{"id":27630,"date":"2019-08-09T18:45:02","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T23:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=27630"},"modified":"2019-08-11T15:42:55","modified_gmt":"2019-08-11T20:42:55","slug":"nascar-friday-michigan-notebook-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/09\/nascar-friday-michigan-notebook-4\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Friday Michigan Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, poses for a picture with a fan during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 09, 2019 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joey Logano applauds use of traction compound at Michigan<\/b><\/p>\n

Given that Joey Logano is a three-time winner at Michigan International Speedway\u2014not to mention the winner of the June 2019 race at the 2.0-mile track\u2014you might think the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion would be in favor of keeping things status quo.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not the case when it comes to the application of PJ1 Traction compound. This weekend at Michigan, for the first time on an International Speedway Corporation track, PJ1 likely will play a role in widening the workable racing surface.<\/p>\n

And Logano is all for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been all good with the PJ1 pretty much anywhere we\u2019ve gone so far,\u201d Logano said on Friday at MIS, site of Sunday\u2019s Consumers Energy 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). \u201cI think it has (done) nothing but help and improve the racing and widen the race track out. Obviously, it\u2019s the first time for it here, and we were all in qualifying trim the first practice (Friday) and we didn\u2019t touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 09: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, walks to his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 09, 2019 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

No, the Cup drivers didn\u2019t go near the PJ1 in opening practice, because the traction compound was applied in the outside lanes. While it wasn\u2019t a factor in Friday\u2019s qualifying session, when the bottom lane was the quick way around the circuit, it will doubtless play a role on Sunday when 38 cars are looking for racing room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe PJ1 is something that we are all still learning about, and we are learning about how it works at each (track),\u201d Logano said. \u201cIt works different at Charlotte than it does at Michigan or Bristol or Kentucky\u2014the way it gets activated and wears out and how much grip it actually puts back into the race track.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are all things that we are trying to figure out, and as a sport we are trying to figure it out. I like the avenue we are going down and playing with.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/MENCS_MIS2_Logano_080919.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NO MORE KNOXVILLE NATIONALS FOR KYLE LARSON THIS YEAR<\/b><\/p>\n

Kyle Larson knew the score when he entered the Knoxville Nationals this year. A lackluster preliminary would end his chances for the one of the dirt titles he covets most.<\/p>\n

Besides, his day job with Chip Ganassi Racing is far too important. Larson is 14th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings with four races left in the regular season, and he\u2019s not locked into the Playoffs.<\/p>\n

So when Larson failed to advance to the feature at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on Wednesday, he knew the logistics for a Friday return just wouldn\u2019t work, given the 5:05 p.m. qualifying start time at Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always said that, if I didn\u2019t have a good prelim night, I wouldn\u2019t be able to go back,\u201d Larson said on Friday afternoon at MIS. \u201cIt\u2019s a bummer, but like I said, I already knew it going into it. I just needed to do better on Wednesday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nor will Larson try to race his way through multiple races on Saturday. Instead, he will return to Knoxville to cheer on the winged 410 sprint car he fields for driver Carson Macedo.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we wouldn\u2019t race on Saturday because, with me not racing tonight, I\u2019d have to start like last in the E-main, and it\u2019s pretty much impossible to transfer. I couldn\u2019t pass anybody the other night, so why would I be able to pass people tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who might question if Larson\u2019s racing in other series might hurt his Cup effort, he has a definitive answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, the way I view it, the more often I\u2019m racing, the better I\u2019m becoming,\u201d said Larson, who qualified 17th for Sunday\u2019s Consumers Energy 400 (3 p.m. ET on NVBSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

\u201cI would race every single day of the week if I could, and I believe it would help me.\u201d<\/p>\n

FOR BEN RHODES, THERE\u2019S ONLY ONE PATH TO TRUCK SERIES PLAYOFFS<\/b><\/p>\n

One shot.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not a line lifted from the movie \u201cDeer Hunter,\u201d not in this case.<\/p>\n

One shot is all that\u2019s left to ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes when it comes to qualifying for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Playoffs for the third straight season.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one race left in the regular season, Saturday\u2019s Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). In order to remain eligible for the series championship, Rhodes must win the event.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old from Louisville, Ky., isn\u2019t new to the pressure of a late run to make the Playoffs. In 2017, he edged Ryan Truex for the final spot on a tiebreaker. Last year, he qualified with a victory at Kentucky in the 12th race of the season.<\/p>\n

But Saturday\u2019s task is exponentially more difficult. Six drivers\u2014Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Brett Moffitt, Ross Chastain, Tyler Ankrum and Stewart Friesen\u2014already have clinched spots in the postseason with victories. Grant Enfinger will wrap up the regular-season points title and a Playoff spot when he takes the green flag at Michigan.<\/p>\n

That leaves one berth left for Rhodes, or anyone else. If there\u2019s no new winner other than Enfinger, two-time series champion Matt Crafton will make the Playoff field. And if Rhodes does win, he will dislodge Crafton, his ThorSport Racing teammate, from a chance to win a third title.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot to digest, but Rhodes is single-minded in his approach. And part of that is standing his ground against aggressive competitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d hate to sound like I\u2019m a bad guy in NASCAR, \u2018cause I\u2019m really not, but we\u2019ve just been pushed around so much,\u201d said Rhodes, who numbers boxing among his off-track hobbies. \u201cI was told as kid a kid that, if you\u2019re going to take stuff from people, you\u2019re going to be taking it your whole life.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re just standing up for myself and my team.\u201d<\/p>\n

And perhaps that will leave Rhodes as the last man standing when it comes to making the Playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Joey Logano applauds use of traction compound at Michigan Given that Joey Logano is a three-time winner at Michigan International Speedway\u2014not to mention the winner of the June 2019 race at the 2.0-mile track\u2014you might think the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion would be in favor of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":27639,"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_feature_clip_id":0,"_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":[219,16],"class_list":["post-27630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-michigan-international-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-7bE","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/MIS2_MENCS_Logano_080919.jpg?fit=4724%2C3149&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27630"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27657,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27630\/revisions\/27657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}