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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has 18 wins in 349 Cup starts, including one at Michigan.By the Numbers: Michigan
Earnhardt Jr. hits a milestone at place of his last victory
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Michigan International Speedway was the site of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last victory (June 2008) and when the green flies Sunday for the Carfax 400 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN), the 2-mile oval will host another milestone for the driver -- his 350th start.
This season has been a struggle for the veteran, but Michigan could be the antidote. Since 2006, Junior has been strong at MIS with an average finish 9.1 thanks to a victory, three top-fives and four top-10s. More importantly, Junior has been up front, leading at least one lap in all but one of those seven races.
Even though Earnhardt is seeing more disappointment than celebration these days, he is still one of the best drivers this past decade. He made his first Cup start at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1999 and finished 16th. His first full Cup season began in 2000 and he is among the leaders in every statistical category in that timeframe.
INSIDE THE DATA
18Wins for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his career, fifth from 2000 to present. Jimmie Johnson (43), Jeff Gordon (33), Tony Stewart (33), and Kurt Busch (19) rank higher.
87Number of top-fives for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his career, fifth from 2000 to present. Jeff Gordon (139), Tony Stewart (130), Jimmie Johnson (110), and Matt Kenseth (91) rank higher.
140Number of top-10s for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his career, sixth from 2000 to present. Jeff Gordon (207), Tony Stewart (204), Jimmie Johnson (170), Matt Kenseth (168), and Mark Martin (149) rank higher.
6,473Number of laps led for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his career, fourth from 2000 to present. Jeff Gordon (10,198), Tony Stewart (9,282) and Jimmie Johnson (8,438) rank higher.
DID YOU KNOW?
11Everyone knows Jack Roush loves Michigan International Speedway and it shows with 11 Cup wins. But that only ties him for the track-record for victories by an owner. Glen Wood also has 11 wins, thanks to Cale Yarborough and David Pearson dominating at the track from 1969 to 1978. The Wood Brothers will have their famous No. 21 at MIS this weekend with Bill Elliott behind the wheel.
CHASING THE CHASE
10. Greg BiffleMichigan comes at a great time for Biffle, who has two wins, six top-fives and eight top-10s in 13 starts. He has an average finish of 12.5 at the track and finished fifth in the 2009 spring race. He's led 233 laps at the 2-mile oval and has 11 lead-lap finishes.
11. Mark MartinMartin is among the track leaders in almost every statistical category. He has five wins, second-most behind Bill Elliott's seven among active drivers, and his 17 top-fives and 29 top-10s tie him with Elliott for most at the track. One thing that has eluded Martin is a pole, which he has yet to win in 47 attempts. Martin's average finish at Michigan is 12.9 and he comes to Michigan as the track's most recent winner.
12. Matt KensethKenseth is one of the most consistent at MIS with an average finish of 9.6. In 20 starts he has two wins, nine top-fives and 13 top-10s. He doesn't start well at Michigan, with an average starting position of 20.4, but he always finishes strong. Kenseth has finished 20th or worse just twice, but that 20th-place finish came in this year's spring race.
13. Kyle BuschMichigan isn't Busch's strongest track, but he's not horrible either. He has yet to win and has just one top-five and three top-10s in nine starts but he has an average finish of 16.9 thanks to 13th-place finishes in three of the last four races. He's led at least five laps in the last three events at MIS and his average finish in his last five Michigan starts is 9.4.
14. Brian VickersAfter struggling at MIS for three seasons, Vickers has figured the 2-mile track out. In the last four races he has finished no worse than ninth and has started from the pole in the last two events. In all, Vickers has one top-five and six top-10s in 11 starts.
15. Clint BowyerIf Bowyer is to remain in Chase contention, he will have to change his history at MIS. In seven starts, Bowyer has just one top-10, a 10th in this year's spring race. He has four finishes of 20th or worse and an average finish at the track of 23.0.
NECESSITOUS NUMBERS
2A weekend sweep has only happened twice at MIS. Mark Martin was the first to win the Nationwide and Cup race in a single weekend in 1993 and when Carl Edwards took the checkered flag in the fall race last year, he too, completed the weekend sweep.
2Number of drivers, with three or more starts, with an average finish inside the top 10 at Michigan: Carl Edwards (6.3) and Matt Kenseth (9.6).
4In four of the last five races, the winner at Michigan has started outside the top 10. History shows that is an anomaly, though, as 15 of the 80 winners have come from the pole and 62 have started inside the top 10.
5Carl Edwards has five consecutive finishes of seventh or better at Michigan. In 10 starts, Edwards has two wins, six top-fives and nine top-10s.
9Juan Montoya's sixth at The Glen gives him nine consecutive finishes in the top 15.
10Tony Stewart's win at Watkins Glen gives the points leader 10 consecutive top-10 finishes.
21.1Average green-flag run, in laps, from 2001-2009 at Michigan.
377Number of laps Jimmie Johnson has led at Michigan, most among active drivers without a win at the track. Johnson runs well at MIS, but with just two top-fives in 15 starts, for some reason he is unable to close the door at the track.
Also
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Michigan Int'l Speedway
Drivers with multiple wins at the track
| Races | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Pearson | 29 | 9 | 17 | 20 |
| Cale Yarborough | 36 | 8 | 21 | 26 |
| Bill Elliott | 58 | 7 | 17 | 29 |
| Mark Martin | 47 | 5 | 17 | 29 |
| Rusty Wallace | 44 | 5 | 15 | 21 |
| Bobby Allison | 37 | 4 | 16 | 24 |
| Richard Petty | 47 | 4 | 19 | 25 |
| Dale Jarrett | 40 | 4 | 15 | 20 |
| Bobby Labonte | 34 | 3 | 9 | 16 |
| Davey Allison | 13 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
| Matt Kenseth | 20 | 2 | 9 | 13 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 48 | 2 | 17 | 25 |
| Carl Edwards | 10 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| Greg Biffle | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Jeff Gordon | 33 | 2 | 16 | 21 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 43 | 2 | 12 | 25 |
| Kurt Busch | 17 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Ryan Newman | 16 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
• Bold: Active Drivers
Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Tony Stewart | 3,383 | Leader |
| 2. | -- | Jimmie Johnson | 3,123 | -260 |
| 3. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 3,041 | -342 |
| 4. | -- | Kurt Busch | 2,902 | -481 |
| 5. | -- | Denny Hamlin | 2,847 | -536 |
| 6. | -- | Carl Edwards | 2,830 | -553 |
| 7. | +1 | Juan Montoya | 2,781 | -602 |
| 8. | -1 | Kasey Kahne | 2,754 | -629 |
| 9. | -- | Ryan Newman | 2,727 | -656 |
| 10. | +2 | Greg Biffle | 2,718 | -665 |
| 11. | -1 | Mark Martin | 2,716 | -667 |
| 12. | -1 | Matt Kenseth | 2,685 | -698 |
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