 | | A total of 70 Cup Series races have been held at Michigan International Speedway. Credit: Autostock |
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM August 20, 2004 11:31 AM EDT (15:31 GMT)
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Michigan International Speedway, the wide, sweeping oval in the Irish Hills area 45 miles west of Detroit, has held NASCAR Cup races since 1969. Due to its positioning in relation to the cutoff point for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, just four races before the critical 26-race mark, Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400 has become a marked event for a number of competitors who are fighting to maintain, or achieve positions in the Chase. Defending race winner Ryan Newman is on a streak of two consecutive victories at MIS and his timing for a third couldn't be better. Newman fell out of the Nextel Cup Series' top 10 last weekend and needs to establish MIS's latest statistical mark to scramble back into the Chase roster. 0 -- Matt Kenseth's total of DNFs in 10 Michigan Cup starts. 2 -- The length in miles of a lap at Michigan International Speedway.  |  | | Ryan Newman has two consecutive MIS victories. Credit: Autostock |
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3 -- The number of caution free Cup races at MIS, the most recent in June 1999. 4 -- The number of MIS pole positions earned by both Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte, tops among active drivers of MIS Cup pole positions. 5 -- The number of career Cup victories at MIS by Rusty Wallace, tops among drivers entered this weekend. 5 -- The position among Nextel Cup Series tracks in which MIS sits, based on its Bud Pole Qualifying speed. Talladega, Daytona, Atlanta and Texas are faster. 6.83 -- Ryan Newman's average starting position at MIS, best among drivers with five or more starts here. 7 -- The number of times both MIS Cup races in a season have been swept by a single driver, most recently by Bobby Labonte in 1995. 9 -- Matt Kenseth's average finish at MIS, best of all active drivers with more than two starts here. 11 -- The number of Wood Brothers Racing wins at MIS, most among car owners. 14 -- The number of MIS's 70 Cup races won from the pole position, or 20 percent. 15 -- The number of top-five finishes Rusty Wallace has earned in Cup competition at MIS. Wallace leads all drivers entered this weekend in that category. 18 -- The degree of banking in the four corners at MIS. 21 -- Jeff Burton's career total of Michigan Cup race starts without a DNF. 24 -- The number of top-10 finishes earned by Mark Martin in Cup competition at Michigan, tops among drivers entered this weekend. 25 -- The number of MIS's Modern Era Cup races won by Ford, the most among manufacturers. Chevrolet is second with 16 victories. 28 -- Tony Stewart's starting position for the 2000 Kmart 400, the furthest back a race winner has started at MIS. 55 -- Pit road speed limit, in miles per hour, at MIS. Under caution, the pace car will run 65 mph.  |  | Nextel Cup Series | |
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55 -- The number of Cup starts by Ricky Rudd at MIS, the most among active drivers. 59 -- The number of MIS's 70 Cup races won from starting positions inside the top 10, or 84 percent. 173.997 -- In miles per hour, Dale Jarrett's MIS race record average speed set in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 56 seconds in June 1999. 191.149 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s MIS track record Bud Pole Qualifying speed in miles per hour, set in August 2000 in 37.667 seconds. 200 -- Elliott Sadler's number of career NASCAR Cup starts if he takes the green flag in the GFS Marketplace 400. 2,242 -- The length in feet of the frontstretch at MIS. 3,600 -- The length in feet of the frontstretch at MIS. 4,926,541 -- In dollars, the posted awards for the GFS Marketplace 400. |