Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: FireKeepers Casino 400
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Sunday, June 18
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 400 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Irish Hills 250
The Place: Michigan International Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 17
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 250 miles (125 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on lap 125)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Drivin’ For Linemen 200
The Place: Gateway Motorsports Park
The Date: Saturday, June 17
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (160 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on lap 160)
Blaney Captures First Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Win At Pocono
Wood Brothers Racing’s Ryan Blaney passed
Kyle Busch with 10 laps to go in Sunday’s Axalta presents the Pocono
400 at Pocono Raceway and held Kevin Harvick off the rest of the way to
earn his first career victory.
At 23 years, 5 months, 11 days, Blaney is
the youngest first-time winner since Trevor Bayne (20 years, 1 day) won
the 2011 Daytona 500. Bayne’s victory in The Great American Race was
also the last triumph for Wood Brothers Racing, which boasts 99 overall
wins.
With the win, the No. 21 Ford driver
virtually guarantees himself a spot in the playoffs. On the season, he
has three top fives and five top 10s. He owns eight playoff points via
his victory and three stage wins.
Blaney joins Kyle Larson as the second
alumnus of the NASCAR Next initiative to win a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series race. Overall, 13 former NASCAR Next drivers have made an
appearance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Blaney will go for his second straight
win in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International
Speedway (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He made his
first career Monster Energy Series start at the two-mile oval in 2015
and recorded his track career-best fourth-place finish there last
August.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has had three first-time winners in five races – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Talladega), Austin Dillon (Charlotte) and Blaney (Pocono) – for the first time since 2007: Casey Mears (Charlotte), Martin Truex Jr. (Dover) and Juan Pablo Montoya (Sonoma).
Michigan Man: Erik Jones Comes Home After Logging Career-Best Finish
Erik Jones sped to a career-best
third-place showing on Sunday at Pocono – his first career top-five
showing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He also led a
personal-high 20 laps.
The Byron, Michigan, native, who trails
Daniel Suarez for first in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by
eight points, will attempt to close the gap when he returns to his home
state for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400.
Jones has made one start in Michigan in
both the NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series. He finished
third in the 2015 Truck race and fourth in last year’s XFINITY contest.
Homecoming King: Brad Keselowski Still Searching For First Michigan Win
Brad Keselowski would like nothing more
than to win in his home state in Sunday’s Fire Keepers Casino 400 at
Michigan International Speedway – a track where he’s never visited
Victory Lane.
A win would make Keselowski the ninth
active driver to win in his home state: Kyle Larson (California), Kevin
Harvick (California), Kyle Busch (Nevada), Jimmie Johnson (California),
Denny Hamlin (Virginia), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis), Austin Dillon
(North Carolina) and Aric Almirola (Florida).
"I would say it's a weekend that is
circled every year on our calendar and one where we've had a lot of
success but haven't been able to break through for that first win,"
Keselowski said. "So I feel like with the season we're having this year,
we have a great opportunity of checking that box off."
In 15 starts at Michigan, Keselowski
claims five top fives, 10 top 10s and a 12.3 average finish. He holds a
streak of six straight top-10 finishes at his home track.
Currently, Keselowski sits fifth in the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings (130 markers below
leader Martin Truex Jr.). He ranks third in the series with 12 playoff
points from his two victories and two stage wins.
Logano Speedy In Wolverine State
Last season, Joey Logano was the only
driver to win a Coors Light Pole Award with a lap of more than 200 MPH
(201.698). He achieved the feat at Michigan International Speedway – a
track where he’s been successful throughout his career.
In 16 starts at Michigan, Logano has
logged two wins, four top fives, 11 top 10s and a 12.6 average finish.
He has produced a top-10 showing in his last eight races at the two-mile
track and is the defending winner of the FireKeepers Casino 400.
Kyle Larson Returns To Site Of First Win
Kyle Larson kicked NASCAR’s youth
movement into full gear last August when he led 41 laps and held off
fellow young gun Chase Elliott to win the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan
International Speedway for his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series victory.
Larson will go for his second consecutive
triumph at the two-mile track in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at
Michigan International Speedway. In last year’s June Michigan race, he
placed third.
The No. 42 Chevrolet driver will also
attempt to regain the points lead from Martin Truex Jr., who he trails
by just one marker. On the season, Larson has one win, five top fives,
nine top 10s and an 8.4 average finish. He also has three stage wins and
eight playoff points.
Many Monster Energy Stars Still Searching For First Wins
Ten drivers have already won Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this season. This could be the year a
driver must win to make the playoffs.
Many of NASCAR’s established stars are
still searching for wins, including: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Jamie
McMurray. Even winless young stars like Chase Elliott, Erik Jones and
Daniel Suarez are threats to visit Victory Lane each week.
The winless 2017 drivers who have
triumphed at Michigan are Kenseth (three times), Earnhardt (two), Hamlin
(2), Kyle Busch (1) and Kahne (1).
Suarez Looks To Extend Sunoco Rookie Of The Year Lead At Location Of First National Series Win
Keep an eye on Daniel Suarez this
weekend. Suarez shot past 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion
(and teammate) Kyle Busch with two laps left in last year’s NASCAR
XFINITY Series race at Michigan to become the first Mexican-born driver
to win a national series race.
Right now he leads the Sunoco Rookie of
the Year standings by eight points over Erik Jones. Suarez boasts a 9.8
average finish over his last four starts and produced a career-best
sixth-place showing at Dover two weeks ago.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Etc.
Catch The Michigan Parade Lap Through The MISCAMPING.com Infield Campground: For
the first time in NASCAR history, the driver parade lap will make its
way through a NASCAR track’s infield campground as part of the pre-race
festivities on Father’s Day. Fans can catch the Michigan parade lap
through the MISCAMPING.com Infield Campground.
NASCAR XFINITY Series
JR Motorsports Teammates Separated By One Point In Championship Standings
After leading 13 laps, capitalizing on
stage points and bringing home a runner-up finish this past weekend at
Pocono Raceway, Justin Allgaier has finally supplanted his JR
Motorsports teammate Elliot Sadler from the NASCAR XFINITY Series
standings lead.
Sadler had held the top spot for 10
consecutive races dating back to Atlanta in the beginning of March. With
a one point advantage, Allgaier, crew chief Jason Burdett and the No. 7
JR Motorsports Chevrolet team head to Michigan International Speedway
looking to build on their lead.
If recent history is any indicator,
increasing the No. 7 team’s points lead at Michigan is doable. Over the
past three seasons, the series leader has increased his lead on average
by 9 points in the Michigan race – in 2016, standings leader Daniel
Suárez increased his lead by seven points; in 2015, points leader Chris
Buescher increased his lead by 10-points after MIS and in 2014, then
points leader Regan Smith increased his lead by 10 points as well after
MIS.
Though history might be on Allgaier’s
side, don’t expect Sadler to go down without a fight. The veteran from
Virginia has built his title run this season on consistency. In 12
starts this season, he has five top fives and 10 top 10s. Michigan is a
track he can rebound at, he has made 12 starts at Michigan posting two
top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 12.6
Allgaier looks poised to sets his sights
on a title this season, though. In six starts at Michigan, he has posted
one top five, three top 10s and an average finish of 9.7.
Kyle Busch Returns To Make It Three-In-A-Row At Michigan For Joe Gibbs Racing
The winningest driver in series history
(87 wins), Kyle Busch has returned this weekend to compete in the
Michigan 250 on Saturday, June 17 (1:30 p.m. on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM
NASCAR Radio) to give Joe Gibbs Racing their third NASCAR XFINITY Series
Michigan International Speedway win in as many seasons.
Busch took the checkered flag at MIS in
2015, then last season’s series champion, Daniel Suárez, backed it up
and gave JGR the win in 2016. The victory was Suarez’s first in the
series. Now Busch is back to make it three-in-a-row.
Joe Gibbs Racing currently has four
NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at Michigan International Speedway, second
only to Roush Fenway Racing’s five. Gibbs is looking to tie Roush this
weekend for the series lead in wins at MIS.
Busch hasn’t competed in the NASCAR
XFINITY Series since Auto Club Speedway back in March earlier this
season. But don’t expect Busch to be rusty. He has made nine starts at
Michigan, posting one pole (2014), two wins (2004, 2015), eight top
fives and an impressive average finish of 3.9.
Gibbs will also have Sunoco Rookie of the
Year candidate Matt Tifft in the No. 19 Toyota this weekend. Tifft is
eighth in points following Pocono, 125 points back from the series
standings lead. This will be Tifft’s series track debut this weekend at
Michigan.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular
Denny Hamlin will also be in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on
Saturday, contributing to the JGR effort. This will be Hamlin’s third
start of the season. Hamlin has made five previous series starts at
Michigan, posting one win (2007), four top 10s and an average finish of
11.4.
Going, Going, But Not Gaughan
Richard Childress Racing’s Brendan
Gaughan, who at one point this season had dropped to 17th in points,
appears to have righted the ship, and is making moves to get in
contention to make the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs.
Gaughan is coming off his third top 10 of
the season, after he finished sixth this past weekend at Pocono
Raceway. The strong finish has moved him into 13th in the driver
standings, 28-points behind the final playoff transfer position –
12th-place Dakoda Armstrong.
At this time of the year last season,
Gaughan began to hit his stride. Heading into Michigan, with 14 races
until the 2016 playoffs, Gaughan rallied off seven top 10s and made the
cut for the post season.
Gaughan has made five series starts at
Michigan posting an average finish of 22.6. He finished 18th in this
event last season. Gaughan will have his work cut for him to catch
Dakoda Armstrong at Michigan, as he has an average finish of 19.6 in
three starts at MIS.
Will We See An Eighth Different Series Winner At Michigan This Weekend?
Over the last seven races at Michigan, we
have had seven different winners dating back to the 2010 event. Which
begs the questions, will we see number eight?
The past seven winners are: Daniel Suárez
(2016), Kyle Busch (2015), Paul Menard (2014), Regan Smith (2013), Joey
Logano (2012), Carl Edwards (2011) and Brad Keselowski (2010).
Kyle Busch (two wins), Brad Keselowski
(two wins), Daniel Suárez (one win), Paul Menard (one win) and Denny
Hamlin (one win) are the former winners entered this weekend.
Only two drivers in series history have
recorded their first career series win at Michigan – Daniel Suárez
(2016) and Ryan Newman (2000).
Crew Chiefs Burdett, Meendering Setting Themselves Apart
JR Motorsport’s crew chiefs Jason Burdett
and Kevin Meendering are arguably a couple of the best in the NASCAR
XFINITY Series garage this season. Both crew chiefs have their
respective teams within one point of each other atop the series driver
standings after 12 starts this season. Their next nearest competitor in
the standings is 62 points back. Now heading to Michigan this weekend,
can Burdett and Meendering keep their teams pulling away from the field?
Burdett began serving as crew chief for
JR Motorsports full-time in 2015. He has worked with Regan Smith and
Justin Allgaier over the past three seasons. Burdett led driver Justin
Allgaier and the No. 7 Chevrolet team to the standings lead on the
strength of four top fives and six top 10s this season. With a one-point
advantage over their teammates, finishing well at Michigan will be
important. In their first appearance together at Michigan last season,
Burdett and Allgaier finished eighth.
Kevin Meendering joined JR Motorsports
and the No. 1 Chevrolet team with driver Elliott Sadler last season,
leading the team to three wins and a runner-up finish in the final
series standings. This season, the duo of Meendering and Sadler are at
it again. Until this past weekend at Pocono, the No. 1 JRM team had held
the driver standings lead for 10 consecutive races dating back to
Atlanta, the second race of the season. Expect Meendering and Sadler to
give Burdett and Allgaier a run for their money this weekend, as last
season the pair finished fifth in their MIchigan debut together.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.
NASCAR In Michigan: The
series has hosted 25 races at Michigan International Speedway – the only
track the series has competed on in the state of Michigan. There have
been 22 different NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light pole winners at
Michigan, led by Austin Dillon with two poles – the remaining 21 pole
winners each have one. The 25 series races at MIS have produced 18
different race winners; led by a seven-way tie between Carl Edwards,
Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Brad
Keselowski and Mark Martin all with two wins each.
Monster Names to Watch For: A
total of five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will attempt to
compete this weekend in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race – Paul Menard, Ty
Dillon, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.
Milestones: Joe Gibbs
Racing (four wins) can tie Roush Fenway Racing (five wins) for the
series lead in wins by car owners at Michigan this weekend. … Kyle Busch
can break the seven-driver tie (two wins each) for the series lead in
wins at Michigan with a victory this weekend, becoming the sole leader
in wins at MIS.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Christopher Rings Victory Bell At Texas
Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christopher
Bell edged Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Chase Briscoe by inches
to win the winstaronlinegaming.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway Friday
night.
Bell, a native of Norman, Oklahoma,
considers Texas Motor Speedway his home track and this was his first
career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at the 1.5 mile track.
With the win, Bell becomes the first
multi-win NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver this season. He has
two wins, five top fives, six top 10s and 332 laps led through seven
races this season. Bell is second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series points standings behind leader and defending series champion
Johnny Sauter.
As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
heads to Gateway Motorsports Park for the Drivin’ For Linemen 200
Saturday, June 17 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio),
Bell is looking to repeat. He won last season’s NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series race there for his lone victory of 2016.
Briscoe Scores Career-Best Finish
Brad Keselowski Racing driver and Sunoco
Rookie of the Year contender Chase Briscoe continued his outstanding
start to the 2017 season by scoring a runner-up finish at Texas Motor
Speedway.
Briscoe lost a close battle to eventual
race winner Christopher Bell on Lap 166, but scored his second top-three
of 2017. He has yet to finish outside the top-25 this season.
Team owner Brad Keselowski had nothing but positive things to say about Briscoe and his future racing career in NASCAR;
"He’s one of those guys, where I look at
and say wow. I wish I was as talented and composed as he is at this age.
Chase to me is one of those guys who has loads of natural talent but
has the intangibles to take to that next level. I think he is a future
Cup (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) driver."
Briscoe (-81) is currently fourth in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings and second (-4) in
the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points standings.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie Battle Heating Up
Following his top-three finish at Texas
Motor Speedway, ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger took the lead in
the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year points
standings for the first time this season.
Enfinger jumped GMS Racing Sunoco Rookie
Kaz Grala for the top spot and looks to extend his lead this week at
Gateway Motorsports Park. He has had a strong Sunoco Rookie season so
far – netting two top-three finishes and four top 10s in seven races.
Following Enfinger in the Sunoco Rookie
of the Year standings: Chase Briscoe (-4), Grala (-5), Noah Gragson
(-16) and Austin Cindric (-37).
Haley Hails Career-Best Finish At Texas
GMS Racing driver and Sunoco Rookie of
the Year contender Justin Haley scored a career-best NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series finish at Texas Motor Speedway when he finished sixth
in the winstaronlinegaming.com 400.
Haley’s previous career-best finish was seventh in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix Raceway in 2015.
Haley has turned on the gas as of late, as he has back-to-back top 10s, and has three top 10s in his last four races.
He has one career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Gateway Motorsports Park and finished 21st there last season.
Gateway Motorsports Park Quick Facts
As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
heads to Gateway Motorsports Park for the first and only time this
season, below are some series quick facts:
Races: 16
Pole Winners: 10
Youngest Pole Winner: Cole Custer (06/14/2014 – 16 years, 4 months, 22 days)
Oldest Pole Winner: Mike Skinner (09/01/2007 – 50 years, 2 months, 4 days)
Race Winners: 15
Youngest Winner: Cole Custer (06/13/2015 – 17 years, 4 months, 22 days)
Oldest Winner: Mike Skinner (09/12/2009 – 52 years, 2 months, 15 days)
Races Won From Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 3
Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Kevin Harvick (07/17/2010)
Race Record: Jack Sprague 113.726mph (05/07/2000)
Qualifying Record: Cole Custer 136.426 mph (06/14/2014)
The Rhode To Victory At Gateway?
In his second full-time season in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes is
off to a hot start. Rhodes already has more top-five finishes this
season than each of the last two seasons in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series, and we’re only seven races into the year.
The one thing Rhodes has yet to do in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series? Get his first win. He came awfully
close earlier this season at Kansas Speedway, but a piece of debris
cutting through his engine ended his night while he was leading Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch late in the race.
Rhodes is looking for his first NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series win at Gateway Motorsports Park – a place
where he has had previous success at.
In one career NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series race at Gateway last season, Rhodes won the 21 Means 21 Pole and
finished second.
In seven races this season, Rhodes has three top fives, four top 10s and has yet to finish outside the top-23.
Nemechek Looking To Kick It Into High Gear At Gateway
After an up-and-down start to the 2017
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, John Hunter Nemechek is
looking to make big gains at Gateway.
Nemechek is currently 11th in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series points standings and has two top-five
finishes so far this season.
In three career NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series starts at Gateway, Nemechek has two top-six finishes and
has never finished outside the top-15. He’s led 53 laps there and owns
an average finish of 8.3.
Nemechek will need more consistency to
get himself into the top eight in points to make the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series playoffs this season.
First Timers At Gateway
There are nine Sunoco Rookie of the Year
contenders making their track debut at Gateway Motorsports Park in
Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin’ For Linemen 200.
They include: Chase Briscoe, Wendell Chavous, Austin Cindric, Cody
Coughlin, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala and
Justin Haley.
Ross Chastain, Kevin Donahue, Kyle
Donahue, Austin Hill, Bryce Napier, and Todd Peck are also making their
track debut at Gateway Motorsports Park in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series.
NASCAR Next driver Todd Gilliland will
make his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start this
weekend, running for Kyle Busch Motorsports at Gateway. He finished 20th
in his series debut at Dover International Speedway earlier this
season.
The Gateway Difference
In the last three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Gateway Motorsports Park, there have been three different victors:
2016: Christopher Bell
2015: Cole Custer
2014: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Bell will be making his return to Gateway
this season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, while Cole Custer
will be running in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Michigan and Darrell
Wallace Jr. will be competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at
Michigan.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.
Driver Standings Update: GMS
Racing’s Johnny Sauter remains in the top spot of the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series, while Christopher Bell and Matt Crafton round out
the top three. Holding down spots 4-8 are Chase Briscoe, Ben Rhodes,
Ryan Truex, Grant Enfinger and Kaz Grala. There are three Sunoco Rookie
of the Year contenders in the top eight.
Owner Standings Update: GMS
Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet Silverado leads Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 4
Toyota Tundra by 40 points and ThorSport’s No. 88 Toyota Tundra by 70
points. Brad Keselowski Racing’s No. 29 Ford and Kyle Busch Motorsports’
No. 51 Toyota take up spots 4-5.
Manufacturer Standings Update: Toyota
(four wins) leads Chevrolet (three wins) and Ford (zero wins) in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series manufacturer standings through seven
races this season.
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