| MICHIGAN
INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Sunday,
August 17, 2008 on ESPN
|
Top
10 Countdown to Race Weekend |
SPONSORED
BY: |
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| 10
– The number of drivers that led
during last year’s 3M Performance 400. Jeff
Gordon, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon, Jimmie Johnson,
Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt
Jr., Ward Burton and Ryan Newman all had the race
lead at some point throughout the event.
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| 9
– Kasey Kahne, driver of the No.
9 car for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, could be
the favorite to win the 3M Performance 400 presented
by Bondo. After finishing second in June, Kahne
now has five top-five finishes to his credit in
Sprint Cup races at MIS which include a victory
in the 3M Performance 400 in June of 2006. |
| 8
– Mark Martin has led eight races
in the Nationwide Series at MIS, the most of any
driver. During those eight races Martin has led
304 laps, which coincidentally is also the most
of any driver. The veteran has captured two Nationwide
Series wins here (8/93; 8/95) and in his nine starts
has finished in the top five every time except in
1997 and 1998 when he finished 11th and sixth, respectively. |
| 7
– Is the number of seconds by which
winner of last year’s CARFAX 250, Denny Hamlin,
was in front of second place winner Matt Kenseth.
Hamlin got into the wall in his Chevrolet during
practice on Friday only to turn around and crush
the competition the next day. Hamlin managed to
lead the final 40 laps and received his first career
victory at MIS. His margin of victory set a Nationwide
Series track record for the greatest margin of victory.
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|
6
– Will Jeff Gordon get No. 6? By
taking the pole for last year’s 3M Performance
400 at MIS, Jeff Gordon now ranks third all-time
in track history with five career pole awards. His
speed of 189.026 was the fastest at the track since
2005. Besides his five poles, Gordon has also won
two Cup races at the two-mile oval, including in
2001 when he last won the Sprint Cup championship. |
| 5
– Driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST
Chevrolet, Casey Mears, visited MIS this past July.
Mears is no stranger to success at the two-mile
Irish Hills oval. He has made 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series starts at MIS with his best finish of fourth
coming in June of 2007. Mears won his only ARCA
RE/MAX Series start at MIS in 2003 and also posted
four top-10 finishes in five career Nationwide Series
starts at the track. He placed 11th in the 3M Performance
400 last year. |
| 4
– If you don’t win the pole,
you may want to start fourth at MIS. Since NASCAR’s
top series began racing at MIS in 1969, 12 drivers
have won races starting from the fourth position.
The most recent winner from the fourth spot was
Ryan Newman in the June 2004 Sprint Cup event. Fifteen
drivers have won Cup races from the pole at MIS
since 1969. |
| 3
– This weekend will mark the third
Sprint Cup race sponsored by 3M at MIS. The Minnesota
based company will be the title sponsor for the
3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo on Sunday,
Aug. 17 and will also host the 3M Car Care Auto
Fair in the AAA Motorsports Fan Plaza. The company’s
sponsorship doesn’t end there, as 3M will
also sponsor two Roush Fenway Racing drivers: Greg
Biffle in its Sprint Cup race and Todd Kluever in
the CARFAX 250 Nationwide Series event on Saturday. |
| 2
– Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2
Miller Lite car, is the defending champion of the
3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo. His second
career MIS victory helped propel Busch into the
12-driver Chase for the Championship. |
| 1
– Could Dale Jr. finish first again
and win two in a row at MIS? He will get his chance
during the 3M Performance 400 presented by Bondo
on August 17. Junior won the LifeLock 400 Sprint
Cup Series race on Father’s Day snapping a
76-race winless streak. It was his first career
Cup victory at the Irish Hills track. |
| As
we count down the days, here are 10 facts, one for
each day, as the beginning of the MIS race season
quickly approaches.
|
| Source:
Michigan International Speedway |
Only
days remain until the 3M Performance 400 presented Bondo
race weekend at Michigan International Speedway.
Tickets
are available for the 3M Performance 400 presented by
Bondo NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Aug. 17,
along with the Saturday, Aug. 16 CARFAX 250 NASCAR Nationwide
Series race.
Fans
may purchase tickets by visiting MISpeedway.com, or by
calling the MIS Ticket Hotline at 800.354.1010. The MIS
Ticket Hotline is open from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.,
seven days a week.
As
we count down the days, here are 10 facts, one for each
day, as the beginning of the 3M Performance 400 presented
by Bondo weekend quickly approaches.
Return
to our
3M Performance 400 Race Coverage Index.
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