Viewer's Guide: Michigan

For Greg Biffle, Sunday's GFS Marketplace 400 (2 p.m. ET, TNT) could not have come at a better time.

Biffle, who has two wins and five top-six finishes in seven career Cup starts at Michigan International Speedway, enters this weekend 180 points behind 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. for what will likely be the final spot in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

	Inside the Numbers Greg Biffle at MIS Race Start Finish 6/2003 29 31 8/2003 12 4 6/2004 13 23 8/2004 24 1 6/2005 25 1 8/2005 31 6 6/2006 10 4 Avg. 20.6 10.0

He'll also be the featured guest on Sunday's pre-race show.

"I always say that Michigan is one of my favorite racetracks," Biffle said. "I've had a lot of success at that track in all three series and I enjoy the racing there. There's plenty of room for good side-by-side racing and passing."

Biffle also has two wins in two Craftsman Truck Series starts and two top-10s in five Busch Series starts at MIS.

If statistics are to be believed, Sunday's race could be a jumpstart to a run that could put Biffle in the Chase. Biffle leads all drivers with a 116.2 driver rating out of a possible 150 in the next four races. The driver rating combines wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finish.

Despite all of that, Biffle knows the pressure is on -- and there's no time to waste. After all, the Chase is just a month away.

"We're going back in the direction of the body style we've run so well with there and I think that is the right move for us," Biffle said. "We've got to do everything we can to make up as many points as we can over the next four weeks."

Chef Mario Batali, known, among other things, for his numerous appearances on Food Network's Iron Chef America, will be a guest in Wally's World during Sunday's pre-race show.

The ratings news has not been good for NBC through the first two weeks of their portion of the season. The Allstate 400 at The Brickyard drew a 5.5 rating and and a 13 share. That's down more than 10 percent from the 6.2/15 that last year's race garnered.

Last week's race at Watkins Glen earned a 4.0 overnight rating, down from a 4.3 last season.

	MESSAGE BOARD •   Send your question to Benny and Wally

In this week's edition of "Ask Wally and Benny," Mac in Concord, N.C., writes:

Do you guys watch the broadcasts on the other network(s) to get ideas about what to do, and what not to do?

Benny Parsons takes this one.

"Yes, when I watch the FOX broadcast, I always pick up something that will help our TNT telecast. I listen to Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds in the booth, and the guys on pit road.

"Every once in a while the guys say something that I think is a really, really good idea and a terrific point that they bring out to the viewer. You try to remember those things so you can do the same thing.

"But on the other side, every once in while a pass happens for the lead and they are talking about something else and don't acknowledge it. I yell at the television, 'C'mon guys, talk about how he's passing for the lead!' So you're always critiquing other people but most of the time what I get from those guys is useful information."

On 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 frontstretch
• 5-degree banking in backstretch
• Length of frontstretch: 3,600 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,242 feet

Race length: 200 laps/400 miles

TV schedule: (All times ET)
• NASCAR Live: 2 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Bud Pole Qualifying: 3 p.m. Fri. SPEED
• Trackside: 7 p.m. Fri., SPEED
• Final practice: 2 p.m. Sat.., TNT (tape)
• NASCAR Live: 1:30 p.m. Sat., SPEED
• NASCAR Raceday: Noon Sun., SPEED
• Pre-race: 2 p.m. Sun., TNT
• Race: 2:30 p.m. Sun., TNT

2005 FlashbackWatch Jeremy Mayfield's strategy work perfectly Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

One year ago, Jeremy Mayfield and the No. 19 team played the fuel strategy game to perfection and scored their only win of the 2005 season.

The most recent checkered flag went to Kevin Harvick, who passed Tony Stewart with three laps to go to win at Watkins Glen.

Keep an eye on Roush Racing. Michigan has always been a successful track for Roush drivers. Team owner Jack Roush has won four of the last nine races at the track and consistently puts his cars in the top 10.

Busch Series: Carfax 250

Track: Michigan International Speedway
• 2-mile oval
• 18-degree banking in corners
• 12-degree banking on frontstretch
• 5-degree banking in backstretch
• Length of frontstretch: 3,600 feet
• Length of backstretch: 2,242 feet

Race length: 125 laps/250 miles

TV schedule: (All times ET)

• Qualifying: 11:30 a.m. Sat., SPEED
• Race: 2:45 p.m. Sat., TNT

2005 FlashbackWatch Newman get his second MIS Busch Series victory Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

One year ago, Ryan Newman got his second Michigan win in the Busch Series.

The most recent checkered flag went to Kurt Busch, who held off a furious last-lap charge from Robby Gordon to win the Zippo 200 on Saturday at Watkins Glen. It was Busch's second Busch Series win.

Keep an eye on Steve Wallace. Wallace, the son of former champion Rusty Wallace, turns 19 on Friday. He hopes to celebrate a day late with his first Busch Series win. He's been to Victory Lane there before, as he won last season's ARCA race there.