Dustin Off The Next Race: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan

If there's one track that can provide fast action, great passing, and come down to who is best off the throttle, it's Michigan.

A wide surface, plenty of racing room and high speeds make this a very popular stop for NASCAR. Couple that with the fact that a lot of times, it comes down to strategy to win the race, and you have one of the most intense tracks on the circuit.

Of the last four races at Michigan, three of them came down to who could conserve enough fuel to make it to the finish.

The probability is high that it could come down to that again. The last driver to win at Michigan, Brian Vickers, is out for the season. This opens the door for someone else to cruise to victory.

Let's dust off my picks for Sunday's race at the 2-mile, D-shaped oval.

FAVORITES

Mark Martin

When the track is wide and fast, every driver is happy. It means that you can go where the car wants to and make it work.

But for Martin, he likes the fast and quick line around Michigan. The low groove is what helped him save just enough fuel to win this race last season.

It is the only line he runs, and often it means he falls back. However, in the end, it's the quickest way around Michigan.

I look for him to be really good at this track. It's one of his favorites, so GoDaddy's "grand-daddy" will have a heavy right foot.

Carl Edwards

For a team that has not seen victory lane in a while, much less an organization, Roush is coming into this race extremely confident.

I think the No. 99 has the best chance at winning here. The simple fact is that in 2007, this team was in the same spot. Coming off a winless streak through 2006, his team came to Michigan looking to snap that skid.

Plus, they wanted to finally shave their rig driver's beard. They accomplished both, and the next year went on to contend for the title.

Lightning may not strike twice in the same location when it comes to thunderstorms, but I think it can in NASCAR. The duck will be quacking come Sunday.

Greg Biffle

You cannot help but feel bad for Biffle at this race last year. He gets passed by Johnson with a few laps to go, but suddenly he runs out of fuel. Biffle then goes to the front and looks to have it in the bag.

Then, almost like teasing a kid with candy, Biffle could see the checkered flag but his fuel cell wouldn't get him there. On the backstretch, his car sputtered, he wiggled, but Martin went flying by. No fuel meant no way of finishing.

This track has been good to Biffle in the past, but it owe's him one now. Look for the No. 16 to go for all it's worth.

SLEEPERS

Jeff Gordon

What used to be a good track for Gordon hasn't been as kind in recent years. He finished runner-up last year both times, but of the last six races, he has finished in the top 10 only one other time.

He has two wins here, so everyone knows Gordon can get the job done. With the way some of the races have been lately, it's either feast or famine for the No. 24. What will this week bring?

He needs a good run to give him some needed momentum heading into the summer months. Maybe Michigan can give his team that much-needed boost.

Kasey Kahne

In a way, not only is the weight of Richard Petty Motorsports on the shoulders of Kahne this weekend, but so is Ford Motor Co. Ford has not won a race this season, but has seen victory lane.

It was Kahne who won the second Gatorade Duel in Daytona, the only time Ford took a checkered flag all season. With that being a non-points event, the win doesn't count in the record books.

He will be the guy that many will look to get Ford into victory lane, but he's got an uphill climb. He averages a 16th-place finish at this track, with only one win to his credit.

In the shadow of the Motor City, all eyes are on Ford specifically to do extremely well.

Can he handle the pressure? We will all find out.

TNT continues its "Summer Series" of racing as they have the broadcasting duties on Sunday starting at Noon ET with Countdown to Green.