Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images
Bill Elliott has finished 38th, 35th and 37th in his first three starts in the No. 21 Ford.By the Numbers: Michigan
type size: + -
Like peanut butter and chocolate -- one look at me and it's easy to see that's one of my favorite combos -- history comes together this week in a tasty little package at Michigan International Speedway.
Bill Elliott will make his fourth start of the season in the No. 21 Ford when the grid lines up for the Citizens Bank 400 at MIS, where both man and machine have had a lot of success.
A section of the grandstands at Atlanta Motor Speedway is named in honor of Elliott but aside from Darlington, the Georgia native has never been better than he has at Michigan.
Elliott's seven victories at MIS are the most of any active driver and the third-most of all time, trailing only David Pearson (9) and Cale Yarborough (8). They also represent a career-high at any one track for Elliott. Four came consecutively in the form of season sweeps in 1985 and '86, the longest winning streak in track history. From 1984 through 1987, Elliott won six of eight races at Michigan.
The 17 top-fives and 29 top-10s Elliott has amassed at Michigan rank second only to the 22 top-fives and 35 top-10s he recorded at Darlington. Elliott last competed at Michigan in August 2005, finishing 11th in Ray Evernham's No. 91 R&D car.
The 11 victories for the Wood Brothers at Michigan are more than any other team. All wins came in the 21 car, the last by Dale Jarrett in 1991. The breakdown is as follows: Pearson (8); Yarborough (2); Jarrett (1).
Interesting Fact
1Wins at Michigan for Charlie Glotzbach, the only driver not named Yarborough, Pearson, Allison (Bobby) or Petty to win at MIS in the first 16 races there. Glotzbach's August 1970 victory was just one of four in his career.
Fun Fact
629.56Total estimated distance, in miles, between Brooklyn, Mich., home to Michigan International Speedway, and the famous New York City burough of same name. That would be roughly 315 laps around MIS.
All the Facts
3Place of finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the June 2006 race at Michigan, his best in 15 career starts at the track.
3Caution-free races in the 75-race history of Michigan: June 1973 (David Pearson); August 1984 (Darrell Waltrip); June 1999 (Dale Jarrett).
4Active drivers with double-digit top-five finishes at Michigan: Bill Elliott (17); Mark Martin (16); Jeff Gordon (15); Dale Jarrett (15).
4Top-10 finishes for Carl Edwards in five career starts at Michigan. After three consecutive top-fives, including a runner-up last June, Edwards stumbled to a 22nd-place finish in August 2006.
4Top-10s in 11 career Michigan starts for John Andretti in the famous Petty Enterprises No. 43, all consecutively from 1998-2000. Andretti will sub in the No. 45 Dodge this week as Kyle Petty continues his analyst work for TNT.
5Place of finish in the June 2006 race at Michigan for Reed Sorenson, his first career top-five. He was the only rookie last year to finish in the top 10 in both his MIS starts.
5Consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan for Greg Biffle, the longest active streak that began with back-to-back wins. He is the last driver to win consecutive races at MIS.
7Top-10 finishes for Tony Stewart in his past nine starts at Michigan. He has one win, seven top-fives and 10 top-10s in 16 career starts at MIS.
7.9Average place of finish at Michigan for Matt Kenseth, best of any driver with more than two starts there. He has seven top-10s in his past eight races at MIS and in 15 career starts there has two wins, six top-fives and 10 top-10s.
8Races since Jeff Burton had a top-10 at Michigan, although he has four 11th-place finishes during that span. He finished fourth at MIS in August 2002.
10Place of finish for Elliott Sadler in the August 2006 race at Michigan, his first in the No. 19 Dodge.
11Races since a Chevrolet last won at Michigan: Jeff Gordon (June 2001).
11.5Average place of finish by Kyle Busch in his only two June starts at Michigan. In his two August starts he has finished 43rd and 39th, completing just 219 of 400 total laps. His overall average finish in four starts at MIS is 26.2.
12Best place of finish for Ryan Newman since winning back-to-back races at Michigan in 2003-04. After posting four top-fives in his first six starts at MIS, Newman has gone five consecutive races without a top-10.
14Races won from the pole at Michigan. It's also the number of races won there from a starting position outside the top 10.
41Difference in finishing position of last year’s two Bud Pole winners. Kasey Kahne won the rain-shortened June race from the top starting spot despite leading only 19 laps. Jeff Burton had engine troubles from the outset in the August race. He never led a lap, rolled to the garage after 17 laps and finished next to last.
129Laps completed, out of a possible 200, in the rain-shortened race at Michigan last June.
194.232Speed in mph by Ryan Newman in setting the track qualifying record in June 2005 (37.069 seconds), his only pole at Michigan. Newman has four Bud Poles this season, including the past three.
| POPULAR ALERTS | ||||
|
Michigan
Track Winners
| Year | Driver | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Cale Yarborough | David Pearson |
| 1970 | Cale Yarborough | Charlie Glotzbach |
| 1971 | Bobby Allison | Bobby Allison |
| 1972 | David Pearson | David Pearson |
| 1973 | David Pearson | No race |
| 1974 | Richard Petty | David Pearson |
| 1975 | David Pearson | Richard Petty |
| 1976 | David Pearson | David Pearson |
| 1977 | Cale Yarborough | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1978 | Cale Yarborough | David Pearson |
| 1979 | Buddy Baker | Richard Petty |
| 1980 | Benny Parsons | Cale Yarborough |
| 1981 | Bobby Allison | Richard Petty |
| 1982 | Cale Yarborough | Bobby Allison |
| 1983 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough |
| 1984 | Bill Elliott | Darrell Waltrip |
| 1985 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott |
| 1986 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott |
| 1987 | Dale Earnhardt | Bill Elliott |
| 1988 | Rusty Wallace | Davey Allison |
| 1989 | Bill Elliott | Rusty Wallace |
| 1990 | Dale Earnhardt | Mark Martin |
| 1991 | Davey Allison | Dale Jarrett |
| 1992 | Davey Allison | Harry Gant |
| 1993 | Ricky Rudd | Mark Martin |
| 1994 | Rusty Wallace | Geoffrey Bodine |
| 1995 | Bobby Labonte | Bobby Labonte |
| 1996 | Rusty Wallace | Dale Jarrett |
| 1997 | Ernie Irvan | Mark Martin |
| 1998 | Mark Martin | Jeff Gordon |
| 1999 | Dale Jarrett | Bobby Labonte |
| 2000 | Tony Stewart | Rusty Wallace |
| 2001 | Jeff Gordon | Sterling Marlin |
| 2002 | Matt Kenseth | Dale Jarrett |
| 2003 | Kurt Busch | Ryan Newman |
| 2004 | Ryan Newman | Greg Biffle |
| 2005 | Greg Biffle | Jeremy Mayfield |
| 2006 | Kasey Kahne | Matt Kenseth |
• Michigan: Track Page | Shop Talk
Remember To Check Out
|
All External sites will open in a new browser window. NASCAR.COM does not endorse external sites. |
|
© 2001-2009 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
|
Turner Entertainment Digital Network NASCAR.COM is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network. |
