Roush Stable Has Three of the Top-5 Speeds in Michigan's First Practice Session

Roush brigade looks pretty strong at Michigan (Getty)

Jack Roush has 11 wins as a car owner at his home track of Michigan International Speedway and watched as three of his four drivers finished speeds among the top five fastest in Friday’s first practice session. Matt Kenseth led the way with the fastest lap of 188.813 mph with Greg Biffle third (188.506) and David Ragan fifth (188.260).

The driver missing from the bunch, Carl Edwards, could only muster the 28th best lap at 186.495 mph. Edwards wasn’t able to get a satisfactory qualifying run during the entire 90 minute session despite being one of the Las Vegas favorites to win the race based on owning the track record for best average finish (6.2).

A Roush driver hasn’t won at Michigan since Edwards did it in 2008 -- a span of five races -- which is an eternity compared to the regular Ford domination over the entire history of the track. Three Toyota’s and two Chevy’s have won in those five races since.

Outside of the three Roush Ford’s in the top-five, five Chevy’s took the remaining positions within the top-eight with Ryan Newman (188.506) being the fastest among the guys in bow-ties. He was followed by 2009 Michigan winner Mark Martin (188.462), who had the fourth best lap, Paul Menard (187.990) in sixth, Jeff Gordon (187.926) and Jamie McMurray (187.842).

McMurray struggled in race and qualifying trim for the first 89 minutes, but on his last lap came up with the eighth best lap.

Most drivers spent the first portion of the session in qualifying trim and then went into race mode. Among the top-10 performers, only Martin and McMurray bettered their speeds in the second half of the session.

Brad Keselowski was the top Dodge performer in practice (187.745) and will be looking to get his third win of the year and first at his home state track to solidify his place in the Chase even more.

Denny Hamlin has won two of last three Michigan races and will be running a new Toyota Development Engine this week. He ended up with the 11th fastest speed of 187.607. He was the second fastest Toyota behind teammate Kyle Busch, who gained his top speed very late after running in the mid-20's for most of the session.

It's been 115 races since Earnhardt Jr. has won a race (Getty)

In addition to Edwards being a surprise, Jimmie Johnson raised some eyebrows with having only the 26th fastest lap. Johnson has never won at Michigan, one of only five tracks on the circuit he hasn't conquered, but his Hendrick teammates all fared much better with even Dale Earnhardt Jr having a better session than the No. 48 team. Earnhardt Jr. has gone 115 races since last winning a race and it came at Michigan in 2008.

The most impressive on the day was Matt Kenseth who comes in with all kinds of credentials that have many believing he will be the driver to beat Sunday. He has the second best average finish (9.5) on the track among all active drivers, two wins and he’s got his best chassis running this week.

The car he’s using last ran at the Brickyard where he finished fifth. Prior to that, Kenseth ran it in June’s Michigan race where he led three times until settling for runner-up. Before that, he won with it at Texas.

Michigan Practice 1 Speeds

Roush-Fenway Searching For First Brickyard Win in 18th Attempt

Carl Edwards was runner-up at the Brickyard in 2008 (Getty)

Carl Edwards
Team: No. 99 Scotts Ortho Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne
Chassis: RK-768 – Last ran at Kansas in June, finished fifth

Carl Edwards on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Indy is tough because you have to be able to turn in the center of the corners and that sounds very simple, but it’s very difficult because the corners are so sharp for such a high-speed race track. You have to have a really big engine because you slow down so much and then have these short chutes in between, so the FR9 should be a big help to us this year. I was second at Indy in 2008 and to be that close to victory and see the celebration going on makes you want it even more.”

Crew Chief Bob Osborne on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Indy is such a cool place to race with so much history. To win there and be among some of the greats who have kissed the bricks would be awesome. I think having the FR9 engine will certainly be a benefit at a place like Indy where horsepower is so important. We are taking the same car we raced at Kansas last month which was strong in its first outing there.”

FAST FACTS

* CARL EDWARDS enters Indy leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, seven markers ahead of second place. In 19 starts, Edwards has accumulated one win, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

* FOR THE RECORD…Edwards will make his seventh Cup start at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. In his previous starts, Edwards has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. His average start is 27.3 and his average finish is 10.5. Edwards captured his best start (ninth) and best finish (second) at the Brickyard in 2008.

* Edwards has completed 100 percent of his laps attempted in Cup competition at Indy, and has the fourth-best average finish among active drivers there.

* IN THE LOOP…According to NASCAR’s loop data acquired over the past six races at Indy, Edwards has turned 42 of the fastest laps in Cup competition. He has spent 487 laps in the top 15.

* ON THE TRACK…The No. 99 Scotts Ortho team will be bringing chassis RK-768 to Indy. This Ford previously raced atKansas in June where Edwards finished fifth.

* REWIND, INDY 2010… With 18 laps left, Edwards made a charge to the front. A few laps after the restart another caution came. The leaders stayed out and Edwards restarted 10th with 11 laps to go. In the closing laps he was able to pick up three more positions to finish the race in seventh place.

Biffle has finished fourth and third in the last two Brickyard races (Getty)

Greg Biffle
Team: No. 16 3M Ford Fusion

Biffle on Indy: “Just driving through the tunnel at Indy is incredible because you don’t really understand how big the place is until you see it in person. Indy is a fast, flat racetrack and it’s very important to be able to get into the corners well there. Having the Ford power under the hood will help us get down the straightaways which is also crucial for a fast lap at Indy. We’ve run well there in the past and even had a shot at winning it last year. I have high expectations for this weekend.”

Puccia on Indy: “Indy is obviously the fastest flat track that we go to and handling in the turns will be very important. Track position is huge so we’ll need a good qualifying effort but it is an impound race so that will affect our strategy as well. If we can start up front and stay in the clean air, I think we’ll have a good day. We’d all like to get the American Red Cross car to victory lane this week and help them bring awareness to the need for blood donations throughout the summertime.”

Indianapolis Notes
• Biffle is currently 15th in the Sprint Cup point standings following his 18th-place finish in New Hampshire. He is 47 points out of the 10th position with seven races remaining until the Chase.

• Biffle’s average finish at New Hampshire is 13,9 from an average starting position of 16.2.

• The No. 16 Ford will have a special American Red Cross Type O “Give Blood” paint scheme this weekend to remind race fans to donate blood throughout the summer months when donations tend to drop.

• Type O negative blood is always in high demand because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type, especially in emergency situations.

• Go to http://www.redcrossblood.org/ironheart to learn about Brian Boyle and his inspiring story about how American Red Cross blood donors helped save his life.

Matt Kenseth has been runner-up twice at the Brickyard (Getty)

Matt Kenseth
Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig
Chassis: Primary: RK-741 (last raced at Kentucky)

Kenseth on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“The history of Indy really makes you appreciate the fact that we race there with the Cup series. It’s one of the most difficult tracks that we go to in regards to passing, and it’s a fairly fast track with four tight 90-degree corners and basically one groove to race in. Indy is definitely one of the most difficult tracks to be able to pass and get the track position you want at. The one thing that stands out about Indy is when you’re coming down the frontstretch at 200 mph, with the stands on either side of the narrow track, and you’re looking straight ahead to that wall in Turn 1 since it’s a 90-degree corner. It’s a pretty intimidating view the first few times you race there.”

Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Indianapolis is one of the races that I’ve always wanted to win because of the history associated with motorsports at that track. We’re taking one of our best cars this weekend so I have high hopes that it will once again perform well. Matt runs really well at Indy and he’s had a lot of strong runs there. The thing that makes it difficult to win at Indy is that it’s difficult to pass there since the track is so narrow. We’ll spend practice time on both race trim and qualifying trim since track position is so important at a narrow track like Indy.”

FAST FACTS:
• Kenseth has four top five and six top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Kenseth has finished inside the top 10 in six of the last nine starts at IMS

• Kenseth posted his career best starting position (10th) at Indy in 2008

• Kenseth has an average starting position of 21.5 and an average finishing position of 15.1 at Indy

• Kenseth has finished second twice at Indianapolis (2003 and 2006)

• Kenseth has completed 1,586 of 1,761 career laps (90.1 percent) at Indy and led for a total of 28 laps

• This weekend at Indianapolis, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion

• Entering this weekend, Kenseth is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

SPECIAL HELMET:
Kenseth will race in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 with a new piece of equipment in his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion, a specially designed Crown Royal helmet created by an Indianapolis area adult consumer. Friday night Kenseth will unveil the Crown Royal helmet he’ll wear during the race with the help of ESPN 1070 The Fan. In addition to seeing their creation on Kenseth, the creator of the winning helmet design will receive passes to Sunday’s Brickyard 400, a behind-the-scenes look at the No. 17 Crown Royal team and a meet and greet with Kenseth.

David Ragan has an 18.5 average finish position in four Indy starts (Getty)

David Ragan
Team:No. 6 UPS/Hall of Fame Ned Jarrett Tribute Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Chassis: Primary: RK-777 Brand new chassis; Backup: RK-711 Last ran Darlington – finished 21st

Ragan on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Indy is one of the bigger races of the season, and a halfway point as we move into the final few races before the Chase, so there couldn’t be a better time to show off a cool paint scheme, like our blue car. It’s an honor to drive this UPS/Ned Jarrett Hall of Fame tribute car. I’m looking forward to seeing Ned and everyone at the race track this weekend. It’s fun to get the chance to give him appreciation for his Hall of Fame induction.”

Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
“Indy is one of the biggest races every year and we’ve built a brand new UPS Ford for it with a new paint scheme. The track has a unique configuration and that’s something we don’t race on very often. It’s awesome to have UPS honoring Ned Jarrett’s induction into the Hall of Fame on our car for this weekend. The Jarretts have been a great family for our sport.”

FAST FACTS
• Recent NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Ned Jarrett, will be featured on the No. 6 UPS Ford this weekend. UPS has transformed the look of David Ragan’s car to resemble the car design Jarrett drove during his 1965 championship season. For more information, visit: http://www.racing.ups.com/2011/06/upshof11/

• UPS employee, Gerald Goldman, will serve as an honorary member of the UPS team this weekend in Indy. Goldman has been a mechanic with UPS for 21 years and will have his name featured on the C-Post of David Ragan’s No. 6 UPS Ford.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Releases