The NASCAR drivers always want to win, but when the race is at Michigan International Speedway it’s even more of a goal in front of the auto makers.
While every race and every point are important to the drivers and teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, there are some races each year that carry a little more prestige than the others to win. Of course included in those races are the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, but also included are the races that take place in the shadow of the “Motor City.”
Michigan International Speedway is located just outside Detroit, Michigan and the teams and drivers know that the stands will not only have the executives from America’s auto industry, but also many of the men and women that work hard day in and day out making the cars that bear the auto maker emblems that also adorn their race cars.
That makes this weekend’s FireKeepers Casino 400 a “braggin’ rights race” in addition to any money or points that come along with winning. Winning the race around the 2-mile track is not an easy objective though.
Drivers will have plenty of room to get side-by-side to battle for position. However, getting careless could result in a spin due to loss of control of the car. Should that spin happen with cars behind the out of control car, the high-speed may not give the cars following time to avoid a multi-car incident.
What active drivers are the best at looking good in front of the auto makers in Michigan? Let’s take a look.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Michigan International Speedway
- Chase Elliott – 125.1
- Matt Kenseth – 102.2
- Jimmie Johnson – 100.0
- Joey Logano – 97.0
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 96.0
- Kevin Harvick – 94.0
- Kyle Larson – 94.0
- Brad Keselowski – 93.3
- Kurt Busch – 89.9
- Denny Hamlin – 89.4
(NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2016 races {24 total} among active drivers at Michigan International Speedway.)
If you want to look at active drivers who have won the most at Michigan, the list is topped by Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch who each has three wins at the track in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Next on the list would be the four drivers with two wins each; Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Joey is the 2016 defending winner for this race.
Finally there are five drivers who have won a single race at Michigan. Kyle Larson won the second race at the track in the 2016 to score his first NASCAR Cup Series win and only Michigan win so far. The other four drivers with a single Michigan win are Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
We’ve already seen the new lower down-force package make a difference in how drivers race and the stage racing alter race and pit strategies this year. I believe we will see both of these play a big role in which drivers have the chance to win the race this weekend.
This week the first and second stages of the race will be 60 laps each with the third and final stage being 80 laps.
How will it all play out? We will get to see it happen live starting at 2:00 PM central time (3:00 PM eastern time) when the green flag waives Sunday, June 18th, Father’s Day, for 200 laps of racing (400 miles) around Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400.
By: Buck Stevens
