SPRINT CUP SERIES – QUICKEN LOANS 400, SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 1 P.M. EDT ON TNT
Johnson, Kenseth Battling For No. 1 Chase Seeding
The race for the No. 1 Chase seed definitely is on following Jimmie Johnson’s Pocono victory – the five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion’s third of the season. Johnson, who stretched his standings lead to 51 points, and Matt Kenseth each have won three races. Each victory is worth three bonus points when the standings are reset following the Sept. 7 event at Richmond International Raceway.
‘Five-Time’ Winless But No Pushover At Michigan
Consider Michigan an "almost" for points leader Jimmie Johnson. The track is one of five on which the Californian has yet to win. Johnson’s best finish, a second, came in the track’s second event of 2011. He finished fifth last June and led August’s race with seven laps remaining before the No. 48 Chevrolet was sidelined by engine failure. Johnson has led the most laps – 484 for 15.4% of laps run – at Michigan over the past eight seasons.
Stewart’s Express Speeding Toward Top-10 Ranking
Tony Stewart’s dramatic rise in the standings is proof that points and positions lost under the current system aren’t gone forever. Finishes of first, fourth and seventh have boosted the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion from 21st to 13th in the standings. Stewart’s top-10 deficit – 62 points after Darlington – is just 17 markers entering Sunday’s Michigan event. Stewart’s only Michigan victory came in June 2000.
Michigan Marks Junior’s Landmark Victory
Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 marks the anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dramatic victory that snapped a four-year winless streak. Junior was red-hot during the 2013 season’s early stages when he briefly was the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader. He cooled off in April and May, failing to post a top-five finish, but appears ready to rebound. Earnhardt scored a solid, third-place finish on Sunday to stand fourth in the standings.
Roush Enjoys Home-Court Advantage In Michigan
Roush Industries is located just east of Michigan International Speedway so it’s probably not coincidence that Roush Fenway Racing’s drivers have exceled at the two-mile facility. RFR has won 22 times at its "home" track – tops in all three NASCAR national series – including a record 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories. Greg Biffle won for the third time at Michigan last August and finished second at Pocono on Sunday. Two-time Michigan winner Carl Edwards remains second in series points.
Ford Could Upstage Manufacturer Leader With Victory
Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Manufacturer Standings by 17 points over rival Toyota. The leader’s Chevrolet SS also has won the most races – seven – in the debut season for NASCAR’s Gen-6 car. Ford may be third in manufacturer points but could celebrate a significant milestone with a Michigan victory in either the NASCAR Sprint Cup or NASCAR Nationwide event this weekend. The automaker’s next win will be No. 1,000 by a Ford Motor Company product – Ford, Lincoln or Mercury – in NASCAR national series competition.
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