The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the 47th annual Pure Michigan 400. The race at the 2.0-mile oval marks stop 24 of 36 for the series in 2016. Matt Kenseth, who will pilot the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota on Sunday, enters the weekend as the defending race winner.
The entry list features 40 drivers going into the weekend. Some of these drivers include Alex Bowman, Michael McDowell, Jeffery Earnhardt, Reed Sorenson, Matt DiBenedetto, Michael Annett and Josh Wise. No drivers will go home as 40 appear on the official weekend entry list.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still sitting out of his No. 88 Chevrolet as they continue to diagnose his concussion symptoms. Earnhardt last raced on July 9 at Kentucky Speedway before experiencing the symptoms. In an update issued this week by Hendrick Motorsports – doctors have not cleared Earnhardt for competition this weekend at Michigan or next weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Alex Bowman will be back in the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend as Jeff Gordon had a prior commitment. Though it is expected for Gordon to be back next weekend when the series heads to Darlington Raceway for NASCAR’s throwback weekend.
“We know how hard Dale is working to get back,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports in a release. “He’s following what the doctors are saying, to the letter, and doing exactly what he needs to do. Everyone wants to see him in a race car, but his health is first and foremost. We’re behind him.”
Still no time table on when Dale Earnhardt Jr. could potentially come back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet.
Kevin Harvick scored his second win of the season last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick led the field for 128 of the 500 laps of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. His last win came on March 13 at Phoenix International Raceway.
“How you finish at Michigan depends on how your day is going. If you’re having a good day, it’s not really hard to tell your guys what you need and everyone is in a good mood,” said Harvick in a team release on what it takes to win at Michigan. “If you’re having a bad day, you can get behind at Michigan really fast. Usually, when you’re hooked up at Michigan, the leaders have clean air and move through traffic pretty well. But, if you’re in the middle of the pack, you find yourself getting behind and going a lap down pretty quickly. You’re going to end up with a green-flag pit stop and a whole bunch of green-flag laps. You just have to be going from the time the green flag drops and keep yourself in position at the end.”
Harvick holds nine top five and 14 top 10 finishes through 31 starts at Michigan. His one and only victory in the Irish Hills came in the fall of 2010. He started eighth on that particular day.
Joey Logano enters the weekend with momentum after taking his No. 22 Shell/Penzoil Ford to victory lane there back in June. Logano dominated the field by leading 138 of the 200 laps that made up the FireKeepers Casino 400 from the pole position.
The driver from the state of Connecticut holds one victory, nine top five and 15 top 10 finishes through 23 races in 2016. He goes into the weekend looking to get the Michigan sweep.
If he ends his day victorious – it will be his third win in 16 starts at the 2.0-mile oval. He holds four top five and 10 top 10 finishes through 15 races. His one and only DNF there came in 2012 while racing under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner.
The Pure Michigan 400 will take place Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. on NBCSN. The Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Channel 90 will have the radio coverage.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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