Engines will be roaring as the best stock car drivers in the world take to the Michigan International Speedway for this year’s Pure Michigan 400. Each driver will be pressured to take a win this late into the season to earn a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Will the top drivers hold on to their positions in the rankings? Well, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick sure have a vice-like grip on their respective positions. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch is making a late rally to earn a spot in the Chase. Read on as we take a look at the best racers heading to Michigan.
Major League Baseball teams are going full speed ahead in the race for a playoff Wild Card spot just as well. Check out our take on the Wild Card race in the American and National Leagues.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Pure Michigan 400 Preview
Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI
When: Sunday, August 16, 2:30 PM ET
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Jeff Gordon
[sc:Other240banner ]Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon still hasn’t won a race this season. And yet, he can still make the postseason sitting at 12th place with 620 points. The risk is still there that Gordon has one bad performance too many and misses the Chase with just four races remaining. Thus, a win is very important for him right now.
Gordon should be a hot pick for the upcoming Pure Michigan 400. He’s won three races in his career at Michigan International Speedway. Gordon has been fairly consistent at the track, finishing in the top 10 in 27 of his 41 starts at Michigan. Expect to find Gordon at the forefront of the race. After all, he knows how to win at Michigan being this year’s defending champion.
Kevin Harvick
A week ago it was Kyle Busch. This week, it was Kevin Harvick who missed out on winning a race after running out of gas. Harvick was sensational at Watkins Glen on Sunday starting fourth and having the lead for 29 laps, a race-high, only for him to finish third. Expect him and Stewart Haas Racing to become alert about any fuel issues this time around, especially with the race being in Michigan.
Harvick is one of the best if not the best drivers on high-speed intermediate tracks this year. He had the most dominant car at the Quicken Loans 400 in Michigan just this June, leading 63 laps while holding a 4.6 second lead. But a flat resulting from valve stem issues forced him to take a pit stop, and he eventually lost the race.
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch is the hottest driver in the Sprint Cup Series right now with four wins and a runner-up finish in his last seven races. He could’ve added a fifth win to his hot streak at Pocono a week ago, but he ran out of gas on the last lap after leading for 19. Busch eventually finished 21st in that race.
Being in the top 30 in points, Busch should be able to make the Chase by ensuring a decent finishing position in the last four races before the postseason. A big win would still be a boost to his Sprint Cup standing. Busch has a strong chance of adding another win at Michigan; he’s won three of the past five races on paved intermediate tracks. He could’ve added a fourth win from Pocono if not for the aforementioned fuel issue.
Sleeper
Clint Bowyer
It’s time to give Clint Bowyer some props. He’s been killing it on the track, ranking in the top eight in the past three races. Bowyer was even more impressive in his last two races; he started 19th at Pocono and 18th at Watkins Glen but finished eighth and sixth respectively. He placed 10th at Michigan for the Quicken Loans 400, showing that he knows a thing or two on how to succeed at the track. Expect Bowyer to finally breakthrough at the Pure Michigan 400 this coming Sunday.
Long Shot
Paul Menard
Paul Menard is an exceptional driver at Michigan. He has made four-straight top 10 finishes at the Michigan International Speedway with a fifth-place average finish and a 12.8 average running position. Menard didn’t have the smoothest of races at the Quicken Loans 400 in Michigan earlier this year, though. A rain caution had him stopping on pit road as he ran in the 30s for stretches in the race, but still finished eighth. He finished fourth in his three previous races at Michigan.
Complete Standings
| Place | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 823 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 781 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 750 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 747 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 719 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 714 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 703 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 659 |
| 9 | Jamie McMurray | 635 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 631 |
| 11 | Paul Menard | 622 |
| 12 | Jeff Gordon | 620 |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 613 |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | 612 |
| 15 | Carl Edwards | 589 |
| 16 | Aric Almirola | 562 |
| 17 | Kasey Kahne | 561 |
| 18 | Greg Biffle | 532 |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 517 |
| 20 | Casey Mears | 493 |
| 21 | Austin Dillon | 492 |
| 22 | Danica Patrick | 489 |
| 23 | AJ Allmendinger | 481 |
| 24 | David Ragan | 461 |
| 25 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 425 |
| 26 | Tony Stewart | 418 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 393 |
| 28 | Trevor Bayne | 392 |
| 29 | Justin Allgaier | 362 |
| 30 | Kyle Busch | 361 |
| 31 | Cole Whitt | 355 |
| 32 | David Gilliland | 342 |
| 33 | Brett Moffitt | 279 |
| 34 | Alex Bowman | 279 |
| 35 | Michael Annett | 261 |
| 36 | Matt DiBenedetto | 238 |
| 37 | Josh Wise | 186 |
| 38 | Michael McDowell | 148 |
| 39 | Jeb Burton | 125 |
| 40 | Alex Kennedy | 93 |
| 41 | Reed Sorenson | 41 |
| 42 | Bobby Labonte | 39 |
| 43 | Brian Vickers | 32 |
| 44 | Michael Waltrip | 26 |
| 45 | Mike Wallace | 8 |
| 46 | Eddie MacDonald | 7 |
| 47 | Will Kimmel | 6 |
| 48 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | 2 |
Writer’s Prediction
Menard finally breaks through as he wins his first race of the season in the Sprint Cup Series. Create a betting account now and punch your own ticket into big winnings in NASCAR.
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