of next month’s Richmond race.

Busch currently mans the 30th spot in the driver standings, six points ahead of 31st-place Cole Whitt and one point behind 29th-place Justin Allgaier.

The No. 18 Toyota driver started off slow with just one top-ten finish in his first four races back (Pocono), but has been on an absolute tear since, winning four of the last seven races along with a runner-up.

Over the last seven races Busch has dominated most of the statistical categories, leading the series in wins (4), driver rating (116.3), laps led (317) and points (283). No other driver has multiple wins during the span. Brad Keselowski’s 209 laps led marks the next-best total, while Kevin Harvick’s 107.5 driver rating is the second highest. The 283 points are 22 more than Joey Logano’s second-best total (261).

Busch’s run of wins has overshadowed the consistency of some other drivers in the Sprint Cup Series. Harvick and Joey Logano rank tied with Busch with five top-five finishes over the seven-race span.

Furthermore, Harvick and Kurt Busch lead with six top-tens each in the last seven races compared to Busch’s five. Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth also claim five top-tens. Continue reading →