NASCAR Michigan Sunday, August 2, 2020
NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Michigan Active Leaders:
Wins: 3 Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth & Joey Logano
Top 5 finishes: 14 Matt Kenseth
Top 10 finishes: 20 Matt Kenseth
Laps led: 700 Jimmie Johnson
Average start: 9.1 Ryan Blaney
Average finish: 7.6 Chase Elliott
Lead lap finishes: 34 Matt Kenseth
Poles: 4 Joey Logano
Most Michigan wins since repave: 3 Kyle Larson & Joey Logano
Most Michigan 2nd-place finishes since repave: 6 Kevin Harvick
Most Michigan top 3 finishes since repave: 8 Kevin Harvick
Most Michigan top 5 finishes since repave: 10 Kevin Harvick
Most Michigan top 10 finishes since repave: 12 Kevin Harvick & Joey Logano
Best Michigan average finish since repave: 7.1 Kevin Harvick
Michigan paved: 1968, ’77, ’86, ’95 & ‘11
Michigan 6/19: First race won from pole last season (Joey Logano)
Daniel Suarez & Martin Truex Jr. only drivers to finish top 5 each Michigan race in 2019
5 Finished top 10 each 2019 Michigan race – Bowman, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Suarez & Truex Jr.
2 Finished top 5 Michigan 6/19 Stage 1 & 2: Aric Almirola & Kurt Busch
2 Finished top 5 Michigan 8/19 Stage 1 & 2: Joey Logano & Martin Truex Jr.
Team Penske finished 9th or better Michigan 6/19 (170 Laps led) – Finished 17th or worse Michigan 8/19 (121 Laps led)
All 4 Stewart-Haas Racing drivers led Michigan 6/19 (18 Laps led)
1-Kurt Busch: 3 Michigan wins with 3 different car numbers, teams, cars & crew chiefs
*97-Roush 6/03 Jimmy Fennig (Ford), 2-Penske 8/07 Pat Tryson (Dodge) & 41-Stewart-Haas 6/15 Tony Gibson (Chevrolet)
1-Kurt Busch only driver to finish top 5 in Stage 1, 2 & race at Michigan 6/19
2-Brad Keselowski 6/19 on Michigan: “It would certainly be one of the biggest wins of my career. I try not to think too much about it because you just get some bad vibes going I think and you don’t just do your thing. It is certainly always on my mind.”
2-Brad Keselowski 2012 Champion – Winless in 21 Michigan races
2-Brad Keselowski led most laps last Michigan race (66) – Finished 19th
3-Austin Dillon: Michigan 6/19 Stage 1 winner – Finished 26th
3-Austin Dillon finished 13th at Michigan 8/19 – Qualified 7th, post-qualifying penalty, started 37th, lap 121 involved in crash
8/13/19: Penalized 10 driver, 10 team owner points, crew chief Danny Stockman fined $25,000
Michigan 8/9/19: Alternator not functional
4-Kevin Harvick Michigan 8/19 winner – 2nd win in 4 race stretch last season (Winless previous 19 races last season)
4-Kevin Harvick: 2 Wins last 3 Michigan races – 1 Win previous 35 Michigan races
4-Kevin Harvick: 2 Wins last 3 Michigan races – Finished 7th or better last 4 races (3 Top 2 finishes)
4-Kevin Harvick: 3 Michigan wins – Finished 2nd seven times
4-Kevin Harvick: 3 Michigan wins – Winless in Michigan June races
4-Kevin Harvick: 4 Straight Michigan races led – 194 Laps led
4-Kevin Harvick finished on lead lap 28 of last 29 Michigan races – Finished 1 lap down 6/15
6-Ryan Newman first top 10 finish: 5th – Michigan 6/10/01 (23-Years-old)
8-Tyler Reddick 2019 Michigan Xfinity Series winner
9-Chase Elliott finished 9th or better 7 of 8 Michigan races – 3 2nd-place finishes (2 to Kyle Larson & 1 to Joey Logano)
9-Chase Elliott finished 20th at Michigan 6/19 – ended streak of 5 straight top 5 finishes in previous 5 races last season
10-Aric Almirola finished 17th at Michigan 6/19 – started 2nd, finished top 5 in Stage 1 & 2, 1 lap led, avg. running position: 10th
11-Denny Hamlin: 2 Michigan wins (6/10 & 6/11) – Winless last 17 Michigan races
11-Denny Hamlin finished 2nd at Michigan 8/19 – 5th of 6 straight top 5 finishes last season
12-Ryan Blaney: 4 Michigan top 10 finishes – 3 Top 10 finishes last 4 Michigan races
Todd Gordon: 3 Michigan wins including first win (8/13) – Also won 6/16 & 6/19
14-Clint Bowyer: Failed to finish both Michigan races last season – Each due to crashes
18-Kyle Busch: 1 Michigan win (8/11) – Winless last 16 Michigan races
18-Kyle Busch: 6 Straight Michigan top 10 finishes (Longest current streak) – Finished 6th or better last 4 races
18-Kyle Busch: Michigan 8/19 Stage 2 winner – Finished 6th
19-Martin Truex Jr.: 2017 Champion – Winless in 28 Michigan races
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Michigan 8/19 Stage 1 winner – Finished 4th
19-Martin Truex Jr. only driver to finish top 5 in Stage 1, 2 & race at Michigan 8/19
19-Martin Truex Jr.: Finished 4th at Michigan 8/19 – Started rear of field (Inspection failure)
20-Erik Jones: Finished 31st at Michigan 6/19 – Joe Gibbs Racing teammates finished 11th or better
20-Erik Jones: Finished 18th at Michigan 8/19 – Joe Gibbs Racing teammates finished 6th or better
20-Erik Jones: Finished 18th at Michigan 8/19 – Finished 4th or better previous 4 races last season
21-Matt DiBenedetto:
Wood Brothers have 11 Michigan wins including first career win by Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett in 1991
22-Joey Logano 3 Michigan wins – All 3 from pole
22-Joey Logano: Michigan 8/13 winner – First win with Team Penske
22-Joey Logano: Michigan 6/19 winner – 2nd & final win last season (Winless final 21 races last season)
22-Joey Logano: 215 Michigan laps led last season – Most (143 more than 2nd-most Brad Keselowski)
22-Joey Logano: 163 Laps led winning Michigan 6/19 – Most laps led in a Michigan race
22-Joey Logano most laps led in a race last season: 163 – Michigan June
24-William Byron: 1 Top 10 finish in 4 Michigan races – Finished 8th (8/19)
37-Ryan Preece best finish in final 26 races last season: 7th – Michigan Aug.
38-John Hunter Nemechek best Michigan NTS finish: 3rd (2018) – Started on pole
41-Cole Custer best Michigan NXS finish: 3rd (2018)
43-Bubba Wallace: 2017 Michigan NASCAR Truck Series winner
48-Jimmie Johnson: Finished 34th at Michigan 8/19 – Hendrick Motorsports teammates finished top 10
48-Jimmie Johnson:
8/19/00: Jimmie Johnson asked advice from Jeff Gordon before Michigan Xfinity Series race
9/22/00: Hendrick signed Jimmie Johnson to race NASCAR Cup Series
88-Alex Bowman finished 10th in each Michigan race last season – only top 15 finishes in 9 Michigan races
95-Christopher Bell best Michigan NTS finish: 2nd (2017) – Bubba Wallace winner
96-Daniel Suarez: 4 Top 5 finishes last season – Finished top 5 each Michigan race & each Texas race
38 Different winners in 101 Michigan NASCAR Cup Series races
10 Different winners in 16 Michigan NASCAR Cup Series races since repave
2019 Michigan pit road speeding penalties – June: 1 / August: 2
First race won from pole last season: Michigan June (Joey Logano – 15th race of season)
Last to win a Michigan race & championship in same season: Jeff Gordon 2001
Stewart-Haas Racing won 3 of last 4 Michigan races
Michigan Stage 2 winner won only 1 of 6 races (Kevin Harvick 8/18)
Ford won last 4 Michigan races
Ford leads with 39 Michigan wins
Toyota winless last 8 Michigan races
8 Different car makes won Michigan
Last 3 Michigan winners started 3rd or better
Team Penske swept 2019 Michigan poles – Joey Logano June & Brad Keselowski August
22 of 101 Michigan races won from first starting position
12 Michigan win streaks (Consecutive wins) – Kevin Harvick won 8/19
2 Won first career race at Michigan – Dale Jarrett 8/91 & Kyle Larson 8/16
6 Michigan races settled by last lap pass
6 Michigan Overtime finishes – Leader at scheduled distance won 5
Drivers scored first win of season 20 times at Michigan
First win of season for 4 of last 9 Michigan June race winners
2 Michigan wins by Joey Logano were first wins of season (8/13 & 6/16)
20 To go leader failed to win last 3 Michigan races
Final Michigan green run 57 laps 8/18 & 48 laps 8/19
Dale Jarrett led final 148 laps at Michigan 6/99
6 Michigan races didn’t run full distance due to weather
3 Michigan rescheduled races
Only 1 won Michigan in first try – Cale Yarborough
Sterling Marlin & Ricky Rudd won first Michigan race in 33rd try – Most of all drivers
Fastest Michigan race: 173.997mph – Dale Jarrett (6/99)
No winner from Michigan
25 of last 57 Michigan races won by drivers starting outside top 10
0 of first 44 Michigan races won by drivers starting outside top 10
8/16/98 Michigan win by Jeff Gordon was 4th straight win (Pocono, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen & Michigan)
6/10/01 Hendrick Motorsports 100th win – Jeff Gordon
First NASCAR Cup Series restrictor plate race was run at Michigan 8/16/70
Oldest driver to win a NCS race was Harry Gant 52 Years, 219 Days (8/16/92 Michigan)
6/15/86 Michigan: Richard Petty 1000th career race