Hendrick, Roush battle for supremacy at Michigan

This Sunday the Sprint Cup Series will come to Michigan International Speedway for the second and final time this season when the sweeping, 2-mile oval in Brooklyn, Mich., will host the Carfax 400.

The series raced there in June, so we do have some recent data to judge the teams and drivers this weekend. Since it has only been a handful of weeks since the first race, we need put those results under close scrutiny.

Current hot streaks and recent history at Michigan will play a part, but the teams that brought good setups there in June will likely roll the same chassis and similar setups to equal their success from a few weeks ago. That race saw fuel mileage yet again prove to be the determining factor at Michigan.

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Mark Martin passed both Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson in the last two laps as those leaders ran out of gas in the closing laps. That victory could easily repeat itself this weekend, as Hendrick Motorsports drivers will lock horns with Roush Fenway Racing drivers to determine supremacy of this track.

Top Fantasy Racing Drivers for Michigan

1. Jimmie Johnson
It's almost impossible to understand how Johnson is winless at Michigan. In 15 career starts the No. 48 team has come up empty. However, Johnson has led 300 laps in his past five races at the track including 146 laps led in the race there in June. That winless streak has to end at some point, and this weekend is as good a time as any for the defending Sprint Cup champion.

2. Greg Biffle
While Carl Edwards has better career stats at MIS, Biffle is the Roush Fenway driver you had better watch closely this weekend. He is a two-time winner at Michigan, and had the best shot at taking the win there in June. Biffle has cracked the top five in his past two races at MIS, and he led 42 laps before running out of gas in June.

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NASCAR.COM's Mike Bell gives you the picks to click for the return trip to Michigan.

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3. Mark Martin
Martin will return to the scene of his stunning, upset win in June. The veteran driver is a five-time Michigan winner and historically Martin cracks the top five in more than a third of his Michigan starts. Those strong statistics will combine with a surging race team on Sunday.

4. Tony Stewart
The championship standings leader looked almost human when we last visited Michigan. Admittedly, it's not one of Smoke's more successful tracks, but you can tell that the owner/driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet enjoys racing there. Stewart has cracked the top 10 in eight of his past 10 visits to the track.

5. Denny Hamlin
The surging No. 11 Toyota team will come to Michigan this week on a roll. Hamlin won at Pocono, and he impressed last week at The Glen. Michigan falls right into that pattern of good tracks for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Hamlin owns three career top-10s at MIS, the most recent coming in June when he brought home a third-place finish.

6. Carl Edwards
While Edwards hasn't had a typical "Carl Edwards" season, he's still dangerous enough at Michigan to give heavy fantasy racing consideration this weekend. The 10-race record of Edwards at MIS is nearly flawless. He's collected two wins and nine top-10s in those 10 starts. His last visit resulted in a top-five finish.

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7. Brian Vickers
The short-term record of the No. 83 Toyota team at MIS is pretty striking. Vickers has won the past two poles at Michigan and he enters this event with a four-race. top-10 streak at the facility. If you're looking for a good fantasy racing dark horse on Sunday, Vickers is your man.

8. Juan Montoya
Montoya should be looking to put a firm grip on a Chase berth this weekend. The Earnhardt Ganassi driver has had a truly remarkable season in his third full year of Cup competition. The last time the Sprint Cup Series visited Michigan, Montoya ran in the top 10 for much of the race and collected a solid sixth-place finish.

9. Jeff Gordon
Among active drivers only Mark Martin has more top-fives at Michigan than Gordon. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet checks in with 16 career top-fives. Gordon used his smooth driving style to finish second in June. A repeat performance on Sunday wouldn't surprise anyone.

10. Jamie McMurray
If you're looking for a steady, but unspectacular driver to fill out your lineup this Sunday, McMurray is likely your guy. The driver of the Roush Fenway Racing No. 26 Ford has had a really decent season in 2009. McMurray enters this event ranked 20th in the championship standings. His last five visits to MIS have resulted in eighth-, 30th-, 10th-, 10th- and 11th-place finishes.