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Cup Series Notebook... watch for updates all week long
Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI (2.0-mile oval)

  • Bud Pole Qualifying: Friday, August 18 (Speed at 4:00 p.m. AT, 3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Final Practice: Saturday, August 19 (TNT at 3:00 p.m. AT, 2:00 p.m. ET)
  • Race: Sunday, August 20 (TNT at 3:00 p.m. AT, 2:00 p.m. ET)
    ...Trying to find if/where this race will be broadcast in Canada - TSN is carrying golf...
Fast Facts
The race: GFS Marketplace 400 (Race No. 23 of the 36-race NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season)
The place: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.
The date/time: Sunday, Aug. 20, 2:30 p.m. (EDT)
TV: TNT, 2 p.m. (EDT).
Radio: MRN/XM Satellite
Posted awards: $5,028,926
Race length: 400 miles, 200 laps
Track layout: 2-mile oval
2005 winner: Jeremy Mayfield
2005 polesitter: Joe Nemechek
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10: 1. Jimmie Johnson 3,241. 2. Matt Kenseth 3,117. 3. Kevin Harvick 2,918. 4. Jeff Burton 2,879. 5. Kyle Busch 2,871. 6. Mark Martin 2,815. 7. Tony Stewart 2,794. 8. Denny Hamlin 2,782. 9. Jeff Gordon 2,756. 10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2,726.
Practice/Qualifying Schedule: Friday – Practice, 11:35 a.m. – 1 p.m. Qualifying, 3:10 p.m. Saturday – Practice, 9 – 10 a.m. Final Practice, 10:35 – 11:20 a.m.

Event Stats - underlined when link is activated
  • Practice Results - click here
  • Qualifying Order - click here
  • Qualifying Results - click here
  • Starting Lineup - click here
  • Race Results (unofficial) here
  • Point Standings (post-race, unofficial) here

    Kenseth Gets Big Win at Michigan

    click for more pictures BROOKLYN, MICH. (August 20, 2006) -- It was a long day Sunday for many of those NASCAR drivers trying to secure a spot in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup championship, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards among them.

    Matt Kenseth, however, had no problems on this sunny Sunday afternoon. Kenseth, a former champion, , ran in front or near the front throughout the caution-filled 200 laps at Michigan International Speedway and finished a few car lengths in front of hard-driving Jeff Gordon.

    Defending champion Tony Stewart was third, Kasey Kahne fourth and veteran Mark Martin fifth. Click here for the rest of the story.

    Visit Victory Lane - click here

    Post-Race Notes
    • Matt Kenseth won the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway, scoring his 13th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in his 243rd career start.
    • This was Kenseth’s third victory in 2006. He also won at California and Dover.
    • Kenseth moved into 46th on NASCAR’s all-time winners list tied with Tim Richmond and Dick Rathmann.
    • Kenseth scored his second victory at Michigan International Speedway and 11th victory on a superspeedway. His last victory at Michigan came in June 2002.
    • Kenseth won the race from the third-place starting position.
    • Kenseth scored his 13th top-10 finish in 23 races this season.
    • Kenseth remained second in the point standings, now 475 ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne.
    • Kenseth led the most laps for the third time in 2006 and the first time since Chicagoland, five races ago.
    • Kenseth led six times for 87 laps including the final 32 laps in the GFS Marketplace 400.
    • This was team owner Jack Roush’s 93rd NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory. Roush has scored nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories at Michigan.
    • Jack Roush Racing has won at least one race each season 1997-2006, 10 consecutive years.
    • Jeff Gordon (second) scored his 10th top-10 finish in 2006. It marked his 19th top-10 finish in 28 races at Michigan International Speedway. This is Gordon’s sixth runner-up finish at Michigan. Gordon climbed from ninth to sixth in the point standings and is 99 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
    • Tony Stewart (third) scored his 13th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 10th top-10 finish in 16 races at Michigan. Stewart climbed from seventh to fifth in the point standings, 127 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
    • Kasey Kahne (fourth) scored his 12th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his fourth top-10 finish in six races at Michigan. Kahne is now 49 points behind 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr..
    • Mark Martin (fifth) scored his 11th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 27th top-10 finish in 42 races at Michigan International Speedway. Martin climbed from sixth to fourth in the point standings, 138 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
    • Kevin Harvick (11th) extended a 35-race streak of running at the finish that began at California last September, the longest current streak. Harvick ended a streak of six straight top-10 finishes that began at Daytona in July.
    • At least one of the Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 23 races this season. Reed Sorenson finished eighth and Denny Hamlin finished ninth, the seventh time in 2006 that two or more rookies finished in the top 10. For Hamlin it marked his 11th top-10 finish in 2006, the most among the rookie contenders.
    • Kyle Busch (39th) ended a streak of eight straight top-15 finishes that began at Michigan in June.
    • Jeff Burton (42nd) ended a streak of 16 straight top-15 finish that began at Texas in April. Burton’s last DNF came at Talladega in October 2005. Burton dropped from fourth to ninth in the point standings and is just 84 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne.
    • Point leader Jimmie Johnson (13th today) has been ranked among the top 10 for 92 consecutive races. He now leads secondplace Matt Kenseth by just 58 points.
    • The 10 caution periods set the record for the most at Michigan since 1969. The previous record was nine caution periods set in five previous races.
    Qualifying Notes
    • Jeff Burton won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Bud Pole for the GFS Marketplace 400, lapping Michigan International Speedway in 38.311 seconds at 187.936 mph. Ryan Newman holds the trackqualifying record of 37.069 seconds, 194.232 mph - set June 18, 2005.
    • This is Burton’s sixth career Bud Pole in 426 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races.
    • This is Burton’s fourth Bud Pole and 10th top-10 start in 2006. He moved into a tie with Kasey Kahne for the most Bud Poles this season. Greg Biffle (two), Kurt Busch (two), Denny Hamlin (two) and Ryan Newman (two) are the other multiple Bud Pole winners this season.
    • This is Burton’s second Bud Pole, but just his seventh top-10 start, in 26 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. He posted his career-first Bud Pole here in this race in 1996.
    • There have been nine different Bud Pole winners in the past 11 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan. Bobby Labonte (both 2003) is the only repeat Bud Pole winner in the 10-race period since August 2001. Qualifying was canceled in August 2004.
    • Elliott Sadler posted the second-quickest qualifying lap of 38.488 seconds, 187.071 mph – and will join Burton on the front row for the GFS Marketplace 400. Sadler posted his sixth top-10 start in 16 races at Michigan,
    • This is the 40th career Bud Pole for Richard Childress Racing. It is the fourth Bud Pole for RCR in 2006, which ties their career best set by Ricky Rudd in 1983 and Dale Earnhardt in 1990.
    • This is the eighth Bud Pole for Chevrolet in 2006. Dodge has 10 Bud Poles and Ford has four. Qualifying was canceled at Bristol.
    • Matt Kenseth (third) has started from the top-10 in just two of his 15 races at Michigan. He started fifth in August 2004 when qualifying was canceled. This is his first qualifying effort better than 13th.
    • Ryan Newman (fourth) has started from the top-10 in eight of his 11 races at Michigan, including five topfives. This is his 11th top-10 start in 2006 and his fifth straight.
    • Kevin Harvick (fifth) has posted just five top-10 starts in 12 races at Michigan.
    • Four drivers failed to qualify for the GFS Marketplace 400: Scott Wimmer, Mike Skinner, Chad Chaffin, and Kenny Wallace.
    Who's Hot Heading to Michigan
    • Jimmie Johnson has scored a top-15 finish in 19 of the 22 races in 2006, the most of all drivers.
    • Matt Kenseth has posted 11 top-five finishes in 2006 and ranks second in the point standings. After 22 races one year ago, he ranked 16th.
    • Jeff Burton has posted 16 straight top-15 finishes, a streak that began at Texas in April.
    • Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne have each won four races in 2006, the most of all drivers.
    • Kevin Harvick has scored six straight top-10 finishes.
    • Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to score 17 top-10 finishes in the first 22 races of 2006, four more than any other driver.
    • Denny Hamlin has scored top-15 finishes in 12 of the last 13 races. He has scored four straight top-10 finishes.
    • Kyle Busch has scored eight straight top-15 finishes.
    • Tony Stewart has scored three straight top-10 finishes.
    Michigan Nuggets
      Michigan Milestones
    • Ryan Newman is expected to make his 175th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Michigan International Speedway.
    • Brian Vickers is expected to make his 100th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Michigan International Speedway.
    • Scott Wimmer is expected to make his 100th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Michigan International Speedway.
      Starting Up Front is not Important at Michigan International Speedway
    • Three of the last four races at Michigan have been won from starting positions outside the top-10. However, five of the last eight have been won from a top-10 starting position. Kasey Kahne won the June Michigan race from the Bud Pole and became the 15th driver to do so. Kahne became the first driver to win from the Bud Pole at Michigan since Jeff Gordon in June 2001.
      Michigan Pole Winners
    • There have been eight different Bud Pole winners in the last 10 races at Michigan. Only Bobby Labonte (both races in 2003) repeated as the Bud Pole winner during the period. Qualifying was rained out in August 2004.
      Michigan Streaks
    • Jeff Gordon has posted five straight top-10 starts at Michigan, the longest current streak. Four of the five were front-row starts.
    • Kasey Kahne has started fourth or better in his last three races at Michigan.
    • Ryan Newman posted top-15 starts in his first nine races at Michigan. His streak ended with a 42nd-place start there in June.
      Recent Dominance at Michigan
    • Matt Kenseth leads all drivers scoring top-15 finishes in the last 12 straight races at Michigan, the longest current streak.
    • Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards have both scored top 10 finishes in each of the last four races at Michigan.
    • Ryan Newman has scored top-15 finishes in his last six races at Michigan.
      Owner Wins at Michigan International Speedway
    • The Wood Brothers have scored 11 wins at Michigan International Speedway, the most of any car owner. Their last Michigan victory was scored by Dale Jarrett in August 1991 when Jarrett scored his career-first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory, 30 Michigan races ago. The Wood Brothers were very strong in the early history of Michigan scoring nine of their 11 victories in the first 15 races held there: David Pearson (seven) and Cale Yarborough (two).
      Owners “Two-Step” at Michigan International Speedway
    • Roger Penske-owned cars won two consecutive races at Michigan in the fall of 2003 and spring of 2004 (both by Ryan Newman). Jack Roush Racing teams won the next two races (both by Greg Biffle). Evernham Motorsports-owned cars have won the last two races at Michigan (Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne).
      Leading The Way at Michigan International Speedway
    • Cale Yarborough led 1,308 laps in 36 races at Michigan, the most of all drivers. Bill Elliott led 1,004 in 54 races and ranks second in laps led there. Mark Martin ranks third among all drivers with 882 laps led in 41 races at Michigan - the most among active drivers.
      Would you Believe?
    • A Chevrolet has won only one of the last 15 races at Michigan. Ford scored seven wins during the last 15 races there while Dodge scored five and Pontiac had two.
      Michigan Standouts
    • Ricky Rudd had 58 career starts at Michigan International Speedway, more than any other driver.
    • Kyle Petty leads all full-time drivers with 50 starts at Michigan International Speedway.
    • David Pearson scored 10 Bud Poles at Michigan International Speedway, leading all drivers.
    • Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte lead all active drivers, each with four Bud Poles at Michigan.
    • David Pearson leads all drivers with nine victories at Michigan International Speedway.
    • Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin lead all active drivers each with four victories at Michigan International Speedway.
    • Cale Yarborough leads all drivers with 21 top-five finishes at Michigan International Speedway.
    • Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett lead all full time, active drivers each with 15 top-five finishes at Michigan.
    • Mark Martin has scored 26 top-10 finishes at Michigan, the most among full time, active drivers.
    • Brian Vickers leads all active drivers with an 8.2 starting average in five races at Michigan.
    • Carl Edwards has a 5.25 finishing average in his four races at Michigan, the best of all active drivers.
      Season Nuggets
    • Any driver leading the 11th-place driver by 571 points following Michigan is guaranteed a spot in the 2006 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.
    • Only one driver that ranked in the top-10 after Race No. 22 in 2005 failed to make the Chase. Jamie McMurray was ninth and finished 12th. He was overtaken by Matt Kenseth who ranked 16th at this point one year ago and finished seventh.
    • After 22 races in 2006, five drivers are within the 400-point window. One year ago there were also five drivers within the 400-point window.
    • In 2005 six of the top-14 drivers were separated by eight points or less with twelfth and 11th tied and 11th to 10th separated by just three points.
    • After 22 races in 2006, five of the top-10 drivers are separated by 30 points or less.
    • Fourth-place Jeff Burton is 207 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne.
    • Current point leader Jimmie Johnson has scored 17 top-10 finishes in 22 races in 2006. That is four more top-10 finishes than any other driver.
    • Kevin Harvick has outscored all drivers in the last 10 races earning 1,492 points. He outscored current point leader Jimmie Johnson (1,380) by 127 points during the 10-race period. Johnson ranks fifth in points earned in the last 10 races.
    • Denny Hamlin, currently eighth in points, ranks fourth in points (1,420) earned in the last 10 races.
    • Tony Stewart, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rank 13th, 14th and 15th respectively in points earned in the last 10 races.
    • All 22 victories in 2006 have been scored by drivers ranked in the top-13 in the point standings. Jeff Burton (fourth) and Mark Martin (sixth) remain the only two drivers yet to score a victory in 2006.
    • Tony Stewart (seventh) and Greg Biffle (13th) have each earned 95 lap leader bonus points, 55 more than point leader Jimmie Johnson who has 40.
    • NASCAR Rookie-of-the-Year contender Denny Hamlin has scored top-10 finishes in 10 of the 22 races in 2006 (45 percent). In fact, Hamlin has scored 13 top-10s in 29 career races - also 45 percent. Hamlin has scored top-10 finishes in the last four races and 12 top-15 finishes in the last 13. He has been the highest finishing rookie in 12 of the 22 races in 2006 (55 percent).
    • NASCAR Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contender Denny Hamlin has posted top-10 starts in the last six races, the longest current streak. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch each have posted four straight top-10 starts.
    • After winning only three races in all of 2005, Dodge has won five of the 22 races in 2006. Chevrolet has 14 victories while Ford has just three. One year ago Ford had nine victories at this point of the season.
    • Four of the top-six in driver points have been running at the finish in every race in 2006: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin.
    • Kevin Harvick has climbed from 10th to third in the point standings since Sonoma.
    • Tony Stewart has climbed from 11th to seventh in the point standings since Loudon.
    • Jeff Gordon has posted four DNFs. That is the most DNFs of any driver ranked in among the top 24.
    • At least one rookie has scored a top-15 finish in every race this season.
    • Fourteen of the top-25 drivers changed point positions at Watkins Glen.


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