Wide turns, fuel mileage key to winning at MIS

CONCORD, N.C. -- When it comes to NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing at Michigan International Speedway, one thing is guaranteed -- three-and four-wide excitement.

The two-mile oval located in the Irish Hills of Michigan also brings forth some of the highest speeds at a non-restrictor plate track. When the green flag drops in the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 (1 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, RaceCast), look for much of the passing to take place as the 43-car field exits Turn 4.

That sweeping frontstretch measures 2,242 feet and has 12 degrees of banking. Since the first Winston Cup Series race there in 1969, David Pearson seemed to have mastered the track right from the start.

	Jeff Gordon is the defending race winner at MIS. Credit: ASP

Pearson won the pole and the first race and still holds the record for the most victories with nine and poles with 10. For active drivers, Bill Elliott trails Pearson in Bud Pole Awards with six and is third on the win chart with six.

Bobby Labonte set the qualifying record for the June race with his lap of 189.883 mph in 2000. Dale Jarrett holds the race and track record when he went to Victory Lane in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds in 1999 with an average speed of 173.997 mph.

When it comes to speed at MIS, it's anything but average.

The large racing surface provides the three- and four wide excitement of Daytona and Talladega, but without restrictor plates.

"Michigan is right up there with the fastest tracks where we race," said Johnny Benson, driver of the No. 10 Valvoline Pontiac and native of nearby Berlin, Mich. "It's a two-mile track with a real, wide-racing groove. It produces some great racing.

"Its downfall is that, because it is three grooves, they have very few cautions and it becomes a fuel mileage race that isn't what everybody looks forward to. You start thinking fuel mileage before the start of the race.

"You know it's going to probably end up on fuel."

One thing that does fuel Benson's trip to MIS is the chance to visit his home state. However, the driver's already busy schedule gets just a little bit more hectic on this race weekend.

"I'm looking forward to going up there spend some time with Mom, Dad and the family," Benson said. "On Tuesday night, we raced with Tony Stewart at Berlin Raceway and I think that was a lot of fun. That's my home track and racing late models there is a blast.

"Michigan is both fun and busy. You get to see a lot of friends and family, but the phone never stops ringing and we have a lot of commitments.

"It's like going home for the holidays for anyone. Sometimes when it's all over, you are more tired than when it started."

Speaking of Stewart, the driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Pontiac should be a little happier when this race starts on Sunday. On Tuesday, NASCAR made a rules change to the Pontiac Grand Prix allowing a half-inch increase to the front air dam and a quarter-inch rear spoiler increase, beginning at MIS this weekend.

"It's hard to say how much help it's really going to be until we get out on the race track," Stewart said. "But, the thing about NASCAR-- and the good thing about this whole deal -- is that they always work hard to make sure the competition is even. "But, when you have a manufacturer like Pontiac who only has five teams, it's hard to go to NASCAR and successfully lobby for changes because there are really only three race teams running a total of five Pontiacs.

"If it makes us even with everybody else, I'm happy. If we get beat because we're not doing our job, that's one thing, but I don't want us to be at a disadvantage with this Home Depot team working its guts out and not being able to produce results because we don't have what everybody else has."

Jeff Gordon has been able to produce some good results at MIS. The driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet is the defending race winner -- where he gave Rick Hendrick Motorsports its 100th NASCAR victory last year. In total, he has two victories and three Bud Pole Awards at the track.

Gordon is one top-10 finish away from logging his 200th career top-10 finish.

"It's hard to imagine that we have that many top-10's," said Gordon. "It just goes to show how consistent this team has been over the years. I think it's a pretty good testament to how hard we've worked."

"I've always liked Michigan because of how wide it is and the different grooves on the track. It allows you to run high or low depending on how well your car is handling.

"I'd like for that 200th top-10 to be my 59th victory, too."