Carl Edwards is a Michigan Man

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I picked Carl Edwards to win Sunday’s 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway, during our “picks” segment ON PIT ROW this week. That fact could start a sweeping “anyone but Carl” chorus from regular listeners of the show. But it shouldn’t.

As regular Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie contributor, and Catfishhow author, Matt Mercer said in a recent column that, MIS is The House of Roush. He’s right.

Three of Jack Roush’s drivers are in NASCAR’s top 12 in points and all three rank in the top five of NASCAR’s Loop Data for the Michigan two miler. Carl Edwards is number one, with a Driver Rating of 112.5.

In eight races at MIS, Edwards has one win, four top fives and seven top tens. Carl has an Ave Position of 7.4 and Ave Finish of 6.9 to go along with category leading numbers in Quality Passes, percent of Quality Passes, 1196 Laps in the Top 15 (89.6 percent) and Ave Points Gained.

The Roush-Fenway duo of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are third and fourth best in Driver Rating at 107.2 and 104.0. They are edged out by, who else, Jimmy Johnson at 108.2. Both Biffle and Kenseth are two-time winners at Michigan while Johnson is winless. Jimmy’s 6.1 Ave Mid Race Position is tops and so are his 106 Fastest Laps. The two Roushies have no category killing stats.

Rounding out the top five, and the only other driver with a DR above 100 is the winner of June’s MIS fuel economy run, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The top ten is filled out by Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. The best of their stats are the elder Busch’s 172 - for 12.9 percent - Laps Led.

When my partner Steve’s turn to choose came this week, being the cripple shooter that he is,he picked the guy who doesn’t show up in the Loop Data until 11th place but is otherwise killing everything that moves in Cup this year. That would be the red hot Kyle Busch. Kyle has only two top tens in his seven Michigan races. If that makes him a dark horse…well with his 2008 season so far, it doesn’t.

I’ll stick with Cousin Carl. My dark horse curse falls on another Roushketeer, David Ragan.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW