Biggest NASCAR Storylines to Watch Ahead of Sprint Cup Series at Michigan

Another week, another stroll through a field of storylines, and this time NASCAR heads to Michigan, home of the Motor City and all things automotive, for the Quicken Loans 400.

Martin Truex Jr. is the feel-good winner of last week’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400. The win validated how well he had been driving all season—a season with top 10s in all but one race.

He could have pointed into the Chase, but without that win, few would have taken him quite as seriously as they do now. Maybe it's not Kevin Harvick serious but serious nonetheless.

Last week saw a first-time winner in 2015. Will we see it again? There’s one guy who’s had enough success at Michigan to be a first-time winner this year.

Read ahead for this week’s Michigan-seasoned storylines.

Brad Keselowski Heads Home

Derik Hamilton/Associated Press

Brad Keselowski, a Michigan native, has 17 wins in the Sprint Cup but none at Michigan International Speedway, his home track.

He’s not devoid of success at Michigan (three top fives), but his average start (18.0) is one of his worst, and his average finish of 14.8 isn’t as flattering as on some of his other tracks.

To boot, the Team Penske Fords haven’t been quite as strong as they were in the first few races of the season. Joey Logano won that big first race of the year, and Keselowski won the fifth race of the season at Fontana. Since then they've been a footnote in the ongoing history of Chevy's dominance.

With eight top 10s and three top fives, Keselowski is having a quietly solid season. That could lead to his first career win at his home track.

Will Greg Biffle Become the 11th Winner in 2015?

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Greg Biffle is the current active leader in wins at Michigan with four. He’s been looking for speed all year and hasn’t found much, except a surprise second-place showing at Charlotte.  

He’s 18th in points with an average start of 18.9 and an average finish of 19.6. That’s going in the wrong direction, but Michigan, his most successful track, might be just what he needs to render his points position moot and lock his car into the Chase Grid.

Joe Rogers, writing for SportingNews.com, mentioned that Biffle’s driver rating of 107.1 is first among active drivers, and he ranks second with an 8.9 running position. He leads in fastest laps run with 311 and green flag speed (179.050).

If it doesn’t happen for Biffle at Michigan, he’ll be in a world of hurt trying to qualify for the Chase this year.

Martin Truex Jr. Is for Real

Derik Hamilton/Associated Press

It’s hard to supplant the tenured elite in NASCAR, but it appears Truex could do just that this year.

Truex, who drives for Furniture Row Racing, a one-car team, has 13 top 10s out of 14 races. He is second in overall points, has led the most laps for four straight weeks and has finally won a race.

He has the consistency, and now he found a way to close out a race for the first time since Sonoma in 2013.

George Winkler of NASCAR.com wrote:

"

There's no doubt it will be a challenge for Truex to compete with champions like Johnson, Harvick and Keselowski down the stretch. But there's something clicking with Truex and crew chief Cole Pearn. I think that relationship has rejuvenated Truex and was exactly what he needed at this point in his career.

"

Winkler also noted that Team Penske and Harvick synced up with rules packages and have ridden that wave throughout the season.

Truex doesn’t have the pedigree other drivers have, but he’s a legitimate contender this year.

Jimmie Johnson Looks to Defend His Title

Jimmie Johnson at long last earned his first career win at Michigan International Speedway in 2014. Unfortunately for him, at the time, it would be the last race he'd win until the Chase—that in a round where he had already been eliminated.

Johnson peaked far too early and went into a summer slump he never quite surfaced from.

If anything, 2015 has been a dominant return to past form. He already has four wins and heads to MIS as the defending champion.

Johnson said last year, after the race, in an Associated Press story (h/t ESPN.com), “About 200 yards before the finish line, I knew if the car exploded, I'd still slide across the finish line.”

The six-time Cup champ has little to race for (don’t tell Lowe’s) unless winning keeps another legitimate contender out of the Chase grid. If he can box out, say, Kyle Busch, that would be a bonus not to sit on his Chase-bound laurels.

Michael Waltrip Racing Shuffles Crew Chiefs

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Michael Waltrip Racing, in an act of competitive desperation, has switched crew chiefs among Clint Bowyer’s and Dave Ragan’s cars.

Brian Pattie, Bowyer’s now former crew chief, will head up Ragan’s No. 55 car, while Billy Scott will call the shots for Bowyer.

It’s a good idea since MWR hasn’t won a race since Brian Vickers won at Loudon in 2013. Bowyer, for all his charm, hasn’t won a race since 2012 when he won three.

Rob Kaufman, an MWR co-owner, said in Jeff Gluck’s USA Today story, “We just felt it was time to shake things up a bit to try and spark fresh ideas and more consistent results. There are 12 races left before the 2015 Chase field is set, and we plan to be a part of it."

Bowyer may be on the cusp of something positive. He won the second Sprint Showdown prior to the Sprint All-Star race and has three top 10s on the season. He’s 17th in the Cup standings, and maybe this shake-up in the pit box will be just what the No. 15 car needs to get extra points—and maybe a win—in 2015.