MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY (TWO-MILE SPEEDWAY)
LOCATION: BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 15 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 1 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, JUNE 14 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 35 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
8th in standings
14 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
2 top-five finish
5 top-10 finishes
40 laps led
Career
410 starts
17 wins
26 pole positions
85 top-five finishes
151 top-10 finishes
4,581 laps led
Michigan Career
22 starts
1 win
2 pole positions
8 top-five finish
10 top-10 finishes
66 laps led
SEASON-TO-DATE: After the first 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this season, Kasey Kahne currently ranks fourth in laps in the top 15 (3,633), fourth in fastest speed in traffic (8.357 average rank), fifth in fastest drivers late in a run (7.833 average rank), sixth in green-flag speed (7.583 average rank), sixth in average running position (11.658), seventh in fastest drivers on restarts (11.143 average rank), seventh in fastest drivers early in a run (8.083 average rank), eighth in driver rating (95.2), eighth in quality passes (993) and 10th in fastest laps run (155).
KAHNE AT MICHIGAN: Kahne’s win at Michigan came from the pole position in June 2006.
MICHIGAN LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR loop data from the last 20 races at Michigan, Kahne ranks third in green-flag passes (1,553), fifth in speed in traffic (177.528 mph) and sixth in fastest drivers early in a run (180.722 mph). He ranks seventh in the following categories: fastest laps run (178), green-flag speed (178.475 mph) and fastest drivers late in a run (177.030 mph). Kahne also ranks eighth in quality passes (751) and 10th in laps in top 15 (2,238).
SPEEDWAY STATS: In 121 starts on tracks two miles or longer, Kahne has posted 25 top-five finishes and 47 top-10s. In addition, he has collected four of his 17 career Cup wins and six of his 26 pole positions at these tracks. Kahne has won at both of the Cup circuit’s two-mile tracks, finding Victory Lane at Michigan and the Fontana, California, oval in 2006.
GREAT CLIPS / GREAT CLIPS RACING VIP SWEEPSTAKES: Great Clips will adorn the hood of Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Michigan, and will be the primary sponsor on the car for five more Sprint Cup Series races this year: Sonoma Raceway (June 28), Daytona International Speedway (July 5), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 19), Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 20) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 22). Now until Aug. 13, fans can enter for the chance to win a VIP racing experience thanks to Great Clips. The sweepstake’s grand prize includes a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina with airfare as well as hotel accommodations covered for three nights, tickets to the NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 9-10, behind-the-scenes tour at the track, and the opportunity to meet Kahne. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/18SLkLD.
THE DRIVE: Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and Kahne selected the Strong Against Cancer initiative to be the beneficiary of The DRIVE, a private charity concert, auction and celebrity-amateur golf event scheduled for June 29-30 in Cle Elum, Washington, at the Suncadia Resort. Fans are encouraged to join Wilson and Kahne to support Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Strong Against Cancer initiative. To donate, please visit . Together, with help from fans, they will raise awareness and valuable funds for research that supports immunotherapy — a medical treatment that harnesses the power of a child’s immune cells to fight cancer. For more information on The DRIVE, please visit http://kaseykahnefoundation.org/.
No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 43 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
10th in standings
14 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
2 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
162 laps led
Career
775 starts
92 wins
80 pole positions
322 top-five finishes
462 top-10 finishes
24,826 laps led
Michigan Career
44 starts
3 wins
6 pole positions
19 top-five finishes
27 top-10 finishes
1,058 laps led
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS, is scheduled to visit the Michigan International Speedway media center at 1:45 p.m. local time Friday.
MOST RECENT MICHIGAN WINNER: On Aug. 17 of last year, Jeff Gordon led 68 laps from the pole position en route to victory at Michigan International Speedway. It was his third of four wins in 2014 and his 91st career Sprint Cup victory.
SEVENTH-FASTEST POLE POSITION WINNER: Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Panasonic Chevrolet SS, set the seventh-fastest pole-winning speed in NASCAR history when he averaged 206.558 mph during qualifying at Michigan in August of last year. Bill Elliott owns the top six speeds with each recorded at Daytona or Talladega before restrictor plates were required at superspeedway events.
TOPS AMONG ACTIVE DRIVERS: Gordon’s six pole positions, 19 top-five finishes, 27 top-10s and 1,058 laps led are tops among active drivers at the Irish Hills track.
MILESTONE MICHIGAN VICTORY: On June 10, 2001, Gordon started first and finished first to notch win No. 100 for Hendrick Motorsports. It was his third of six victories during a year when Gordon won his fourth series title.
PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK: The No. 24 Chevrolet SS will feature Panasonic Toughbook (@Toughbook) during the upcoming Michigan International Speedway race weekend – the second of two races in 2015 the company will be the primary sponsor on the No. 24 car. At Texas, Gordon drove the No. 24 Panasonic Toughbook Chevy SS to a seventh-place finish.
No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 39 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2015 Season
3rd in standings
14 starts
4 wins
0 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
10 top-10 finishes
387 laps led
Career
485 starts
74 wins
33 pole positions
202 top-five finishes
302 top-10 finishes
17,538 laps led
Michigan Career
26 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
646 laps led
SWIFT RECOVERY IN POCONO: Jimmie Johnson had an eventful race at Pocono Raceway. He started ninth but cut a left front tire down while running third on Lap 87. Johnson fell to 35th on the leaderboard and carved his way back up to third at the finish line. It marked his ninth top-five result of the season — and seventh top-three finish in the last eight races.
LAVA MAGAZINE: Earlier this season while racing at Richmond International Raceway, Johnson spent time with Lava Magazine – a triathlon publication. Johnson will be featured as the cover story in the July edition, which will hit newsstands at Barnes and Noble on June 16. For more information, visit LavaMagazine.com.
ELUSIVE MICHIGAN: Last June at Michigan, Johnson headed to pit road from the lead under green with 35 laps remaining. Fortunately for Johnson, the race stayed green the rest of the distance and he cycled back into the lead to earn his first win at the two-mile oval.
MICHIGAN STATS: In the last 20 races at Michigan, according to NASCAR loop data, Johnson has the second-best driver rating of 102.5. He has an average starting position of 9.6 and an average finish of 15.3, leading 646 laps around the track in the Irish Hills. Johnson also has five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
JOHNSON AT TEAM CHEVY STAGE: Johnson will be at the Team Chevy stage for a question-and-answer session in the midway at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 14, at 9:55 a.m.
No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 40 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2015 Season
5th in standings
14 starts
1 win
0 pole positions
7 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
107 laps led
Career
555 starts
24 wins
13 pole positions
134 top-five finishes
232 top-10 finishes
7,954 laps led
Michigan Career
31 starts
2 win
2 pole position
7 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
352 laps led
AMP ENERGY: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the purple-and-black No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet SS this weekend. AMP Energy recently unveiled four new flavors to give you the energy you need and the flavors you crave: Strawberry Limeade, Passion Fruit, Blueberry White Grape ZERO and Watermelon ZERO. Fans voted on Facebook from the four new flavors to see the AMP Energy Passion Fruit paint scheme hit the track in Michigan.
MICHIGAN WIN: Earnhardt’s victory at Michigan on June 17, 2012, was his second win in a points-paying event for Hendrick Motorsports. After starting from the 17th position, Earnhardt led 95 laps at the Irish Hills track, stretching out his lead to 5.393 seconds before taking the checkered flag.
MICHIGAN POLES: Earnhardt’s two career pole positions at Michigan are tied for first as career-bests for the 40-year-old driver. He also has captured two career poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
DRIVER RATING: Earnhardt ranks fifth in the driver rating category in the last 20 races at Michigan with an average of 98.0. The driver rating is a formula that combines wins, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The driver rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
MICHIGANDER IVES: Crew chief Greg Ives hails from Bark River, Michigan, where he found an interest in motor sports at a young age. But it was under the hood where he found his true calling. Ives graduated from Michigan Technological University and began working as a mechanic at Hendrick Motorsports in 2004.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT MICHIGAN: Hendrick Motorsports drivers have led 2,368 laps en route to eight wins, 48 top-five finishes and 88 top-10s at Michigan. The organization swept both races at the two-mile oval in 2014 thanks to Johnson and Gordon.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 236 victories, 203 pole positions, 962 top-five finishes and 1,593 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 64,537 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“I really wanted to race since I was pretty little but the reason I wanted to was because I’d go to the racetrack with my dad. He worked on a dirt Sprint Car in Washington for about 20 races a year, and I’d try to go as much as possible. So I grew up going to Skagit Speedway just watching and wanting to race.”
Kasey Kahne on his father giving him his interest in racing
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Michigan. The groove has started to widen out some since the repave, and I am interested to see what another winter has done to the track surface. The track always seems very slick at the start of the race so it is important to have good security in the car while also making sure you don’t take away any speed with it. It is important to us to run well and win in Chevrolet’s backyard so we are looking forward to having the opportunity to do so.”
No. 5 team crew chief Keith Rodden on racing at Michigan
“I like a lot of tracks on the NASCAR schedule, but Michigan seems to be at or near the top of my favorites list. It’s a fast, fast racetrack – one that really gets your attention – with multiple grooves in the corners.”
Jeff Gordon on racing at Michigan
“It’s good to be heading back to Michigan. We had the craziest luck over the last six or seven races. Although we’ve only won here once, it’s been a very strong track for the No. 48 and there is a lot of room on this race track. We are looking forward to this weekend.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Michigan
“Michigan is a great track. I look forward to it aging and widening out. As that happens, the track loses grip. Before they paved it, we were running down next to the apron and against the wall. That is all you can ask for when you’re talking racetracks and what drivers like about them. We want to have the options in the corners and run different grooves. The groove hasn’t been very wide since they repaved it, but it’s starting to show that. When we went there and tire tested I think a year or two ago, I was using a bunch of different lanes in Turn 3, so the potential is coming and that place is just going to continue to get better.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Michigan
