NASCAR Cup Series

Johnson finished eighth at Watkins Glen, posting his series-best 15th top-10 result. His lead in the Sprint Cup point standings is 75 over Clint Bowyer.

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is and always will be an aspect of NASCAR that is constantly evolving. Since the playoff system’s inception in 2004, the Chase has seen a change in tracks, cars, point systems, the number of drivers allowed in it, and the introduction of the wild card system.

No race track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit has been kinder to No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Mark Martin than Michigan International Speedway where he’ll race Sunday for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Denny Hamlin finished 19th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, avoiding a pair of late race wrecks to score a top-20 finish in the 90-lap event won by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin started 20th in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota and was unable to make up ground in the early going, battling a loose race car throughout the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course.

Stenhouse made his first Sprint Cup start at MIS in June finishing 16th after the rookie was forced to pit early due to debris on the grille. Before the cycle of pit-stops circled through an untimely caution flew one lap later leaving Stenhouse at the tail end of the field.

Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9 DEWALT Ford team expect to show the same dominance at Michigan this weekend as they did last week at Watkins Glen International. As the track record holder, Ambrose and team have always proven to have speed at the two-mile oval.

Aaron’s, Inc. (NYSE: AAN) announced today it has reached a multi-year agreement to sponsor Brian Vickers in Michael Waltrip Racing's (MWR) No. 55 Toyota Camry in every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Aric Almirola returns to Michigan International Speedway with a lot of confidence in his Richard Petty Motorsports team at the two-mile oval. In June, the No. 43 Eckrich Ford started from the fifth spot and raced in the top-10 for most of the day before debris from an accident relegated Almirola and team to a 17th-place finish.

In a race named by kilometers rather than the actual 90 laps and the 220 miles distance, here is what was surprising and not...

So what did we learn at the Glen on Sunday? Well, road course aces usually do not end up with the great finish the owner had hoped for when they made the change. Tommy Drissi drove for Joe Nemechek while Victor Gonzalez Jr got in a car for Tommy Baldwin.