Final Chicagoland Driver Ratings Follwing All Practice/Qualifying Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Geico 400
Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, September 18, 2011 - 11:16 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds      Practice 1   Practice 2   Qualified   Kansas*

 1. Jeff Gordon 9/1                 26th             6th            23rd          4th   
2006 winner; leads all drivers with an 8.6 average finish in 10 starts.
 2. Matt Kenseth 6/1               29th             3rd            1st            6th
Runner up in 2005 and 2007; using 10th-place Michigan chassis this week.
 3. Kurt Busch 8/1                  11th             19th           3rd            9th
Five top-10 finishes in 10 starts; using 10th-place New Hampshire car this week.
 4. Carl Edwards 7/1              19th             10th           5th            5th
Runner-up last season, 18.3 average finish; using brand new chassis this week.
 5. Jimmie Johnson 8/1          36th              8th           12th           7th
One of five tracks to have never won at; averages a 10th-place finish in nine starts.
 6. Kevin Harvick 15/1            28th              5th           30th          11th
Won the first two races ever held on track; using brand new chassis this week.
 7. Kyle Busch 8/1                   4th              44th            9th          12th
2008 winner, finished third in 2007; using brand new chassis this week.
 8. David Reutimann 30/1       1st              20th           29th          22nd  
2010 winner; had the best 10-consecutive lap average during the first practice session.
 9. Mark Martin 50/1                3rd             26th           25th          21st
2009 winner with 12.8 average finish in 10 starts; using eighth-place Brickyard car.
10. Brad Keselowski 8/1         13th            28th            6th           1st
Success at Kansas should translate well; using brand new chassis this week.

* Results from the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway on June 5, 2011. Kansas runs the most similar to Chicagoland among all the 1.5-mile tracks. 
     
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.



Geico 400 Starting Lineup     

Driver Notes & Quotes for Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway

Harvick will be racing a new car this week at Chicago (Getty)

KEVIN HARVICK ON CHICAGOLAND: “We struggled a little bit there (Chicagoland) last year, but we feel like we’ve done some things to hopefully head in the right direction. It’s a very fast race track. It’s really round, so you carry a lot of momentum through the corners. Hopefully we’ve got a good plan and can get (the Chase) started off on the right foot. I’m excited. I love change (kicking off the Chase at a new venue). I think we should change it up every year. Chicago is a great city. There’s a lot going on Chicago this weekend as we go there to start the Chase and I’m looking forward to it."

"It definitely helps (the win at Richmond with the team’s momentum going into the Chase). We had a little bit of a rough summer and we got a little bit off of our game. I think a lot of that came from winning so many races early. We were able to try so many things and a lot of them, well most all of them, didn’t work. We went back to what we know over the last couple of weeks and we’ve had top-five cars and to get the win at Richmond gives us a lot of momentum going into the next 10 weeks.”

HARVICK AT CHICAGOLAND: In 10 starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Harvick has earned two wins (2001 and 2002), five top-five and six top-10 finishes. He has an average starting position of 16.1 and his average finish at the 1.5-mile track is 11.2. Harvick has led a total of 282 laps at Chicagoland and has completed 99.4 percent (2,656 of 2,673) of the laps run in NSCS competition at the track.

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 378 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. This is a brand new race car that will see its first on-track action at Chicagoland.

JEFF GORDON ON CHICAGOLAND: “I haven’t felt like this in a long time and I love the position we are in as a team. We led the most laps at Bristol, and we led the most laps and won at Atlanta. We definitely have momentum on our side. I don’t feel that anybody has shown more strength than we have in the past 10 races. We have some confidence right now, but we also know it’s going to be tough during the Chase. We have to step up our game and we know there are a few tracks we have to improve at. If we can do that, we have a great shot this year. I’m excited about starting the Chase in Chicago this year."

"This week, the Chase drivers are spread out all around the country going to different places to promote the Chase before we end up in Chicago for additional media opportunities. It’s a great track. It reminds me a lot of Kansas, and we ran really well there earlier this year. I’m excited about our chances at Chicago. The plan is to start off the Chase on a positive note. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and, with the support of DuPont, the gold ribbon – a worldwide symbol for childhood cancer – will be featured on the car. That ribbon serves as a symbol for those children battling cancer, and a sign of support for parents and caregivers. And a memorial for lives lost.”

Chicago is one of five tracks Johnson hasn't won on (Getty)

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON CHICAGOLAND: “Really excited for it (starting the Chase at Chicagoland Speedway). I think the Chicago area and the race track is going to be a great host for the start of the Chase. I’ve been close to victory there a few times. We’ve always run well and led laps there. Really want to win there for the fact that it is in the Chase and also for Chad (Knaus, crew chief). We’ve been able to win a lot at my home track. I owe him a couple there and I need to get him one before long. Momentum doesn’t hurt going into the Chase; but, we’ve been without momentum; we’ve had momentum. Another way to look at it is we’ve had momentum working against us and momentum working for us and we’ve been able to win either way. I’ve said all along, these final 10 races, it’s its own world. When everything re-racks and the point spread is so small between first and 12th, it changes things and it’s a whole new season. It’s a clean sheet of paper and off you go.”

JOHNSON AT CHICAGOLAND: Johnson has made nine Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway, where he has five top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Johnson has completed 98.1% (2360 of 2406) of competition laps at the 1.5-mile track and has led 326. Chicago is one of five tracks on which the Sprint Cup Series competes that Johnson hasn’t won. The others are Watkins Glen, Michigan, Homestead and Kentucky. He has an average start and finish of 7.8 and 10.

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Johnson will pilot chassis No. 681 in Sunday’s event. He last drove that car to a 19th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.
BACKUP CAR: Johnson finished second in backup chassis No. 650 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September.

RYAN NEWMAN ON CHICAGOLAND: “It exciting to be in the Chase, we worked hard all year to accomplish this goal. We were disappointed last year about not making the Chase (finished 13th in pre-Chase points) and during the offseason we evaluated where we went wrong and one area was the 1.5 to two-mile tracks. We’ve made a pretty good improvement at those tracks this year and five of the 10 Chase races will be at the mile-and-a-half tracks. What has me pumped is that we have an opportunity for our Soldiers to win a championship that they deserve. Consistency is needed to win the championship. My best guess is that it’s going to take a finishing average of at least seven or better in the final 10 races. We’ve been consistent as of late, but we need to step it up a few notches during the Chase. Avoiding mechanical issues and accidents to our Army Chevrolet are vital if we want to win the championship. Based on how we have performed lately I feel we have a legitimate shot at winning the championship. However, there are 11 other drivers and teams saying the same thing. In the end, it’s going to come down to the team making the fewest mistakes, along with being on the receiving end of a few good breaks. We all won a battle, but only one will win the war.”

TONY STEWART ON CHICAGOLAND: “I think I’ve always been good there (at Chicagoland). You look at the past and we’ve had some weird events. On Fridays I’ve had two events where I’ve crashed in practice. The first time Hermie Sadler blew a motor and before the caution came out I crashed in his oil and went to the hospital and I missed the rest of the day (2004). And then the very next year I blew a tire in practice and J.J. Yeley had to qualify for me (2005). It’s one of those places where as long as I get through Friday, I feel like we’ve got a shot at it. But I don’t watch the stats very much. You just take it week to week. Technology in this sport changes so fast. What was good the last time you were there doesn’t mean it’s going to be good the second time around. You constantly have to work. You’ve got to keep pushing the envelope. It’s a place I like. This place is really getting racy as far as finally being able to move around and change lines and run anywhere from the bottom to the top. It’s a fun track because of that.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. limps into 2011 Chase (Getty)

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON CHICAGOLAND: “I’m proud to be in the Chase. I feel like I’m a good enough driver to be in the Chase, my team is good enough to be there. As a group, I think we’re good enough to be in the top 10, and I can look back over the season and just easily think of several instances where we cost ourselves 10 or 15 points and made this situation difficult this weekend. Had we been more conscious and smarter at certain times we wouldn’t have had to even worry about it this weekend. But we’re a good team, and I’m proud to carry my sponsors and Hendrick Motorsports in the Chase and represent them in the Chase, and hopefully we’re going to work real hard, hopefully we do a good job.”

CLINT BOWYER ON CHICAGO: “Sometimes moving track dates around (to put Chicagoland on the schedule as a Chase race) is a good thing. Change isn’t always a bad thing. We can’t be afraid of change. I think it could be good. New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) has been kind of my go-to track to get things turned around. We’re still going there though next week and just because it’s not the first race, it doesn’t mean it’s not an important one."

"I can’t believe I would ever say this, but I might move one of the road courses to the Chase. It’s been, for whatever reason, some of the most exciting racing that we’ve had all season. The tough thing about that is, it’s a make or break you kind of track. There are a lot of things that could happen and a lot of craziness and wrecks that could happen. You either make up or lose a lot of ground. I don’t know. With so much that rides on the line with the Chase, it would certainly shake things up. I hope that we continue with a top-five run (at Chicagoland) or, better yet, a win. That would be big.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 371 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This is a brand new No. 33 Chevrolet Impala that will turn its first laps during opening practice on Friday.

Mark Martin won at Chicagaland in 2009 (Getty)

MARK MARTIN ON RACING AT CHICAGOLAND: “That was such an incredible night (2009 win at Chicagoland). A nearly perfect night. The restarts there at the end, with Jeff (Gordon) were intense. I had to take his groove away from him and pick the outside lane, even though I didn’t want to. It worked out for us, though. We were so good all weekend. It was Rick’s (Hendrick) birthday the following day too, so it was kind of an early birthday present for him. The momentum the (No.) 5 team had at that point was just incredible. One of the most fun nights I’ve had for sure. We’ve known for the past couple of races that it (making the Chase) was going to be a long shot, so it wasn’t a big surprise after Richmond (Va.) that we weren’t in. We’re concentrating solely on wins. That’s all that racing used to be about — the win. And I like that. I like thinking one race at a time and not searching for point scenarios. Hopefully we can all take a deep breath and get us a win or two before the season ends.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON RACING AT CHICAGOLAND: “Chicago is actually one of those places when you drive in you are like…“Where are we?” It’s very similar to Kansas. We should be pretty good there. We struggled in Chicago last year, we felt like we didn’t have the pace we needed. It’s going to be interesting. We have been working on the cars really hard and we are making a lot of changes. You can tell how our cars are a lot more competitive over the last few weeks. I’m excited about the way things have been turning around for us and I think our Target Chevrolet will be good.”

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman and the No. 42 team are bringing chassis #1105 to Chicagoland this weekend, marking the seventh race of the season for this chassis. Montoya previously ran this car at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

PAUL MENARD ON CHICAGO: “I think it’s good for Chicago. There are a lot of race fans in the area. We’ve run decent there. The intermediate tracks, the 1.5-mile tracks have been our strong suit, and that’s one of them. Chicagoland is a little bit quicker I think (than Kansas track). It has a little bit more banking. The backstretch is turned, or has a curve for some reason, but they are very similar. In looking at all the tracks, I think Kansas and Chicago are two of the most similar.”

MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 326 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition at Michigan International Speedway (August) where Menard started 11th and finished 26th. This racer also saw time at Bristol Motor Speedway (March) where he started fourth and finished fifth, The Sprint Showdown (May) where he started third and was running second when he was hit on the restart, relegating him to an 11th-place finish and at Michigan International Speedway in June, where Menard started ninth and finished fourth.

Burton has some great views on where Chase races should be

JEFF BURTON ON CHICAGOLAND: “It’s funny. Chicago is one of those tracks where I almost have to go back and watch video to remember it because Chicago and Kansas, until I get there, I get them confused (laughs) and they are a little bit different. They came on board about the same time and they weren’t the tracks that I started racing on so I’ve got to go back and watch video to refresh myself. But it’s been a good race track and I really do like it. I think it’s a fun track."

"I think that we ought to have the most prestigious race tracks hosting the (Chase) races. So in my view, that’s Daytona, Darlington, Indianapolis, Charlotte; and then we can start getting into the debates. The Southern 500, I know that it being in that time of year would break tradition a little bit, but so what? It’s Darlington. So I think those things would be really cool. For that race track (Chicagoland), it’s certainly a positive (to be the first race in the Chase). There’s no question. That’s a big market. Think of how many companies do a lot of business in Chicago and how many companies are located in Chicago. I think it’s a good race track for us to be in, for the Chase. And we typically have really good crowds there and there seems to be a lot of excitement; so I’m excited about it.”

BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 355 primary from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for the 2011 season, this No. 31 racer was first put through its first competitive paces at Darlington Raceway in May. Burton was on his way to posting a top-10 finish until the engine on the Caterpillar Chevrolet expired with just fewer than 20 laps remaining and resulted in a disappointing 33rd-place finish. In addition, this yellow and black machine was run at Kansas in June where it finished 25th.

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON CHICAGOLAND: I’m really looking forward to going to Chicago. In addition to the racing, we have a lot of fun stuff going on in town. We will start the weekend by making a visit to McDonald’s World Headquarters on Thursday to meet with employees and fans. Then we are going to have a lot of fun racing in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland. We have had a lot of positive changes within our team over the last several weeks and I feel that things are headed in the right direction. We had a rough start to our season and have worked hard to catch up. Now that we are down to the last 10 races of the season maybe we can play the spoiler in one of the Chase races coming up and bring home a victory for our team. There would be no better place to do that than in McDonald’s hometown.”

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion has elected to bring chassis #1112 to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. This is the second race of 2011 for this chassis after it ran at Indianapolis in July, coming home with a fourth-place finish.

REGAN SMITH ON CHICAGOLAND: ‘The excitement and hoopla will be on the Chase drivers and that’s the way it should be. But that’s not going to make any difference about how we will approach the final 10 races. Our Furniture Row Racing team has made some great gains this year, but now is the time to step it up again and get primed and excited for the 2012 season. We all feel that we’re close to making another performance gain and the final 10 races, beginning with Chicagoland, are critical from our standpoint. Chase or no Chase, we’ll be fighting and working as hard as those 12 drivers competing for the Sprint Cup championship.”

Edwards should fare well at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland track

CARL EDWARDS ON RACING AT CHICAGOLAND: “There couldn’t be a better track to go to for the first race of the Chase than Chicago. Since it’s a day race this time hopefully it will be hot and slick, it will be a lot of fun and a tough race. It will be a lot like Atlanta was since it’s got some age to it. We’ve run really well on the 1.5-mile tracks so we should be really good.”

EDWARDS CREW CHIEF BOB OSBORNE ON CHICAGOLAND: “I’m looking forward to getting back to the 1.5-mile tracks like Chicago. Carl runs really well at those types of tracks so we are certainly hoping to have a strong finish for the Aflac team. Tracks like Chicago and Kansas seem like cookie cutter-type tracks but actually they all have their own unique characteristics, and running at Chicago always makes for some great racing. This should be a good track for us to kick of the 2011 Chase.”

CARL EDWARDS enters Chicago fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase point standings, nine points behind the leader. In 26 starts, Edwards has accumulated one win, 12 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

FOR THE RECORD…Edwards will make his seventh Cup start at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. In his previous starts, Edwards has two top-five and two top-10 finishes. His average start is 17.8 and his average finish is 18.3.

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 99 Aflac team will be bringing chassis RK-788 to Chicago. This is a brand new car.

Kenseth will be using his Michigan chassis this week (Getty)

MATT KENSETH ON CHICAGO: “I always look forward to racing at Chicagoland since it’s the closest track to my home state of Wisconsin. I’m feeling pretty good heading into Chicago this weekend. I feel like our performance so far this season has been good enough for us to be a contender in the Chase. With how fast our cars have been, combined with great pit stops, I feel like those factors combine to show that our performance is strong on the No. 17 team. I feel like we have everything we need to make a run at the Championship, but we’ve got to get the finishes and we’ve got to do the right things every week.Chicago’s been a pretty good track for us in the past and hopefully we can start off on the right foot.

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON CHICAGO: “Matt has a great performance record at 1.5-mile race tracks, so we’re hoping to have a great run at Chicago this weekend to start off the Chase. The car we’re bringing this weekend is the car we won Texas with and it’s really become one of our top cars we’ve relied on so far this season. We’re happy that we’ve made the Chase, but we need to continue our focus on doing the best we can each and every week in order to finish out the season strong and to be able to contend for the title. This weekend, we’re looking to start off the Chase with a strong run for our Crown Royal team in order to keep us up front in the point standings.”

FAST FACTS: Kenseth has an average starting position of 20.1 and an average finishing position of 11.4 at Chicagoland. Kenseth has finished second twice at Chicagoland (2005 and 2007). Kenseth has completed all but two of the 2,673 Cup laps he’s run at Chicagoland Speedway. Kenseth has led in six of his ten starts at Chicagoland for a total of 300 laps. Kenseth has two top-five and four top-10 finishes in ten races at Chicagoland, but is still searching for his first win at the 1.5-mile track

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-741 (Last run at Michigan).

DAVID RAGAN ON CHICAGO: “Chicago is a lot like Kansas and Texas, which are two tracks we ran great at this year. We are also coming off a good run at Richmond and will carry some of that momentum to Chicago this weekend. We feel like we can take some extra risks that the Chase teams can’t in these final 10 races. We should have a fast UPS Ford this weekend and we aren’t going to hold anything back going for the win.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-777 Last ran Michigan – finished 12th; Backup: RK-711 Last ran Darlington – finished 21st

Reutimann won at Chicago in 2010

DAVID RUETIMANN ON CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY: “We’ve kind of had the race at Chicagoland Speedway circled on our calendar since we left and it’s definitely one of our better racetracks, so we’re pretty ready to get there, get after it and see what happens. This race is going to be a little different now that it’s being run during the day instead of at night. With track temperatures being a little warmer, I’m expecting things to be a little more slick then we’ve seen during the night races. So I’m expecting that we’ll be sliding around a lot and we’ll have to work harder to make the car better – I think that’s the biggest thing.”

REUTIMANN ON HOW WILL DRIVERS RACE EACH OTHER NOW THAT THE CHASE HAS STARTED: “It’s hard to say. We all have the capability of misbehaving no matter what the circumstances are. It was definitely an eventful race that we had last weekend in Richmond and hopefully we don’t have as much of that at Chicago.”

KYLE BUSCH ON WHAT IT MEANS TO GET A GOOD START AT CHICAGO: “We’ve got to turn a corner here a little bit. Mile-and-a-half stuff, Chicago in particular, wasn’t great to us the past couple of years. I’m looking forward to Chicago with our Doublemint Camry this weekend. I like going there. Just running the Truck race and sitting out the Nationwide race and then we’ll be ready with the Cup race. I think we’ve got a great team and we’ve got a great leader with Dave Rogers (crew chief) and these guys are excited about it. They don’t get too high and they don’t get too low, so we just make sure we keep doing our job and working as hard as we can just digging in and paying attention to details and I think we’ll be alright.”

BUSCH ON WHETHER OR NOT HE'S THE DRIVER TO BEAT IN THE CHASE: “No. There are a lot of guys who have the car to beat. There are guys who are really tough. The 2 (Brad Keselowski) has been really consistent here the past little while. The 99 (Carl Edwards) has been consistent all year. The 48 (Johnson), the 24 (Jeff Gordon) seemed to have turned it up here the last few weeks and running strong at Bristol and last week at Atlanta. Certainly, I don’t think it’s anybody’s right now. It’s everybody’s game.”

BUSCH ON WHETHER HE'S EXCITED TO OPEN THE CHASE IN CHICAGO: “At Chicago, we ran really well there in ’08 and, unfortunately, ’09 and ’10 were kind of a struggle. But we are racing in the day there this year, which is different than the last several years. I like going to Chicago. It’s been a really good track for us in the Trucks and Nationwide Series and we’ve got to get our Cup stuff a little bit better there. We had a decent car at Kansas this year and Vegas and Charlotte – some of those places that are kind of the same as Chicago. With the Chase starting, we know that’s where it all begins. We know that building a good foundation certainly helps your chances in being able to go through the final 10 races. To me, it’s kind of like the beginning of the year. We always try to set out and start out really good and build that foundation to where we know we can run through the middle of the year and not have to worry about catching back up.”

BUSCH AT CHICAGOLAND: Busch has one win, two top-fives, two top-10s, and has led a total of 167 laps in six career Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland. His average Chicagoland finish is 13.5.

BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE: This is a brand new chassis that is slated to see action for the first time in Sunday’s Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON HIS CHASE CHANCES: “Well, I feel like a one-year old that got his first box of crayons, you know, just amazed and happy to have ‘em. It’s great. Everything is fresh, new and a lot of positive momentum. No matter what happens in the Chase, it’s still an honor to be in it.”

Kurt Busch happy about both Penske Dodges making Chase

KURT BUSCH ON HIS CHASE CHANCES: “We always get to answer questions that maybe we’re behind the eight-ball by only having two (Penske) Dodges out there but we put both of ‘em in the Chase. Both guys now have a shot at the championship so it’s been a great, solid season for us.”

BUSCH CREW CHIEF STEVE ADDINGTON ON THE CHASE: “It’s a pride thing. To get both Penske Dodges into this Chase is really huge for the organization, huge for Dodge. It’s huge for the guys that work back in that fab shop, work in that paint shop, and work in every little department we have. They take pride in working on these cars during the week. We get to come out here and work on ‘em. Everybody sees us, but they don’t see those guys putting in that effort back at the shop.”

KURT BUSCH - INSIDE THE CHASE NUMBERS
· Qualified for the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup – seeded seventh.
· Competing in the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the sixth time: 2004 – Champion, 2005 – 10th, 2007 – seventh, 2009 – fourth and 2010 – 10th
· Has competed in 68 Chase races since 2004, 50 of those have been in a Dodge.
· Career Chase stats: Two wins, three poles, 16 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes.
· Busch has recorded eight career wins at the 10 tracks hosting Chase races (Loudon – 3, Martinsville – 1, Homestead – 1. Texas – 1 and Charlotte – 1).

- FROM MANUFACTURER AND TEAM PR RELEASES

Driver Notes & Quotes for Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond

Kyle Busch will looking for fourth Richmond win this week (Getty)

KYLE BUSCH ON WHAT HE LIKES RACING ABOUT RICHMOND: “I enjoy going to Richmond. It’s been a fun place and a great place for me with results lately. For myself, the short track appeal to it — I think it relates to a lot of fans and relates to a lot of us drivers. It’s kind of where we come from — the Saturday night under the lights kind of local short track deal. Richmond is a tough little place though. You’ve got to have good brakes and have to get it slowed down, have to be able to roll the center really well and get the power down, especially off turn two as well as turn four. With the way the track kind of is laid out, it lends itself to some good racing. Being able to get a run off the top side when the top is good and keeping the momentum through the inside lane as well and not letting yourself get bogged down too much racing side-by-side with somebody.”

KYLE BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE: This chassis will make its third-ever start in Saturday night’s Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. No. 308 made its debut in June at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, where Busch started third and finished 12th. In its most recent start, Busch drove No. 308 to victory lane after starting first in July at the Inaugural Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

DENNY HAMLIN ON HAVING A BETTER TRACK TO RACE ON THIS WEEK THAN RICHMOND: “No, not really. It seems like here lately with giving so much information to our teammate, he’s (Kyle Busch) been the guy we’ve had to kind of harness lately at that track. Regardless of whether we win or whether we run top-five or whatever, we know we’re going to go there and we’re going to be competitive. We feel like we will be. We always look at the schedule and luckily for us some of our best race tracks are the three to four that lead into the Chase. That part of it has been good. The negative part is that it seems like the first three races of the Chase are typically our worst race tracks. It’s kind of a double-edged sword. We’re never short of momentum when it comes to the Chase. It’s just when we get to those first three races that has been our struggle.”

HAMLIN ON DOING WELL AT RICHMOND GIVING TEAM MOMENTUM HEADING INTO CHASE: “I think so. You look at the years where we won Richmond — the last two years that we’ve won Richmond leading into the Chase — it’s been a huge momentum boost for us. It’s like that win came just in a time for us when we thought that we didn’t know if we were going to be going into the Chase with good momentum or bad and we up and win that race and the next thing we know, we run well in the Chase from that point forward. I think that Richmond is very important in that aspect and I know it’s worked very well for us as far as being a springboard for running well in the Chase.”

Matt Kenseth will be using his New Hampshire car (Getty)

MATT KENSETH ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “Richmond has been a tricky place to hit that balance just right, where you can still get through the middle of the corner with reasonable enough speed, but have enough traction to get off the corner where you can drive up alongside of people to pass. Richmond’s about the right size. It’s three-quarters of a mile, so we still get going pretty fast, but it acts like a short track where you need a lot of brakes. The pavement is getting worn out and slick. Whenever you get a worn out track like Atlanta, Michigan or Phoenix used to be before they paved it, I think it just creates so much better racing. I just think that Richmond’s more fun to drive.”

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON RICHMOND AND CHASSIS SELECTION: “We are bringing a car we last raced at New Hampshire to Richmond this weekend and we’re working hard on our fleet of cars to make sure they’re the best they can be as we prepare for the Chase. I feel like our short track program has really improved even though we didn’t get the finish we deserved at Richmond back in the spring due to a late-race wreck we got caught up in. The challenge at Richmond is getting off the corner straight and we always work on providing rear grip without losing the front end in the middle of the turns.”

CARL EDWARDS ON RICHMOND: “Richmond is a fun race track. We ran fifth there in the first race this year so I feel like we’ve got a really good shot at going there and competing for a victory. It’ll be a purely fun race with no real stress because we’ve already made the Chase. It’s an opportunity to go there and have a good time and try to get a victory for Kellogg’s. We’ve clinched a spot in the Chase so we definitely don’t have to go in there with the stress we’ve had in the years past. That was one of our goals for the season and we’ve accomplished it. I’m really proud of my guys.”

EDWARDS CREW CHIEF BOB OSBOURNE ON RICHMOND: "Richmond is a challenge to get the set-up just right when we practice in the day and race at night, but we’ll work on it throughout the race to get it where it needs to be. We won the pole there and led 95 laps last fall so it’s certainly a track where we can run well. We’re taking the same car we ran there in May which should be good, so it will be up to us to keep up with the track as the sun sets and the temperature goes down.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: he No. 99 team will be bringing chassis RK-756 to Richmond this weekend. This was a brand new chassis at Richmond in May and has not raced since. The car will sport a Cheez-It paint scheme.

MARTIN TRUEX JR ON HIS CHASE BID: “This weekend is going to be unbelievable. NASCAR is looking like a real genius right now since they came up with the wild cards. There are 13 of us that have a shot at getting in. This is a cool deal. This NAPA team is so pumped. We’ve been running well and I feel like we are on the verge of breaking out and being a team that’s talked about week in and week out. Last time at Richmond, we had a super-fast NAPA Toyota. It was our race to win, until the mechanical issue. It was a heartbreaker and we’re ready to finish off the deal. We are going to Richmond to win — regardless of how the points end up. I feel we can win and hopefully the rest will fall in place for us.”

JOEY LOGANO ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “Obviously heading into Richmond we wanted to be in a better position for a Chase spot, but hey there’s still a chance. We will go out, work hard and try to put The Home Depot Toyota in victory lane. That’s all we can do. Richmond has been a pretty good track for me and the team has given me great cars in the past. When we were here in April, the race was nuts. We started out tight, got the car handling better and then it turned into a wreck-fest and fuel-mileage race. I know I was a victim in at least two wrecks, but the team worked hard and we managed to finish 11th.

“It will be an honor carrying the Celebration of Service logo over the next two months. I was only 11 years old when 9/11 happened, but it’s something no matter how old or young you are you don’t forget. One of the things that always catches me off guard when I meet military men and women is that most of them are my age. The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation found a great way to honor those who have fought for our country that need help and deserve it.”

LOGANO CHASSIS CHOICE: Zipadelli and the No. 20 Home Depot Team are bringing chassis #309 this weekend for the Wonderful Pistachios 400. Logano drove this chassis twice this season to an 11th-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June and to a 14th-place finish at Kentucky. The back-up chassis is #303 which raced in the first Michigan race this season and crossed the stripe in the 18th position.

Johnson got to meet the President, again, on Wednesday

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON RICHMOND: “I think when you get into the Chase, that’s important to do (focus on your own program). It’s also the most difficult thing to do because now it’s time to race for a championship. But I can’t say that in the five championships we’ve won, that we were really searching throughout the Chase to find new speed or to find anything. We knew going into the Chase that what we had was what we had. I think in ’05, chasing (Tony) Stewart, we were looking for speed; we experimented some during the regular season because we had a nice big margin and then we kind of got off track throughout the Chase. And you try not to complicate things once the Chase starts. So, staying the course and what got you there seems to be a successful road map to the championship.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI ON RICHMOND: “(Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) has shown a tremendous ability to make improvements to his setups from the first visit to a racetrack to the second. Our first trip to Richmond this year didn’t produce great results, but we were able to get in a good qualifying lap. But we’ve made drastic improvements to our cars and a lot of what we’ve learned should transition easily to Richmond. It’s one of my favorite places to race. Coming from the short tracks of Michigan and Ohio really helps me when we go to places like Richmond. The track has characteristics of several places where I cut my racing teeth. But what helped me out the most was the competition that raced up there. You had to learn to get tough or go home. I learned a lot of lessons on the short tracks back home that helped make me into the racecar driver I am today.”

KESELOWSKI ON CHASE: “I can’t say enough about everyone at Penske Racing who has helped us turn our program around this year. It’s not just the guys on the Miller Lite Dodge team. It’s the people in the motor department and the paint shop, the fabricators and the machinists that rarely get the recognition they deserve. All that hard work will now be rewarded with a spot in the Chase and a chance to run for a championship. In Miller Lite, we have one of the most recognized sponsors in the garage. They do a lot for the team, and also for me as a driver, but they also expect results. I’m proud of the fact that we were able to deliver a playoff spot in our first year together, with basically a brand new team. Our confidence is pretty high right now and I feel good about our chances.”

KESELOWSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-754 during Saturday’s Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

Jeff Gordon is entering Chase with some steam (Getty)

JEFF GORDON ON RICHMOND: “I cannot wait for this race. I really think our short-track program is strong right now, and we were so competitive here in the spring. I hated how that race ended for us (abruptly, after contact with another car sent him spinning hard into the inside wall). I hit it a ton. And I always seem to find the spots without the SAFER barrier. I think Richmond was one of the first tracks to install them, and they’ve always worked hard to make this track as safe as possible. It’s good to hear they have addressed that area and added the softer walls. I think this weekend offers us another great opportunity to earn the three bonus points for each win going into the Chase. Those points earned in September can be very valuable come November. With the new wildcard rule, it could get crazy on the track – and off the track with some of the pit calls and strategies. On the track, I’m sure I’ll be made aware of drivers that are in a ‘must-win’ situation. With pit calls, we may see some stretch fuel mileage or stay out for track position or only take right-side tires. Some may be in a ‘must-win’ situation, but we’re in a ‘want-to-win-really-really- bad’ situation.”

KEVIN HARVICK ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time racing at Phoenix and really from day one I’ve been successful on the flatter-type race tracks through the years. I think it’s just kind of how I was brought up. Richmond has been a very good race track for us as a team and it’s probably been our best track on paper. We’ve been fortunate to win there and we expect to be competitive and run up front. The track has become pretty worn out, and I think as a lot of us were used to that sealer being put on the race track through the years where every time you came back there it was a little different every time how the track would react. It has enough speed and it has enough room to move around and race. You just get that short track feel along with that intermediate feel with the speed to get all the race tracks in there and everybody just enjoys it.”

HARVICK AT RICHMOND: In 21 starts at Richmond International Raceway, Harvick has amassed one pole award (September 2005), one win (September 2006), five top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. His average starting position at RIR is 17.8 and he holds a 12th-place average finishing position. Harvick has completed 98.6 percent (8,286 of 8,403) of the laps run in NSCS competition at the track since 2001 and he’s led a total of 727 laps.

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) stable. The No. 29 team has utilized his car four times in 2011, earning a fourth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway (2/27), a win at Martinsville Speedway (4/3), a 12th-place finish in the season’s first race at Richmond (4/30) and a 21st-place effort at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (7/17).

New Hampshire success should transfer over

RYAN NEWMAN ON RICHMOND: “There’s no question it will be an emotional time for not only my team, but the entire NASCAR family.( In observance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Ryan Newman’s No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet will carry the 75 names of the U.S. Army personnel killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Newman’s Chevrolet will also carry an inscription “We Will Never Forget” and sport a specially-designed logo featuring the World Trade Center twin towers, Pentagon and the American Flag) .We all remember where we were and what we were doing when the news surfaced about the attacks. I know it will be etched in my memory forever. And, it should be that way for everyone. We want to win every race for the Army, but you can imagine how much more we’ll want to win the Richmond event. It would be a very special, touching moment if we could drive into victory lane carrying the names of those great Americans.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON RACING AT RICHMOND THIS WEEK: “I mean we are 26 ahead of Brad (Keselowski) I think. With all the start-and-parks and stuff it makes it a little bit easier on us but we should be able to go in there (Richmond) and make that happen. Seems like we can finish in the top-20 pretty good but that isn’t good enough and I am not happy about that and not satisfied. We have to figure out what it is that we need to do better. This track itself, I will say, is an anomaly. It’s not like the other 1.5 tracks and it’s worn out, rough and you can’t run….I don’t think, the same stuff. You have to run a little bit different stuff to get the car to work more mechanically than you do aero-wise. And we just didn’t do a good job of that I don’t think. I am not sure about the points and I still think we are relatively comfortable and doable. You know Brad has been running great and the 14 (Tony Stewart) is always stout so we will just try to go in there and run better, and do better and I am not really worried about it. I don’t have room to worry about it as bad as we have been running. We need to get our crap together and get to running good. Or it doesn’t matter where we are in the Chase and doesn’t matter if we are in or not.”

Stewart's teams have been excellent on these type of tracks

TONY STEWART ON RICHMOND: “You want to make sure your car is adjustable (in order to succeed at Richmond). We start the race at the end of the day, when it’s usually pretty hot but, as night comes, the track cools down and it changes quite a bit. Old pavement, new pavement – the same theory applies, and that’s not something you see at most of the races we go to. It’s pretty much isolated to just the night races. You’ve got to have adjustability because you know for a fact that the track isn’t going to stay the same all night long.”

STEWART CHASSIS CHOICE: This car made its debut in March 2010 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where it qualified fifth and finished 26th. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14-587 never turned a wheel on the racetrack. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it was tested at The Milwaukee Mile June 1 in preparation for its second career start in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, Chassis No. 14-587 earned a hard-fought second-place finish, for after starting 25th, it fell to 33rd after a lap 36 pit miscue on the team’s first stop. Two late-race cautions allowed Stewart to regain his lost track position, and with a savvy two-tire pit call, Stewart wheeled Chassis No. 14-587 to pass second-place Kurt Busch on the penultimate lap.

The car returned to New Hampshire for the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Championship, where in its third career start, it qualified third before leading three times for 100 laps. But while leading with less than two laps to go, it ran out of fuel. Stewart coasted around the 1.058-mile oval for the final circuit of the 300-lap race and finished 24th, the last driver on the lead lap. Clint Bowyer, who served as Stewart’s primary competition for much of the race, wound up with the victory. Chassis No. 14-587 revisited Martinsville for round six of the Chase, where it qualified sixth and rallied back from two pit-road miscues during the race, but a flat right-front tire with less than 10 laps remaining relegated it to a 24th-place finish.

With another new body, this car made its first start of 2011 and fifth overall at Phoenix International Raceway in February. It started 18th and led four times for 59 laps before an ill-timed caution period late in the race jettisoned solid pit strategy and left it with a seventh-place finish. Chassis No. 14-587’s second start of 2011 came at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway back in April, where it qualified 31st and rallied its way to a ninth-place finish. The car has sat idle since, but returns to Richmond for it seventh career start.

KURT BUSCH ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “The thing about racing at Richmond is that it seems like the best cars always come out on top. You have to come in there thinking that the yellow flag will prevail like it normally does and we’ll have some restarts at the end of the race. We usually have a period of long green-flag racing in the middle portion of the race, too. With that in mind, we hope to have our Shell-Pennzoil Dodge capable of running solid during that stretch and still be adjustable enough to be able to really get after it in a short sprint to the finish if it comes down to that and it usually does.

“Because we’re locked in, many might look at it as a ‘throwaway race’ because of the buffer we’ve built. We’re looking at it as an additional opportunity to try some things that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise. It’ll be nice to go into Saturday night’s race without having to be really conservative and worried about keeping up with where this driver is running or where that driver is running.”

Clint Bowyer is do-or-die this week at Richmond (Getty)

CLINT BOWYER ON RICHMOND: “I think that the most exciting thing about going to Richmond is that it’s the place that could either get you in the Chase or take you out of it. I’m looking forward to the challenge. That’s a fun situation to be in. It’s fun for fans to follow and that’s good for the sport. It’s just one of those tracks that we run well at and have a good package. It fits my driving style and we have good success there.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 365 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala, built new for 2011, has seen action earlier this season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July when Bowyer brought home a 17th-place finish after starting 12th.

DAVID RAGAN ON RICHMOND: “I like Saturday night racing more than anything else and Richmond is a race we have circled that we can win. It’s my favorite track and we are bringing a proven car, the one we raced there in the spring. I’d love to get a win Saturday night under the lights in our UPS Ford. We’ll try and qualify well and keep good track position throughout the race to be in the right position at the end.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-755 Last ran New Hampshire – finished 14th; Backup: RK-747 Last ran Martinsville – finished 8th

MARK MARTIN ON RICHMOND: “I don’t think there are too many drivers you’ll ask about Richmond that will say they don’t like it. It’s a favorite of everyone’s. Night racing is always fun for us; it takes us all back to our roots. And when you’re out there doing it on a track like Richmond that has a lot of passing and side-by-side racing, it’s even more fun. It’s definitely a track that race fans need to go and see in person. It’s always exciting.”

Menard can get in with a win (Getty)

PAUL MENARD ON RICHMOND: “Richmond is definitely a track that has been a challenge for us. We’re slow there for some reason. We qualify well but don’t race well. I’ve always run really well there in the Nationwide Series cars, but the (NASCAR Sprint) Cup cars are a different animal. We’re tested at (The) Milwaukee (Mile) a few weeks ago to work on some of the areas where we’ve struggled there. It’s a different race track than Richmond, but has similar characteristics. The wheel loads are similar, so played with some bump stops and different set ups. We were looking to take away anything that we could, and I think I’ll help us as we head there this weekend. There’s a lot of room going into turn one. You can run three wide fairly easily. The speeds are high. Richmond drives a lot like a speedway does. There’s a lot of racing room, but it’s a short track, the corners are still pretty tight. You need horsepower to get down the straightaways and, obviously, you need to turn.”

MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 342 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition on track at RIR in April where Menard started 10th and, after sustaining damage in a multi-car accident, was relegated to a 37th-place finish.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON RICHMOND: “We are definitely hoping for a better result this time around at Richmond. We had a good run going there in the spring and we got put into the wall, and that was the end of that. This year has been like that, where every time we run good something seems to happen, but when we run average, nothing happens.”

MONTOYA CHASE HOPES: Montoya (22nd in points) still has a chance to be in the 2011 “Chase” field. In order to clinch a spot, he not only needs to win the Wonderful Pistachios 400 on Saturday night, but also needs help from other drivers. Along with the win, Montoya has to finish seven spots ahead of Paul Menard (20th) and Marcos Ambrose (21st) AND have either Brad Keselowski (11th) or Denny Hamlin (12th) race their way into the top-10. If these things happen, Montoya would be the 12th and final driver in the “Chase for the Sprint Cup”.

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman and the No. 42 team are bringing chassis #1109 to Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This will be the third race of the 2011 season for this car. This chassis was used at Phoenix International Raceway in February and at Richmond in April, when Montoya started on the pole.

JEFF BURTON ON RICHMOND: “Richmond is certainly one of my favorites. I really hope we get the second groove working in at Richmond again. The last few races we haven’t had it, the groove has just been on the bottom. Richmond is cool because it’s multi-groove but we just haven’t had that the last few races. With the multiple grooves, Richmond is my favorite short-track, period. It’s big enough to have great races and it’s small enough to have great races. Our sport got into this ego thing with building big race tracks, when in fact the three-quarter to one-mile tracks put on the best racing. It’s a little confusing to me why we have all these big tracks when it’s short-track racing that everyone loves to watch. Things are progressing along (with new crew chief, Luke Lambert). Although we’d like to see it turn overnight, we didn’t expect it to. We don’t dig a hole that you can jump right out of and we dug a big enough hole that it’s going to be difficult to jump out of. I think we’ve seen some steady progress and had some good runs, not great runs, but still struggling to finish where we’ve run but that’s gotten better."

"So I think all in all, we’ve made some strides. We’re obviously not where we want to be yet but I feel like we’re going to get there for sure. It’s not a good feeling at all (heading to Richmond knowing he will not be in the Chase this year). We’ve been able to go there a number of years and know we had a spot in the Chase so we were able to just race. I can remember racing with Dale Jr. for the lead with like 50 laps to go and it was just like ‘let’s just go race’, there was no pressure and it was fun. The point thing comes with just so much pressure so it’s hard to have fun. But when you get to race and all you can do is improve your points position by winning the race it really takes the pressure off. Of course this year we have a lot of pressure on us because we’re running badly. People talk about the pressure and the stress of competing for a championship but heck, that’s easy, competing for 24th, is hard and that’s when the pressure gets turned up. It’s a completely different feel and not one that I enjoy but we are where we are in points and its reality. This is a race that we have to look at as an opportunity to turn it around in the right direction because Richmond has always been a good race for me. We have a string of good tracks coming up and need to take advantage of it.”

BURTON CHASSIS SELECTION: Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis No. 323 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Wonderful Pistachios 400.Built new during the 2010 season, this Caterpillar Chevrolet was run earlier this season at Richmond in April (started 25th, finished 16th) and Phoenix in February (started 25th, finished 26th).

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON RICHMOND: “I love racing at Richmond. This is such an exciting track to run. I always like running under the lights there on a Saturday night! This weekend will be extra special as we will run a special “Honoring our Heroes” paint scheme on our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet to honor the memory for the 10th anniversary of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Also to support The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. We will also have a chance to meet with some of the military members that have served our country. Hopefully we can have a good run and keep our Bass Pro Shops car up front with our patriotic paint scheme.

Jamie McMurray is using a proven chassis this week (Getty)

McMURRAY RICHMOND HISTORY: McMurray has 17 previous NSCS starts at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). He has three top-10 finishes in his starts and has completed 92.7% of the laps run (6,307 of 6,803) since his first race in 2003. McMurray’s best NSCS finish came in the 2009 Spring event when he finished seventh and his best start was eighth in the 2010 Spring NSCS visit to RIR. In the past 13 races at Richmond, McMurray has 678 green flag passes which ties him for fourth among Sprint Cup drivers and he has been running at the finish in 13 of his 17 career races.

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats team has elected to bring chassis #1007 to Richmond International Raceway this weekend. This chassis was used earlier this season at New Hampshire in July and Martinsville in April, when McMurray scored the pole and finished seventh. This car also ran in both races at Martinsville and Richmond during the 2010 season.

REGAN SMITH ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “The main reason I am looking forward to Richmond is that we have improved our short track program, but have missed out on some good finishes in Bristol and Martinsville. We had chances to score big at those two short tracks this year, but something seemed to happen near the end of the race. One of our goals this season was to get a top-10 finish at a short track. I feel we can accomplish that goal at Richmond in our Furniture Row Chevrolet. I like the Richmond track, always fun to race there. I also like the enthusiasm and atmosphere of the crowd. It’s a special place with a lot of tradition.”

Final Driver Ratings For IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
IRWIN Tools Night Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 4:46 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds     Practice 1   Practice 2   Qualified   Bristol 1*

 1. Carl Edwards 8/1               1st              1st              2nd           2nd    
Two-time winner with 12.5 average finish in 14 starts; using fifth-place Michigan car.      
 2. Kyle Busch 5/2                  20th            10th            23rd          1st
Five-time winner, including last four of five; using winning chassis from March race.
 3. Matt Kenseth 15/1             3rd              31st            3rd            4th
Two-time winner with 10.8 average in last 20 starts; using eighth-place Pocono chassis.
 4. Jimmie Johnson 5/1          26th             9th             13th           3rd
2010 winner with four top-10 finishes in last five starts; using same Bristol car from March.
 5. Mark Martin 30/1                2nd             19th            5th           12th  
Two-time winner with 13.1 average finish in 45 career starts; using runner-up Dover car.
 6. Jeff Gordon 12/1               10th             23rd            4th           14th
Five-time  winner, the last coming in 2002; leads active drivers with 2,440 laps led at Bristol.
 7. Ryan Newman 30/1            7th             39th            1st            10th
Only one top-five finish, but 10th or better in five of last six starts; using fifth-place Darlington car.
 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr 30/1       6th              29th           22nd          11th
2004 winner with 11.5 average finish in 22 starts; using runner-up Kansas chassis.
 9. Brad Keselowski 25/1         4th              5th              8th           18th
Had the fastest 10-consecutive average lap times in Practice 1; using Pocono chassis.
10. Kurt Busch 10/1                13th            12th            10th           7th
Five-time winner, the last coming in 2006; using runner-up Pocono chassis this week.

Note: Since Bristol was repaved in 2007, it gave the track multiple grooves making the half-mile track run similar to the one-mile Dover layout.

* Results from the first Bristol race of season held March 20, 2011.
            
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.



Bristol Starting Lineup

Driver Notes & Quotes for the Pure Michigan 400

Johnson's last top-5 at Michigan was in 2007 (Getty)

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON MICHIGAN BEING ONE OF FIVE TRACKS HE HASN'T WON AT: “I don’t know what it is about that track. We have been close several times. I think we ran out of gas leading a few times and fuel mileage has gotten us a few times too. It’s not for lack of trying though. It’s just one of those tracks where we haven’t capitalized. It’s certainly an important track for us to win at with it being Chevy’s back yard. It also would be great to get a win and give us a little more cushion going into the Chase with just a few races left.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Johnson will pilot chassis No. 669 in Sunday’s event. He last drove that car to a third-place finish at Kansas Speedway in July. Johnson finished 16th in backup chassis No. 623 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

KEVIN HARVICK ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “Michigan has been a great race track for us in the past. From the driver’s standpoint it’s a lot of fun to race on because the car slides around and you have the option to move all over the race track. I believe this will be the last race on that particular pavement, and while that’s never exciting to hear, we’re excited about that race and have got a lot of things that we are working on going into that particular race as a team. It should be a good weekend.”

“There are a lot of things just because the tires fall off a lot. You still have to carry a lot of speed, so you’ve got to have a good handling package along with a good engine package. It’s just kind of like everywhere else, you’ve got to have the whole package but Michigan gives you a lot of options as a driver because it is so wide and you can move around and make your car work in different spots.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 373 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This is a brand new race car that will see its first on-track action at Michigan this weekend.

Gordon has two Michigan wins, the last coming in 2001.

JEFF GORDON ON IMPORTANCE OF QUALIFYING: “Qualifying better is something this team – including me – has to do better. It’s possible to not qualify well and still win like we did in Phoenix, but it’s much easier to have a strong finish after starting at or near the front. There are so many advantages gained by doing so like a better pit stall pick, less traffic to work through and ‘cleaner’ air. I think the likelihood of getting collected in someone else’s wreck drops, as well. Improving our qualifying is definitely something we are focused on right now.”

ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “I love racing here because of the wide corners where you can run from the bottom to the top,” said Gordon, who is seventh in the point standings with two wins in 2011. This is a really fast track with a high average speed, and you are in the corners for a really long time each lap. Ideally, you want to be right on the edge of tight and loose in the corners. But even with all that room to run side-by-side down the straightaways and through the corners, qualifying well on Friday can make the race easier to manage on Sunday. This race is 400 miles, but it seems to go by quick.”

RYAN NEWMAN ON WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE A GOOD RUN AT MICHIGAN? “To have a good run at Michigan, there are definitely a couple of key things that you have to have. The first thing is speed. You have to have horsepower to get around this ultra-fast racetrack. I’m confident in that area because we have such strong horsepower from Hendrick under the hood of our No. 39 Chevrolet. The second key is handling. The handling of the racecar is crucial, especially in turns two and three. The car can’t get too tight off two or be too loose off three.”

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT MICHIGAN? “It’s a fun racetrack to drive and a fun racetrack to race because it’s a relatively easy track to get around. For a driver, it’s just a great racetrack. In fact, I normally tell people that anyone can drive Michigan. It is so wide that cars can race three- and four-wide there every lap. The track has long sweeping corners, which helps to promote some really good racing. From a driver’s standpoint, you get to draft and bump-draft on the straightaways. I just think it’s a track that is conducive to good racing. You know, you get to a place like Michigan, it’s so wide open that it’s like racing the racetrack is only 10% of it, racing the competition is 60% of it, and managing your tires is another 30% of it.”

NEWMAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 39-677 - This chassis was brand new for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway just three races ago. Newman qualified a disappointing 23rd in that race and fought being mired in traffic and dirty air for much of the afternoon. Track position proved to be incredibly vital. And while Newman’s car was fast and handling well, he found it difficult to pass other cars. A strategy call with less than 30 laps to go helped Newman score a top-15 finish. Newman opted to pit for three seconds of fuel while many teams opted to gamble. While those cars either ran out or were forced to drastically slow down to conserve fuel, Newman was able to run at full power, which led to the 12th-place finish. The Pure Michigan 400 will mark the second start this season for Chassis 39-677.

Junior's last win came at Michigan in 2008 (Getty)

DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON HIS STRATEGY FOR NEXT FOUR RACES: “I feel like I run good at the next four tracks we go to. I think I can go to those tracks and get the job done. You’ve got to race hard and race smart like you always do. I try to get to the end of the race with my race car intact, no matter what the situation is. I let Steve (Letarte, crew chief) handle the strategy.”

MARTIN TRUEX JR. ON MICHIGAN: “I am expecting another strong run at Michigan after how well we ran there in the spring. We ran quite a different setup last time compared to last year and really improved. Since then, we’ve learned a lot about our car and have made improvements to our 1.5- to two-mile program to apply this time. I don’t see why we cannot run better. We just need to run a clean race and get the result to show for it. What I like about Michigan is we can run anywhere from the apron to the fence. I love having several options like that. I look forward to seeing what all we can get accomplished this weekend.”

TONY STEWART ON WHERE MICHIGAN RANKS IN TERMS OF ALL THE 1.5- TO 2-MILE, D-SHAPED OVALS THAT ARE ON THE SPRINT CUP CIRCUIT? “It’s so wide and there are so many lines that you can run – that’s what makes Michigan fun for drivers. The drivers can really help themselves out if they don’t have a car that’s working right. You can literally race from the white line on the apron all the way to the wall. That’s the groove. You can move around on the racetrack and find a spot that helps your car do what you need it to do. You have to figure out how to gauge your momentum and know where you want to be on that racetrack when you enter those corners. Depending on how your car is driving, you can move around on the racetrack and help yourself. Michigan’s layout gives the drivers the flexibility to really make a difference in their car’s handling, and that’s what makes Michigan such a fun racetrack.”

Hamlin has won two of the last three races at Michigan (Getty)

DENNY HAMLIN ON TEAM OUTLOOK WITH FOUR RACES UNTIL THE CHASE: “We’ve got four races to get back to trying to be competitive and consistent during a full course of a race. Obviously, we have shown a lot of speed over the last few weeks, but just not the ability to finish as well as what we have run so we’ve got to continue to work on that to first of all be a part of the Chase, and then if we are, to be competitive in there.”

CLINT BOWYER ON HOW BIG OF A DEAL IS IT FROM A MANUFACTURER’S STANDPOINT TO WIN AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY? “It’s a huge deal. Anytime you can win close to any sponsor’s headquarters, it’s big. Its huge bragging rights for them and you know it means a great deal to everyone involved. It should mean a great deal to us as a race team too.”

“Well, fuel mileage is a big part of it, but first and foremost, you have to get there and get a handling on your race car. Once you do that, you can make long runs and figure out your fuel mileage. There are plenty of opportunities for green-flag pit stops so you know where you’re at fuel mileage-wise. Michigan is such a big race track. You go very fast there, but the corners are also so wide. The outside lines have opened up a little bit more. That’s just from the track wearing out and being able to carry that all momentum around the corner. There’s so much room that it doesn’t give you that sensation of speed that a Texas Motor Speedway would. It’s very easy to get into the corners. You just don’t realize how fast you’re going until you hit something. We’ve really struggled on the bigger race tracks since the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. We have to get better, but I’m learning. I feel like we’re going to have a lot better package when we go back to these tracks a second time.”

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: Clint Bowyer will pilot chassis No. 368 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevrolet Impala, built new for 2011, saw action last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Bowyer brought home a 13th-place finish after starting 26th.

Menard finished fourth in June at Michigan (Getty)

PAUL MENARD ON LEARNING SOME THINGS IN JUNE THAT WILL CARRY OVER TO THIS TIME? “I feel great about going back to Michigan. We had a good run there in June. I really think we can try and better that this time. Like any time we return to a track for a second race in a season, the track is inevitably going to be different. The weather is going to be different, too. We’ll have a good baseline, but we won’t know what we really have until we unload. We’ll have to figure out then what we have to adjust in order to accommodate the track and weather conditions.”

“We’re definitely looking forward to going back to Michigan. The (NASCAR Sprint Cup) series is so competitive that you can unload on Friday and think that you’re going to be really fast and not be. It’s very humbling.”

MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 326 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen in competition on track at Michigan International Speedway in June where Menard brought home a fourth-place result after starting from ninth. This car was also raced this year at Bristol Motor Speedway where the Eau Claire, Wis., native started fourth and finished fifth and during the non-points Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he started third and finished 11th.

CARL EDWARDS ON MICHIGAN: “MIS drives like a big dirt track. It’s a big, slick, wide race track. You slide the car all the way around the corners. I really like Michigan. It is fun, and our cars have been very good there. I feel like every time we go there we’ve got a chance to win. The last race I think we were leading when the caution came out at the end and we ended up fifth, but I felt like we could have won that one. I’m ready to go back. Our cars are better now than they were and that’ll be really cool.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 99 Aflac crew will be unloading chassis 765. Edwards last raced this car at Kentucky last month where he finished fifth. He also ran it at the Coke 600 in May at CMS.

MARK MARTIN ON MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY: “I really, really like running at Michigan, not just because it’s so fast, but it’s so wide. We can race all over the track. I’ve been lucky at Michigan, and I’ve been just plain good. I’ve gotten a lot of wins there. Last time we raced there, we were pretty good. We fought a loose-handling car, but Lance (McGrew, crew chief) and the guys made a lot of good adjustments, and we got up there in the top 10. I thought that was a big day for us and our intermediate program. We’ve got to build on what we learned in that race and try to do even better this time around.”

Montoya has averaged a 23rd-place finish in nine starts.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “I am looking forward to going back to Michigan, I can tell you that. At that place we either run really good or we can’t get out of our own way. It is one way or the other. I think last time we really struggled. Actually, we were pretty decent in practice. I think we had 10th to 12th-place car and we didn’t feel we were good enough."

MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman will bring chassis #1108 to Michigan this weekend. This is the second time that this chassis will be raced this year after running in the first race at Michigan in June when Montoya finished 30th after being caught up in an on-track incident.


JEFF BURTON ON MICHIGAN “I think we’ve had these conversations about Michigan for a long time. I can remember a lot of drivers that have dominated races there. It’s one of those tracks that’s relatively low on grip. Low grip and high speeds combined together allows for separations between cars in the field. I think it’s more that than anything. Although, I will say that Goodyear came with different tires last year and the racing was better. We go to other race tracks that feel much, much faster than Michigan and we’re not going as fast. It’s such a wide race track that you build the speed over a long period of time. It’s one of those places that you don’t feel like you’re going as fast as you really are.”

“I think Chevrolet is a worldwide company. I know they’re headquarters are in Detroit, but we have Chevy representation everywhere we go and they have dealers and customers at every race track that we go to. I don’t view that as a manufacturer’s backyard. I know that it is, but I don’t look at it that way.”

BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 348 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built brand new for the 2011 season, the lone event this No. 31 racer competed at was Auto Club Speedway in March where the veteran driver recorded a 15th-place result.

REGAN SMITH ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “Looking forward to Michigan, it’s another Farm American tribute race for our Furniture Row Racing team. We’re teaming with a St. Johns, Michigan agriculture company — Agro Culture Liquid Fertilizers to promote the importance of having a stable and robust agriculture industry along with bridging the communication gap between urban and renewal America. Michigan should be a good race for our Furniture Row Chevrolet. We qualified fifth in the MIS June race and were running in the top 12 at the end. But on the last lap we got clipped, resulting in a very disappointing finish (34th). This is the kind of track that we should be good at — it’s a matter of having a clean race.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Michigan, we were able to bring home a top-20 finish back in June so of course we hope to improve on that. This will probably come down to being a fuel-mileage race so we will have to be smart with our strategy and try and take advantage of some lucky breaks if we can catch them. “

McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 1 Bass Pro Shops ®/ Tracker Boats team will bring chassis #1102 to Michigan this weekend. This will be the sixth time that Chassis #1102 has been used this year, following Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway and both races at Pocono Raceway.

Keselowski excited about racing on home track this week.

KESELOWSKI ON RACING AT HIS HOME TRACK: “I always have a lot of fun when it’s time to head to Michigan. It’s one of those tracks that mean so much to me and my family. I remember going there watching my dad race back when I was a little kid and can remember coming through that tunnel amazed at how big this place was to me. It’s cool to go back home to race in front of family and friends. It’s in Dodge’s backyard and we certainly know how important of a race it is for them. I really want to win a Cup race at Michigan and I think we can do it this weekend.”

KESELWOSKI CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-753 during Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 19th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May after winning the pole position for the event.

Kyle Busch is using his Indy chassis this week (Getty)

KYLE BUSCH ON HIS TEAM'S PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR COMPARED TO 2008: “Certainly 2008 was a special year. I feel like we’re a lot better than we’ve ever been. Dave Rogers (crew chief) and Chris Gayle (team engineer) and Ron Denton (team engineer) and all of the guys on my team have done a tremendous job at being able to put together great cars on and off the race track. From back at the shop, stemming from the guys that work on it, to the guys that do everything here at the race track — the ‘A Team’ we call them. We feel like we’ve been better prepared this year and certainly we don’t have the tally of eight wins, but we’re a lot more consistent I feel like. From race to race, we’re a lot more consistent where before we’d have a bad race and not be able to rebound from it.”

“I’m looking forward to the Chase. I feel like we’re in a good position. Certainly we’d like to have a few more wins, but if we don’t get them before the Chase starts, hopefully we can get them throughout the Chase and get ourselves some of those extra three bonus points that come with winning throughout the final 10.”

KYLE BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis No. 315 - This chassis will make its second-ever start in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. In its first outing last month in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch started a distant 29th but still managed to bring home a respectable 10th-place finish.

DAVID RAGAN ON MICHIGAN: “I’m excited to be back at Jack’s home track since Michigan is a track that has been good to us in the past. I’m looking forward to a good run in our UPS Ford to get our season back on track. We are taking our Indy car, which sat on the pole and was strong all day, so hopefully we can repeat some of that success.”

RAGAN CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-777 Last ran Indianapolis – finished 23rd; Backup: RK-711 Last ran Darlington – finished 21st.

DAVID REUTIMANN ON HIS GOALS FOR MICHIGAN: “We had a fast car in June and almost (qualified second) put the Aaron’s Dream Machine on the pole. We have a really good qualifying package at Michigan and our big track program here at MWR is really strong. Plus, we have made huge strides since we were there in June so I’m confident we’ll have a shot at the pole again. Our goal every weekend is to win and that never changes, but a place like Michigan favors us a little bit more than normal.”

Kenseth is a two-time Michigan winner (Getty)

MATT KENSETH ON MICHIGAN: “Michigan is one of my favorite tracks throughout the season and I always look forward to going to Michigan since it’s the Midwest and close to my home state of Wisconsin. We had a really great race here in June starting third and finishing second, and our whole organization usually has a lot of success at Michigan. It’s really important to have a good-handling car at Michigan since it’s a big sweeping track with plenty of room to pass. If you can get your car to handle the right way, you can have a lot of fun racing there. Racing at Michigan is also significant because the area is the headquarters for Roush Industries and Ford Motor Company, so it’s always a big weekend for us at a place we consider one of our home tracks.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-741 (last raced at Indy).

GREG BIFFLE ON MICHIGAN: “I love Michigan. It is my favorite track on the circuit and I’m really looking forward to going there. I like Michigan because I’ve had success there with wins in the Sprint Cup Series and the Truck Series. I also like that you can race three and four wide at a down force track. As a driver, you have so many options. You can run the bottom, middle or top. It is a strategy race and fuel mileage often comes into play – sometimes in your favor and sometimes not. I just like the way the track is laid out and I think you see good racing there.”

BIFFLE'S LAST RACE AT MICHIGAN: Greg Biffle took the lead on lap 13 and was on track for a solid top-five finish throughout most of the race. He was running third when a round of green-flag pit stops began on lap 152. Crew chief Greg Erwin called him to the pits on lap 154 for four tires and fuel. An untimely caution came out four laps later before the cycle was complete and Biffle was the first car one lap down in the 18th position. Because he was the Lucky Dog, he got back on the lead lap but was only able to pick up three positions in the closing laps.

KURT BUSCH ON RACING AT MICHIGAN: “We’ll be doing everything we possibly can to put our Dodge Charger into the winner’s circle this weekend at M.I.S. and party down with all our great friends at Dodge. All the manufacturers are located fairly close to the speedway and they all really want to win the races there. We have such a great relationship with all the folks at Dodge and they are super supporters of Penske Racing. We’ve been so proud to take Dodge to Victory Lane in the Sonoma (Infineon Raceway) points race and in the big Bud Shootout and qualifying race wins we had down in Daytona. A win at Michigan on Sunday would be great for Dodge and super for Shell, Pennzoil and all our sponsors.”

“Michigan is one track where you always come in there planning on it to have fuel mileage involved in the equation. It’s always been a track where there aren’t many cautions and that works to push the fuel mileage aspect to the top of the list as far as strategy goes.”