NASCAR at Michigan 2015: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
NASCAR and its Sprint Cup hopefuls encounter the Quicken Loans 400 yet again Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
There, Jimmie Johnson will look to defend his triumph in the same event one year ago while fending off the rest of the field, as he sits first in wins but third in points.
Like the races before it on the schedule, the spectacle in Michigan features plenty of intriguing storylines, whether it's the leaderboard showdowns, Jeff Gordon's farewell, the shocking rise of Martin Truex Jr. or many more.
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Below, let's take a look at all of the race's pertinent details ahead of the opening gun.
Viewing Details
Where: Michigan International Speedway
When: Sunday, June 14, at 1 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
NASCAR at Michigan Lineup
| 1 | Kasey Kahne |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski |
| 4 | Carl Edwards |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney |
| 6 | Jeff Gordon |
| 7 | Austin Dillon |
| 8 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 9 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 10 | Kyle Busch |
| 11 | Joey Logano |
| 12 | Matt Kenseth |
| 13 | Denny Hamlin |
| 14 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 15 | Tony Stewart |
| 16 | Kyle Larson |
| 17 | Paul Menard |
| 18 | David Ragan |
| 19 | Danica Patrick |
| 20 | Trevor Bayne |
| 21 | Greg Biffle |
| 22 | Ty Dillon |
| 23 | Ryan Newman |
| 24 | Kurt Busch |
| 25 | Jamie McMurray |
| 26 | Aric Almirola |
| 27 | Casey Mears |
| 28 | Alex Bowman |
| 29 | Landon Cassill |
| 30 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 31 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 32 | Clint Bowyer |
| 33 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 34 | David Gilliland |
| 35 | Michael Annett |
| 36 | Justin Allgaier |
| 37 | Brett Moffitt |
| 38 | Jeb Burton |
| 39 | Josh Wise |
| 40 | Cole Whitt |
| 41 | J.J. Yeley |
| 42 | Mike Bliss |
| 43 | Matt DiBenedetto |
Sprint Cup Standings
| RK | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 481 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 559 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 520 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 480 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 465 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 441 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 415 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 379 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 379 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | 368 |
Drivers to Watch
Kevin Harvick
At some point, the defending Sprint Cup champ will get up and over the proverbial hump.
Kevin Harvick, second-place finisher in the last four races at Michigan International Speedway, seems the safest bet of all to put on another strong performance this weekend.
Not only does Harvick feature a strong track record at the track, he's the second-place finisher in four of his last five races and the runner-up in nine races this year dating back to the Daytona 500.
"It's a good and bad thing," Harvick told Mike Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press (via USA Today). "It's a good frustration, I guess, but is frustrating nevertheless."
The frustration may come to an end for Harvick on Sunday if he can manage to come up with the winning strategy down the stretch at a familiar track. He's still a major player on the leaderboard regardless, but at some point, he'll want to stop this odd good-bad trend with a victory.
Jimmie Johnson
Can Johnson once again buck trends and history to distance himself on the leaderboard?
Recall last year, when Johnson entered the same race a miserable 0-of-24 at Michigan International Speedway before seizing the checkered flag with 39 laps led to his name.
This time feels different, all right. He won the event last year, won two weeks ago in Dover and just posted a third-place finish at Pocono, giving him double-digit top-10 finishes in what is yet another dominant season.
Johnson does face a bit of scrutiny going into things, though, as his team received a warning from NASCAR, which Jared Turner of Fox Sports details:
"The teams of Johnson and Hornish, meanwhile, received their respective warnings for issues in pre-race inspection. Johnson, whose No. 48 car flunked pre-race inspection three times on Sunday morning, as already reported by FOXSports.com, will lose 15 minutes of practice time at Michigan, just as Patrick will.
"
What better way to bounce back, though, than to secure a second win at a track that gives Johnson plenty of problems?
Motivated and with the rest of the leaderboard on his tail, look for Johnson to come out hungry and aggressive Sunday.
Martin Truex Jr.
Few better stories exist in the sport at the moment than Truex, who stole the victory last week after leading 97 laps.
It was an outcome even Harvick couldn't complain about after the fact.
"I'm really happy for Martin. I know he went through a lot," Harvick said, per Turner's colleague, Jay Pennell. "And for him, and Sherry (Pollex, girlfriend). If you're going to lose to somebody today, that's a great person to lose to."
Truex now boasts 13 top-10 finishes this year and is right in the thick of things when it comes to the leaderboard. For Truex, a victim of a cheating scandal with Michael Waltrip Racing a few years back, he just wants to keep the good form alive, contend and maybe ink an extension with Furniture Row Racing in the process.
"To see what this team has accomplished so early this season has been amazing," Truex said. "For sure it's something I'd like to keep going for a long time," he told USA Today's Jeff Gluck.
There's no arguing Truex's elite form nor the feel-good story his ascension to the top continues to be as he sticks with the best of the best.
Sunday, Truex occupies the spotlight once again, and if recent performances are any sign, he'll shine.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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