NASCAR Cup Series

Busch stretched his fuel mileage at Pocono and came away with the win, his first victory of the year. “The race was called the ‘Axalta We Paint Winners 400,’” Busch said. “At least for me. For 39 other drivers, it was called the ‘Axalta We Ain’t Winners 400.’”

Kasey Kahne has three poles at Michigan -- in 2006, 2010 and 2015. After starting the June 2006 race from the pole position, the Enumclaw, Washington, native led 19 laps and went on to take the checkered flag for his fifth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win.

Brian Scott may be making his first Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, but the two-mile speedway is not a new track for Scott with several years of XFINITY Series racing experience there.

After a Top-20 finish in Pocono this past weekend, Aric Almirola jumped two positions in the Championship Point Standings to 24th place. Almirola is looking forward to going back to the Irish Hills of Michigan in the No. 43 Smithfield Ford to continue his climb through the standings after a string of disappointing finishes.

“Michigan is a track that Roush Fenway, Ford, and Jack (Roush) have had a lot of success. We always want to have a strong showing at Michigan since it is in the backyard of Ford and Roush Industries. I’m really looking forward to racing the new aero package.

“Michigan is always a special place to race for us since it is in (team owner) Jack (Roush) and Ford’s backyard. It really gives you some extra motivation to go out there and get the job done. I’m confident that (crew chief) Matt (Puccia) will give me a solid AdvoCare Ford that will let us get up front and make some noise come Sunday afternoon.”

“I don’t know what it is about Michigan, but it’s one of my favorite tracks to go to and is a great track for Roush. I’m undefeated in the Truck series, two races, two wins and four wins in the Cup series. It’s just one of those race tracks that I love the way it’s laid out.

"This season, I fully expect our team to do everything we did last season and more. My goals are to run inside the top 10 and finish inside the top 15. We have a great advantage every time we come to race tracks like this; our ECR Engines have a ton of power to get us around the track. I enjoy racing here and hope to bring home a solid finish for this 95 team."

Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway ... In 154 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).

Ford Motor Co. has won nearly half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events run at Michigan International Speedway (46-of-93), 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.