Want a great fan experience? Head out to the Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the Pure Michigan 400. The races at Michigan are always a blast and below the President of the Michigan International Speedway told me some cool details of different things happening at the track.
In spite of a few drops of rain and much discussion about oil on the track in the waning laps, here is what else was surprising and not surprising for the 27th annual Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen.
Fans used to be split on Brad Keselowski. Some loved him, especially when he drove for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Nationwide team. The kid who hit everyone but the pace car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, riled the feathers of drivers and even got Carl Edwards airborne at Talladega (and had a few run-ins with Cousin Carl thereafter) has grown up, put on his best face and become a fan favorite.
Johnson finished third at Watkins Glen, posting his Sprint Cup series-best 11th top-5 result. Johnson jumped three spots to the top of the points standings, and leads Greg Biffle by one.
Skimming through the entry list for this weekend's NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal one may find a few names that jump off the page. What do Ron Fellows, Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Tagliani, and Patrick Carpentier all have in common this weekend?
Watkins Glen's storyline consisted of two things; a great finish and a lot of bad things happening to good people. Kyle Busch was one of the day's better entries, was leading on the last lap, but when he struck oil he was not as thrilled as Milburn Drysdale was when Jed Clampett did the same.
Since things changed dramatically in the Penske Racing camp back in early July at Daytona, no one would have thought differently if Sam Hornish Jr.'s performance started to slip. The Nationwide Series driver quickly found himself going from worrying solely on his championship hopes to doing double duty for the past month. Sometimes flying from state to state, bouncing between cars and teams.
I remember when the King was, well, the King. Back in those days, the King won everywhere and bagged seven championships. They weren’t consecutive because there wasn’t a lot of multi-car teams and none named Hendrick Motorsports.
Sunday afternoon, Australian driver Marcos Ambrose was looking to defend his 2011 win at Watkins Glen. It looked as if Ambrose was going to finish third until the last lap turned chaotic.
Watching the last two laps of the Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen unfold live left many holding their breath, sitting on the edge of their seats and wondering what just happened. There were wrecks, grass flying, taking and giving of the lead before one car came out unscathed at the finish line.
The 35-year-old Preece from Berlin, Connecticut, led 46 of 200 laps and outlasted sleet conditions and numerous on-track chaos to become the 27th competitor to win the Clash.
Josh Berry won the Last Chance Qualifier race while Austin Cindric outbattled Corey LaJoie for the second spot after a spirited side-by-side battle over the closing laps. Berry and Cindric will compete in the Clash Main Event at Bowman Gray Stadium
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Wednesday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
