NASCAR at Michigan 2015: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway, this time for the Pure Michigan 400 as the season marches toward the Chase.
One weekend ago, Joey Logano conquered The Glen to break a streak of near-misses and shake up the leaderboard as the season inches toward adding wins to the equation.
It's a wild time for NASCAR, to say the least. The top of the leaderboard can't be more cluttered, Jeff Gordon still needs a win, Kyle Busch has the look of a Chase qualifier and a bevy of names continue to hover at the cutoff line.
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Below, let's take a look at everything to know about Sunday's pivotal race.
Viewing Details
Where: Michigan International Speedway
When: Sunday, August 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 823 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 781 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 750 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 747 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 719 |
| 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 714 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 703 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 659 |
| 9 | Jamie McMurray | 635 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 631 |
NASCAR at Michigan Lineup
| 23 | JJ Yeley |
| 62 | Reed Sorenson |
| 98 | Timmy Hill |
| 33 | Travis Kvapil |
| 32 | Josh Wise |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 26 | Jeb Burton |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 43 | M. Crafton(i) / A. Almirola |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney(i) |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
Drivers to Watch
Joey Logano
Logano sits second in the standings when sorted by points and now makes things all the more convoluted thanks to his pair of wins, matching Series leader Kevin Harvick.
The Penske Racing driver led all of one lap last week at The Glen, but it turned out to be the most important of all. If Logano has his way, it will prove to be his proverbial getting-over-the-hump moment considering his string of close calls over the past few months.
Last time the Series took to Michigan, Logano posted a fifth-place finish while leading seven laps. Now he wants to reel in a victory for his team, as he told Mike Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press:
"Michigan has always been a great track for us. I won at Michigan a couple years ago and we want to do well for two reasons: The track is in Ford’s backyard and Michigan is home to Roger (Penske). They are two big incentives for us. We are going to go out there and push hard and really show what we’ve got.
"
It's not hard to imagine Logano in contention late at MIS, not after looking at his season-long form. With finishing struggles behind him, look for Logano to keep his strong form at a track he continues to find success at most years.
Kevin Harvick
Harvick came out of The Glen as one of the most disappointed drivers after running out of gas late and giving Logano the win.
Still, Harvick finished third despite the gaffe and remains in pretty comfortable position on the leaderboard when it comes to points.
Even he admitted the finish was just how things have been for him as of late, per FoxSports.com's Tom Jensen:
"I thought I had done a pretty good job of saving fuel. Really, I was just running as fast as I needed to protect the lead there. … We were in a position to have a win—two corners away—but that's just kind of how the middle of the season has gone."
Harvick's a known contender at MIS with one win and seven top-five performances in 29 starts. The thing is, he's going to need to add a few more wins before the Chase starts and points reset.
With this understanding going into an event at a familiar track, look for Harvick to be in contention late once again, fuel provided.
Jeff Gordon
Retirement isn't the key word around Gordon.
The honor goes to "win."
Gordon sits 12th in the standings when one sorts it by points, but the real focus centers on his inability to seize a checkered flag in what is his final season. He spoke with Brant James of the Detroit Free Press about where he and the team need to improve:
"We need to improve slightly performance-wise, but I think our performance is not bad. Right now it is the unknown. It is the concerns of freak things happening like what happened to us at Indy, what happened to us here. Those are things out of your control. We are all about the things you can control, and from that standpoint we are just trying to improve the performance of the car slightly.
"
The little things win races, something Gordon should know after issues have seen him place worse than 40th two of the last three races. Correctable issues, yes, but soon the conversation might switch to the No. 24 car even making the Chase.
Now for the good news—Gordon won this race one year ago and in the process set a NASCAR qualifying record for all tracks. He's comfortable at MIS, one of his fastest venues, so this weekend might be when he breaks through.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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