As the regular season comes to a close with just four races left before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the pressure is on to make the 16-team Chase field. Aric Almirola is currently 16th in the Championship Points Standings and just outside a Chase transfer spot.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to the Irish Hills surrounding Michigan International Speedway this weekend and Clint Bowyer certainly hopes it’s a lucky place for him.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion, is heading to his home track this weekend as Michigan International Speedway hosts the annual Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday afternoon. Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, MI, spoke about returning home and the high drag package that will be making its second appearance this season as part of a NASCAR Teleconference Tuesday morning.
Heading into Sunday's Pure Michigan 400, Wise will be looking to make his 122nd career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start, and his eighth at the fast high-banked 2.0-mile oval. Subsequently, this weekend's event in "The Great Lakes State" will mark Wise's second race in 2015 for Go Green Racing.
Ford Motor Co. has won half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events run at Michigan International Speedway (46-of-92), which includes 34 wins by Ford and 12 under the Mercury banner. In addition, it was the site of Ford’s 1000th NASCAR triumph in 2013. As the series prepares to run the same high drag package used at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month, here are some notes about Ford’s MIS history.
Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway ... In 151 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, RCR teams have earned three wins, two with Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990) and the most recent with Kevin Harvick (August 2010).
Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford race team played their pit strategy just right and passed leader Kevin Harvick on the white flag lap to earn the victory on Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International (WGI), their second win of the 2015 season. With Shell technology under the hood, the win at WGI marked a weekend sweep for Logano, who also won Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series event.Sunday’s victory was also the first for Team Penske in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Watkins Glen.
Richard Petty and the Petty family is saddened to hear of the passing of Buddy Baker. Baker raced for Petty Enterprises in 1971 and 1972, winning one race each season. A statement from Richard Petty:
Elzie Wylie “Buddy” Baker Jr., the 1980 Daytona 500 champion and famed NASCAR commentator, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 74 (b. 1-25-41).
In the final road course race of the 2015 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was running in the 21st position when the inside lane stacked up on the restart causing nose damage to the No. 17 Ford. Stenhouse Jr. was scored in the 10th position with less than 30 laps remaining in Sunday’s Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen but differences in pit strategy and a tire rub forced Stenhouse to settle with a 34th-place finish.
The 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion from Berlin, Connecticut, led five of 166 over-scheduled laps and rallied from an incident at the conclusion of the first stage period to achieve his first Cup career victory and race his way into the Chase at the World Center of Racing.
Prior to Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Jimmie Johnson debuted the paint scheme for the No. 48 Toyota Camry XSE that he will run in the 2027 Daytona 500.
The 27-year-old Herbst from Las Vegas, Nevada, will be replaced by Harrison Burton for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway due to lingering effects from last weekend's incident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Tristan McKee (No. 77 Zeigler.com Chevrolet) scored his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the season in Friday’s Atlas 200 at Madison International Speedway.
