Rock Around The Track At Michigan
Race fans attending the event this weekend at Michigan will have some entertainment opportunities at their disposal.
Detroit’s own Kid Rock will serve as Grand Marshal for the LifeLock 400 on Sunday. The multi-platinum recording artist will headline pre-race activities, including being recognized during driver introductions, give the famous command for drivers to start their engines and ride in the Grand Marshal car leading the field during the ceremonial parade laps. In addition, Kid Rock will join Robby Gordon (No. 7 Red Stag/Kid Rock Toyota Camry) in the speedway’s fan hospitality club, Acceleration, on Sunday morning.
Kid Rock has a connection with several NASCAR drivers, including Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet). In 2004, Kid Rock sponsored Stewart’s car in the first NASCAR Nationwide Series race for Kevin Harvick Inc. at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
NASCAR fans will be treated to live entertainment in the New Holland Fan Plaza throughout race weekend. The headliner act on Saturday is “Majestic,” a tribute band to the ever-popular late 70s, early 80s sensation, Journey. Majestic will perform at 6:20 p.m. Opening for Majestic at 4:30 p.m. will be MIS crowd favorite cover band, “The River.”
Click Here to View More NASCAR Photos
Reutimann Won’t Go Away
Just when you thought you’d seen the last of David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) contending for a berth in the Chase, the likable Florida native is back in the picture, giving all indications he’s here to stay.
Reutimann, who won his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race a couple weeks back at the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, posted another strong third-place finish at Pocono to move back into the top 12; he’s currently 11th in points.
Reutimann was a fixture in the top 12 for seven weeks earlier this season (races 2-9) before dropping outside the Chase cut-off following a 28th-place showing at Richmond. Reutimann said that his team is just now realizing its potential.
“At the end of last year, I was like, man, if we can just do this and do a couple things better, I think we might be able to be in contention for the Chase,” said Reutimann.
“It’s worked out so far. We’ve definitely had some races that we would like to forget, but for the most part it’s been a pretty good year. You look at the results we’ve had in previous years compared to this year; there’s just no comparison.”
With 12 Races Remaining Prior To The Chase, Bonus Points Are Vital
Twelve more races remain in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 26-race “regular season,” meaning 120 potential bonus points are left to be had.
For each win during the first 26 races, a driver earns 10 bonus points toward his Chase seeding. For those well above the Chase cut-off of 12th, victories — and the bonus points that come with them — are vital.
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) leads with three wins (and 30 bonus points). He’s followed by Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin (two wins apiece).
Three of the above four are strong at Michigan, and could help their cause of gaining the top seed with a Michigan win. Martin, though, has had some Michigan struggles and currently resides outside the Chase bubble, in 13th place.
Of those drivers with multiple 2009 wins, Johnson owns the best Michigan statistics. Since the inception of NASCAR’s Loop Data stats, Johnson has a Driver Rating of 106.9 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 9.4 (third), 114 Fastest Laps Run (second) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.4% (third).
Oddly, Michigan is one of six active tracks at which Johnson has yet to win.
The same drought is felt by Kyle Busch, whose best Michigan finish was second last August. Still, also like Johnson, his stats are solid. At Michigan, Busch has a Driver Rating of 95.7 (seventh-best), 69 Fastest Laps Run (eighth) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 71% (sixth).
Kenseth, though, has won twice at Michigan and has finished in the top five in four of the last five races there. He has a Driver Rating of 106.4 (third), an Average Running Position of 11.5 (fifth), 76 Fastest Laps Run (sixth) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79% (fourth).
While Martin has won four times at Michigan, he hasn’t been victorious there since 1998. He has finishes outside the top 20 in three of the last four races (including two DNFs during that span). His statistics are so-so: a Driver Rating of 83.2 and an Average Running Position of 16.2.
Up Next: Toyota/Save Mart 350 At Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway is the site of race 15 of the 2009 season.
The 1.99-mile road course is one of two road courses in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; the other being Watkins Glen International.
Kyle Busch won the 2008 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon, his first win on a road course. The victory gave Busch wins on all four type tracks in NASCAR’s premier series. Busch led twice for 78 of the 112 laps raced — leading all but two of the final 80 laps. David Gilliland (No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet) scored a career-best second-place finish, while Jeff Gordon, a five-time winner at Infineon, finished third.
Gordon’s five wins lead all drivers at Infineon while his nine total wins at NASCAR road courses (including Watkins Glen) tops all drivers. Tony Stewart is a two-time winner at Infineon and has six total road-course wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Click Here to View More NASCAR Photos
Fast Facts
The Race: LifeLock 400
The Date: Sunday, June 14
The Track: Michigan International Speedway; 2-mile oval
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
The Distance: 200 laps/400 miles
2008 Polesitter: Kyle Busch
2008 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Schedule: Friday—Practice, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:10 p.m. Saturday—Practice, 11-11:45 a.m. and 12:20-1:20 p.m.
2009 Top 12 Drivers
Driver Points
1 Tony Stewart 2,043
2 Jeff Gordon 1,972
3 Jimmie Johnson 1,940
4 Ryan Newman 1,840
5 Kurt Busch 1,819
6 Carl Edwards 1,762
7 Greg Biffle 1,753
8 Matt Kenseth 1,745
9 Kyle Busch 1,731
10 Jeff Burton 1,725
11 David Reutimann 1,701
12 Denny Hamlin 1,679
| 
|