{"id":21169,"date":"2018-08-12T08:00:48","date_gmt":"2018-08-12T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=21169"},"modified":"2018-08-12T08:30:05","modified_gmt":"2018-08-12T13:30:05","slug":"nascar-race-preview-consumers-energy-400-at-michigan-international-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/12\/nascar-race-preview-consumers-energy-400-at-michigan-international-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR race preview: Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Next Race: Consumers Energy 400<\/b><\/p>\n

The Place: Michigan International Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

The Date: Sunday, August 12<\/b><\/p>\n

The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET<\/b><\/p>\n

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio<\/b><\/p>\n

Distance: 400 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60),<\/b><\/p>\n

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/b><\/p>\n

Going For Two in a Row<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good time to be Chase Elliott. Not only did the popular 22-year-old star pick up his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen on Sunday, he is one of the top-ranked drivers at Michigan International Speedway, where the series moves this week for Sunday\u2019s Consumers Energy 400 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet, poses with the winner\u0092s decal on his car in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GoBowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2018 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elliott has five top-10 finishes in five starts and his average finish of 4.6 in this race is twice as good as the next driver \u2013 Erik Jones, whose average finish is 10.33 in three starts. Among those with more than five starts, veteran Matt Kenseth is tops with an 11.34 average finish.<\/p>\n

Elliott finished runner-up in his first three races at the Michigan two-miler and has completed every lap of each race he\u2019s run.<\/p>\n

A victory on Sunday would make him the first driver in 53 years to win his first two Cup races back-to-back on the schedule. Billy Wade was the last to do so in 1964 and NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett did it in 1959.<\/p>\n

Elliott has three consecutive top-10 finishes in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet heading into Michigan. <\/b><\/p>\n

Youth on a Roll<\/b><\/p>\n

Not only did Elliott, 22, win at The Glen, four other drivers aged 26 or younger finished in the top eight. Daniel Suarez, 26; Erik Jones, 22; and Kyle Larson, 25 finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. And 20-year old rookie William Byron was eighth. Ryan Blaney, 24, finished 11th<\/sup>. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the second consecutive week that NASCAR\u2019s young stars have crowded the top-10 in a race finishing order and may well signal that the youth movement, so often a hot topic in the preseason, is now beginning to find its stride.<\/p>\n

Suarez (runner-up), Alex Bowman, 25, (third) and Byron (sixth) all had top-10 finishes \u2013 all career best days – at Pocono two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Michigan is a good place for these drivers too. Larson has won three of the last four races and Elliott has three runner-up finishes in the last five races. Blaney led 15 laps at the June rain-shortened race in the Irish Hills and finished eighth.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Consmers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 10, 2018 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Big 3 Still Holding Strong<\/b><\/p>\n

For all the well-deserved props to Elliott for the win on Sunday at Watkins Glen, he still had to hold off two members of the \u201cBig 3\u201d for the victory. The race\u2019s defending winner Martin Truex Jr. finished runner-up, closely challenging Elliott throughout the final laps. And championship points leader Kyle Busch finished third. Even six-time race winner Kevin Harvick rallied to a 10th-place finish \u2013 as both Busch and Harvick had to rally late because of mid-race issues.<\/p>\n

Truex, the defending Monster Energy Series champion and a four-time race winner in 2018, is looking for his first career Michigan victory. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota was runner-up in this race last year \u2013 one of three second-place finishes he has at the track.<\/p>\n

Busch, a six-time 2018 winner, has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Michigan. His only career victory at the track came in this race in 2011. In the last 13 races, the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has led only 64 laps.<\/p>\n

Harvick is coming off a real near-miss at Michigan, having led a race best 49 laps in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the rain-shortened event in June \u2013 but he finished runner-up to his SHR teammate Clint Bowyer. Harvick now has four top-10 five finishes in the last six races there. His lone win came in this race in 2010 while he was still competing for Richard Childress Racing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson (Photo by Michael Reaves\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Larson Lurking<\/b><\/p>\n

Kyle Larson may well feel he\u2019s done everything BUT win in 2018. And with three of his five career wins coming at Michigan International Speedway, there may be no one more eager to get to the Irish Hills.<\/p>\n

Larson\u2019s streak of three wins was snapped in the rain-shortened race earlier this summer when he finished 28th. He has led 141 of his career total (150 laps) at Michigan in the last four races there.<\/p>\n

The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet has only one top-10 finish (a sixth-place at Watkins Glen) since a ninth place at Kentucky Speedway four weeks ago and he hasn\u2019t led a lap since his runner-up finish at Chicago, six races ago. Twice this year, he\u2019s started on the pole (at Dover and Sonoma) and twice he\u2019s led more than 100 laps but not gotten the trophy (200 at Bristol and 101 at Kansas).<\/p>\n

He has 12 top-10 and six top-five finishes in 22 races this season.<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Michigan2_MENCS_Larson_081018.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Haas 30 Years of the VF1 Ford, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 10, 2018 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jerry Markland\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Returning to the Scene of Triumph<\/b><\/p>\n

Clint Bowyer\u2019s victory in the rain-shortened Michigan race earlier this summer was his first ever at the track in 24 previous starts and his second victory on the season \u2013 putting him in rarefied company as a multi-time winner. He joins \u201cThe Big 3\u201d in that category this year – six-time winners Harvick and Busch and four-time winner Truex.<\/p>\n

Bowyer\u2019s victory \u2013 his first top-20 finish since 2015 at Michigan – started a three-race streak of top-10 finishes on the schedule for the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team. He was third at Sonoma then fifth at Chicago. The pit strategy used for his Michigan win (two tires on the final pit stop) certainly made the difference and it was a big boost for the whole organization. His SHR team finished 1-2-3 \u2013 the first sweep for a team since Roush-Fenway Racing in 2008 at Dover, Del.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we finished first with Kevin [Harvick] and Kurt [Busch] behind us, it was just awesome,\u2019\u2019 Bowyer still recalls fondly. \u201cWe got out and gave each other hugs. We were truly, genuinely happy for one another. That\u2019s what it takes. That\u2019s what it takes to push you to another level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking together, the communication, pushing each other each week. It\u2019s not just Kevin, Kurt, Aric (Almirola) and I. It\u2019s our teams, our crew chiefs, our pit crews, everybody who raises the bar for everybody involved. It\u2019s cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

And after back-to-back 11th-place finishes \u2013 at Pocono and Watkins Glen \u2013 Bowyer wants to close out the regular season in title-contention form.<\/p>\n

He has 10 top-10 finishes on the season and six top-fives, but crashed out in two of the last five races (at Daytona and at New Hampshire).<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Michigan2_MENCS_Bowyer_081018.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"

Brad Keselowski (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Change of Pace<\/b><\/p>\n

Former Monster Energy Series champion and Michigan native Brad Keselowski has long anticipated celebrating a win in the Michigan International Speedway victory circle. And uncharacteristically winless late in the regular season, this weekend would be a perfect place to score that first Cup win there.<\/p>\n

Keselowski has seven top-10 finishes in the last nine Michigan races. He won the pole position for this race last year and led a race-best 105 of the 202 laps but finished 17th.<\/p>\n

The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford has led at least a lap in three of the five races leading up to this week\u2019s Michigan stop, but he\u2019s had two DNFs in the last five races – three finishes of 32nd <\/span>or worse. His only top-15 in that span was a third at Kentucky Speedway four races ago. The previous top-10 was a sixth-place at Michigan eight races ago.<\/p>\n

Still, he remains well within the Playoff threshold in 10th-place. He has 11 top-10 finishes on the season and led 323 laps, but he has five DNFs \u2013 equal to a career-high total (2017).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jimmie Johnson (Photo courtesy of NASCAR and Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Closer and Closer<\/b><\/p>\n

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson didn\u2019t win Sunday, but he was the among the very first to congratulate his young teammate Chase Elliott on the win. The victory marked the 250th <\/span>for the championship Hendrick Motorsports organization and Johnson has contributed 83 of those wins.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d love to get 84 NOW. It\u2019s been a career-long 36-race winless streak for Johnson and the sport\u2019s best is ready to regain form. Judging by the past few weeks, it appears Johnson\u2019s No. 48 Chevrolet team is poised. In the last five races, Johnson has run 43 laps in either first or second place on track \u2013 that\u2019s more front-running laps than the previous 17 races combined.<\/p>\n

And Johnson shows up in Michigan having led the most laps (687) there of any active driver \u2013 nearly 200 more laps out front than anyone else in the field. His lone win came in 2014, but Johnson has more reason to feel optimistic. Of all drivers to win on two-mile tracks such as Michigan, Johnson\u2019s seven-victory total puts him in some esteemed company joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bill Elliott.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m beyond happy for Chase and proud of the effort and strides we have been making at Hendrick Motorsports \u2013 what a great win for this company,\u2019\u2019 Johnson said after the big weekend at Watkins Glen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to carrying that momentum with us to Michigan this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

William Byron (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Sunoco Rookie Race<\/b><\/p>\n

Last weekend was a big milestone for first-time winner Chase Elliott, but it was also an important day for Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender William Byron, whose eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen gave him his first back-to-back weeks of top-10 finishes. He was a career-high sixth place at Pocono two weeks ago.<\/p>\n

Byron returns to Michigan with a nice feather in his cap. He is the only driver to have run 100 percent of his laps among the top-15. He finished 13th <\/span>at the track in June and the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has a nice record at the two-miler.<\/p>\n

He was fourth in the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race here and runner-up last year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race.<\/p>\n

Bubba Wallace similarly arrives in Michigan feeling optimistic. He won the Camping World Truck Series race at the track last year and one of his two top-20 finishes (19th) in the last eight Monster Energy Series races came earlier this summer here as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Next Race: Consumers Energy 400 The Place: Michigan International Speedway The Date: Sunday, August 12 The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET TV: NBCSN, 1:30 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":21122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[645,219,16],"class_list":["post-21169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-consumers-energy-400","tag-michigan-international-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/357239.jpg?fit=2863%2C1909","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-5vr","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21169"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21173,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21169\/revisions\/21173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}