"Batman Begins," the fifth big-screen reincarnation of the comic book legend Credit: Warner Bros.

'Batman' is back at MIS, and so is Roush Racing

Martin again will carry the Caped Crusader's colors at Michigan

Maybe it's apropos that Sunday's Cup race is sponsored by a movie that features a reticent comic book character. The Batman Begins 400 could be the race that gets mild-mannered Matt Kenseth back on track.

Kenseth, the long-suffering 2003 series champion, is a man forgotten this year. Roush Racing's stable has dominated -- seven wins, including two by Carl Edwards in his first full season -- but Kenseth has struggled.

	Inside the Numbers Rousch Racing at Michigan Driver Races Win T5 T10 Avg. Kenseth 11 1 3 7 8.9 Edwards 1 0 0 1 10.0 Martin 38 4 14 25 11.8 Biffle 4 1 2 2 14.8 Busch 8 1 1 3 21.4 All-Time 103 7 26 53 14.2 Victory LaneBiffle leads Roush rout at MIS in August 2004 Sign up for TrackPass now and earn Fan Miles BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

In 14 races this year, Kenseth has two top-10s and only six finishes on the lead lap. His average finish is 22.6 and Kenseth is 24th in points, 700 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Maybe more of a concern is that Kenseth is 0-for-47 since March 7, 2004, when he won at Las Vegas.

"Obviously, our season has not gone very well so far, whether because of our cars not running well or just bad luck," he said. "At this point, we just have to focus on finishing in the top 10 every week to make it into the Chase."

On the other end of the spectrum is Mark Martin, who has dominated at Michigan International Speedway and is fifth in the point standings.

Martin has a series-best 25 top-10 finishes in 38 races at MIS, including 14 top-fives and four victories. He also finished second to teammate Greg Biffle in the Fall 2004 race.

"Michigan is a great track, where if you have a good car you can really pass some people," Martin said. "We were really good there last fall and had one of the cars to beat. We had a problem in the pits that hurt us late, but we rebounded and came back to finish second, so we are excited about going back up there and hopefully closing the deal."

However, Kenseth and Martin have enjoyed a lot of success at Michigan. In fact, MIS arguably is Roush Racing's most successful track: seven wins, 26 top-fives and 53 top-10s. Four of the team's five drivers -- Mark Martin (4), Biffle, Kenseth and Kurt Busch -- have won at the track.

"Michigan is a great track that has three or four grooves that you can run," Kenseth said. "It's really a driver's track in that you can really move around and pass. We've had some good finishes there, along with a win in 2002, so we'll see if we can get a solid finish out of it this weekend."

In last year's fall race, Roush dominated the top 10 with Biffle and Martin finishing 1-2, while Busch was sixth, Kenseth eighth and Edwards 10th in his Cup debut.

MARTIN BACK IN 'BATMOBILE' Mark Martin again will carry the colors of the Caped Crusader on this No. 6 Ford at Michigan, where he has a series-high 25 top-10 finishes.  Martin will run chassis number RK-231, whcih already has a third-place finish at Dover, a fourth at Darlington and a seventh at Fontana. It also had several clutch runs down the stretch in 2004, including a second-place finish at Michigan while running the special Justice League Batman paint scheme, where it earned the 'Batmobile' nickname.  "We'll be running a Batman Begins paint scheme for the race and that should be a lot of fun. Everyone knows that we had a lot of success there last year with the Batman cars in both the Busch and Cup races, so hopefully we'll be able to take the 'Batmobile' to victory lane this weekend."  ALSO •   Superstore: Batman gear!

"We have really, really been strong at Michigan the last several times we've run," Martin said. "It's pretty exciting. Batman Begins is a highly anticipated movie. There's a lot of anticipation. It's gonna be a really cool movie and I can't wait to go see it. To be a part of the whole thing and, of course, having them sponsor the race as well on Sunday.

"The Salute to You Tour is going right on schedule and better than I ever could have dreamed. With the way it went at the All-Star race, that added a little bit of extra pizzazz to some of the things we're doing and we've had some good times already with the fans and many more cool things planned in the future."

Biffle's four starts at Michigan have mirrored Six Flags' "Batman: The Ride" -- a roller-coaster with looping ups and downs. He was 31st in his first start, then fourth, then 23rd, and then he won last fall.

This year, Biffle is second in points and looking to make a strong push as the Race for the Chase steams toward Richmond. "Obviously it's been an incredible year for the National Guard team so far. We've got four wins under our belts and I feel good about our chances to go to victory lane a couple more times before the Chase.

"I like racing at Michigan, there's a lot of room to race and we seem to do well there. We're taking the car that we won with there last August but Doug [Richert, crew chief] and the guys have completely rebuilt it. ... A win this weekend would be a great rebound from the points we lost last week and a victory in Ford's backyard is always something we want."

Busch struggled in three of his first four races at MIS, finishing 43rd in his first two starts before rebounding for one of three top-10s, followed by a 39th-place finish. However, he has been 11th or better in three of his past four races at the track, and won the Spring 2003 event.

"My first couple of trips here weren't all that successful for the No. 97 team, but other than that, I've always enjoyed coming to Michigan," Busch said. "It's got multiple grooves and you can race two and three wide in the corners. Fuel mileage also seems to usually play a part in the final outcome so there a strategy element involved that keeps everyone on their toes."

But Busch enters the weekend outside the top 10 in points for the first time since finishing 16th in the 2004 Daytona 500. "We're not necessarily in the position we need to be in at this point in the season as far as the points go," he said.

After only three DNFs last year, Busch already has two this season. "It seems like we've had a couple of wins slip through our fingers, and we've had a lot of trouble not of our own doing out on the racetrack," he said.

Edwards is looking build on his second victory, and returning to MIS will be a boost to the team's confidence.

"I'm really looking forward to Michigan," he said. "It's where I made my first Nextel Cup start so it's a special place for me. I really like the track a lot, its fun to race at. You can pass and I think the fans always see a good show there. We have AAA on the No. 99 Ford for the first time this year so we're really excited to give them a good run and build on last week's win. I'm just really looking forward to going to Michigan and doing everything I can to win another race.

"Bob [Osborne, crew chief] and the team have worked tremendously hard and I can't thank them enough. They have given me fast race cars and fast pit stops all year and it shows. I'm really proud of my team and I think there are many more trips to victory lane in our future."