Viewer's Guide: Michigan

One of NASCAR's best-known TV voices is going to the hall of fame -- again.

Benny Parsons, an analyst for TNT and NBC, will be inducted into the Motorsports Racing Hall of Fame of America on Thursday at the at the State Theatre in Detroit.

	Credit: Caryn Levy/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Benny Parsons' Cup career Starts 526 Wins 21 Top-5s 199 Top-10s 283 Poles 20 Avg. Start 9.3 Avg. Finish 14.5 Earnings $4,426,278

The location has special meaning for Parsons. The theatre is just five miles from where his racing career started on Six Mile and Woodward on a Saturday morning in May 1960.

At a service station.

Parsons' father owned the service station at that location. Parsons was working on some taxis at the station in May of that year when his life changed forever.

"Two guys came with a race car and I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," Parsons said. "I asked them where they were racing and they told me they were going to Anderson, Indiana.

"Then the asked me the most important question of my life. 'Wanna come along?' In the 45 years since that fateful day. Parsons put up enough impressive numbers to be inducted into the Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame (1998), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994) and the Court of Legends in Charlotte, NC (1994).

However, Parsons said Thursday night's ceremony will be a little different.

"The nicest thing about this is that I'm inviting not the people that I know in NASCAR, but all the people that helped me in my ARCA days and my days when I was first getting started."

Perhaps as impressive has Parsons' on-track accomplishments has been his accomplishments in the broadcast booth. Parsons won an Emmy in 1996 for his work as a color commentator on ESPN's coverage of NASCAR.

"We're all really excited for and proud of Benny," said NASCAR on NBC producer Sam Flood. "Benny is one of the true legends of the sport and when he went to the booth, his personality changed the way NASCAR is broadcast on television forever."

TNT will have an abbreviated pre-race show leading up to the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan (2 p.m. ET Sunday).

Among the topics to be covered on the show:

• Tony Stewart's incredible run in the Nextel Cup Series
• The tight race for the final couple of spots in the Race to the Chase
• A look at how the current contract flare-ups involving Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray will affect the sport in the long-term.

Also in Sunday's pre-race show, Wally Dallenbach will welcome CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta to "Wally's World."

Ernie Irvan is among the guests slated for a live edition of Trackside this week from Michigan (7 p.m. ET Friday, SPEED).

If you're heading there this weekend, the The SPEED Channel Stage Truck will be located outside the track, behind the main grandstand near the Fan Zone.

Sunday's race at Watkins Glen drew a 4.3 overnight rating for NBC. That's down from a 5.0 rating in 2003, the last time the Watkins Glen race was broadcast on NBC.

	NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood
	EMAIL Send Mark your take for "The Rant" or your question for "Ask The Producer"

In this week's "Ask the Producer" question, we deal with a musical inquiry. Several users want to know how NBC/TNT decided on the theme music it uses for NASCAR.

NBC/TNT producer Sam Flood said the networks hired a movie score composer who also did the music for TNT's coverage of the NBA. The networks were given several samples to choose from and decided on the track you hear each weekend.

In this week's version of "The Rant," Craig Holl of New Berlin, Wis., brings up a good point about last weekend's Cup race at Watkins Glen.

Once again, the Grand Marshall (Shannon Sharpe) butchered the "most famous words in racing." The words are "Gentlemen, start your engines!", not "Drivers, start your engines!". If they want to be politically correct, I guess that's their call. But don't call them the "most famous words in racing" if they aren't the correct words!

Ladies and gentlemen, the voice of reason.

Now to this weekend's schedule:

Nextel Cup Series: GFS Marketplace 400

Track: Michigan International Speedway

• 2-mile oval
• 18-degree banking in corners
• 12-degree banking on straights
• 5-degree banking on backstretch
• Frontstretch: 3,600 feet
• Backstretch: 2,242 feet

Race length: 200 laps/400 miles

TV schedule (all times ET)

• NASCAR Live: 4:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final Practice: 8 p.m. Fri., SPEED (tape-delayed)
• NASCAR Live: Noon, 5:30 p.m. Sat, SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 1 p.m. Sat., TNT (tape-delayed)
• NASCAR Performance: 6:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR This Morning: 11 a.m. Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 2 p.m. Sun., NBC.
• Race: 2:30 p.m. Sun., NBC

Second chanceGreg Biffle celebrates his second career Cup victory Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

One year ago, Greg Biffle drove to an easy victory, pulling away from gambling teammate Mark Martin at the end of the NASCAR Nextel Cup race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson chose to take only two tires on their final pit stop, while Biffle and the rest of the leaders took four. That gave Martin track position, but he was unable to come close to chasing down Biffle's Ford.

The most recent checkered flag went to Stewart, who's hot streak continued last weekend with a dominant victory at Watkins Glen.

Keep an eye on Dale Jarrett. Jarrett is tied with Mark Martin with three wins in the August race at Michigan. Jarrett is fighting for a spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup and this race represents his best chance to gain ground.

Busch Series: Domino's Pizza 250

Track: Michigan International Speedway

• NASCAR Live: 4:30 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final Practice: 8 p.m. Fri., SPEED (tape-delayed)
• NASCAR Live: Noon, 5:30 p.m. Sat, SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 1 p.m. Sat., TNT (tape-delayed)
• NASCAR Performance: 6:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR This Morning: 11 a.m. Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 2 p.m. Sun., NBC.
• Race: 2:30 p.m. Sun., NBC.

Race length: 125 laps/250 miles

TV schedule (all times ET)

• Busch Pole Qualifying: 10 a.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 3 p.m. Sat., TNT

Hardly a factorA late-race caution doesn't slow Kyle Busch Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

One year ago, Kyle Busch pulled away from Cup veteran Mark Martin on the final restart with 10 laps to go to win.

The most recent checkered flag went to Ryan Newman, who passed fellow Cup regular Brian Vickers at Watkins Glen last Saturday to get his second career Busch Series win.

Keep an eye on Jason Keller. He can overcome the $10-million mark in series winnings this weekend at Michigan. Keller is the all-time series money-winner with $9,980,280, needing $19,720 to hit the mark. He is third all-time in career series starts with 381, and holds the current record for most active races competed at 260.

The Domino's Viewer's Guide runs Thursday during race weeks.