Despite being on older tires compared to most of the drivers around him, Kurt Busch held off the field on three late restarts to win his 17th career NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race on a Tuesday at Michigan International Speedway. Rain drenched the track on Sunday and Monday, which meant NASCAR’s finest would have to run on a Tuesday morning for the first time in almost twenty years. As the field finally drove off pit road today, fog still surrounded the area and it appeared another delay was imminent. NASCAR put out both the green flag and yellow flag on the start and attempted to use the wind from the field to dissipate the fog. After about ten laps with no change in the fog, NASCAR brought the field down pit road and the wait continued. Finally, the fog disappeared slightly and the race went green with 43 drivers turning speeds well over 200 miles per hour. The race started slow with a competition caution on lap 31, but the battling for the lead and the incidents quickly picked up. By the halfway point of the race, the lead was hotly contested with Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth exchanging the lead every couple of laps. By lap 108, Busch took the outright lead and began to run away as the race entered a long green flag run with two sets of pit stops under green. As the sixth caution ended the run on lap 176, strategy began to shape the race. Busch stayed out as drivers around him opted for two tires, hoping to grab the victory. However, he held strong on the next two restarts and looked to be in control with two laps to go. Just as he neared the white flag, Greg Biffle’s spin in turn 1 prompted a green-white-checkered to decide the winner. Busch jumped out quickly on that GWC and kept Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson behind him for his second win of the season. It was a dominating performance for the driver of Roger Penske’s Miller Lite Dodge, but the strategy call had the chance to keep him out of victory lane. Plus, the high speeds at the two-mile track, the tough handling conditions, and the completely green race track from all the rain made Busch’s win impressive. As this five stages of analysis displays, racing on a Tuesday in the Irish Hills of Michigan is unpredictable and fast.
Stage 1:
Driver of the Day: Kurt Busch Continues His Momentum in Dominating Performance
Following race 17 of the 2007 season at New Hampshire, it looked like Kurt Busch was completely out of the championship picture. He was over two hundred points behind the cut off position for making the Chase for the Nextel Cup title and he had yet to visit victory lane. Since then, Busch has been a completely different driver, especially in two of the last three races. At Pocono two weeks ago, he led 175 of the 200 laps and won, which broke a 51-race winless streak dating back to Bristol last year. Today at Michigan, he had a similar dominating performance. After starting fifteenth, Busch methodically worked his way through the field in the early runs of the race and looked like the fastest car on track. After the fourth caution on lap 88, Busch pitted with the rest of the field and was close to the leader of the race, Matt Kenseth. Kenseth held off Busch until the fifth caution on lap 94, but when the race restarted, the two began battling hard for the top spot. Busch passed the 2003 NNCS champion in turn 4 on lap 101 and looked to run away, but Kenseth did not give up. They exchanged the lead on lap 104 and again on lap 108, but Busch quickly ran away after lap 108. He maintained the lead through two sets of green flag pit stops until the sixth caution on lap 176 shook up strategy. Busch stayed out with Jeff Gordon, Dave Blaney, and Martin Truex Jr., but everyone else pitted for two fresh tires. When the race restarted, Busch stayed in front with old tires, but the seventh caution waved on lap 190 and set up another challenging restart with Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin closing. Again, Busch was strong on the restart and he looked to have the race won before the eighth caution set up a two lap dash to the checkered flag. Yet, the restart didn’t faze Busch and he cruised away from Truex Jr. for his 17th career NNCS win, his second win of the 2007 season, and a must needed victory for his Chase hopes. In the end, Busch led 92 of the 203 laps and showed that he will be a force to contend with when the Chase begins, if he maintains his spot in the twelve-driver field.
Stage 2:
Move of the Race: Truex Jr. Stays Out Late to Grab Second Place
2007 has been a breakout year for Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s Martin Truex Jr. The New Jersey driver visited victory lane at Dover for his first career Cup Series win earlier this year and he had eight Top 10’s entering today’s event. Plus, he began today’s race at Michigan in eleventh place on the Chase grid with hopes of battling for his first championship in only his second Cup season. Finally, in his first trip of the year to Michigan in June, the young driver finished second. Today looked to be a perfect opportunity to grab another win and build on his Chase position, but he started the day with a little trouble. An engine change on Saturday meant he would start at the back of the field, which is tough at a track like Michigan where green flag runs make it hard to move to the front. However, Truex Jr. was unaffected by starting in the back and he followed his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to the front rather quickly. By lap 70, he was positioned in the Top 10 and poised to keep gaining points in the championship fight. Yet, he seemed to be stuck at the back half of the Top 10 as green flag pit stops prevented him from advancing too many positions. Finally, when the sixth caution waved on lap 176, his crew chief, Kevin “Bono” Manion, made a bold move to gain some track position. While Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, and others pitted, Truex Jr. stayed on track with Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon, and Dave Blaney. He ended up fourth in line of the drivers that stayed out with fresh tires right behind him. However, Truex Jr. took off on restart and moved to second with intentions on passing Busch for the lead. Unfortunately, his momentum was stopped as the seventh caution waved, but he would have another chance on the restart. When the race did start back, he stayed close to the leader, but he seemed to be stuck in second with three to go. As the eighth and final caution waved with two to go, Truex Jr. would have his final shot on a GWC. Again, Busch was too strong on the restart and he kept Truex Jr. in second place at the finish. While a win would have been nice, Manion’s move turned out to be crucial for the second-place finish. Rather than finishing just inside the Top 10, Martin Truex Jr. grabbed another second-place finish at Michigan and maintained his security in the Chase field.
Stage 3:
Terrible Luck: Gordon Starts First, But Misses Late Strategy Call and Spins
Jeff Gordon’s day started in the lead, right where he always wants to be. The four-time Cup champion grabbed his 62nd career pole for today’s race and a series best sixth pole of the season. However, when the race officially went green after the green/yellow start, Gordon began to drop back as Greg Biffle took the lead. When the competition caution waved about twenty laps later, Steve Letarte, his crew chief who was making his return after a six-race suspension, decided to make a strategy call. Gordon was the only driver to take two tires on the first stop of the day and with his first stall on pit road, he won the race off and took the lead. While Robby Gordon stayed out and held the lead on the restart, the other Gordon quickly took the lead and the strategy call looked to be going good. However, the two-tire gamble made Gordon’s car tight and his teammate, Jimmie Johnson, took the lead on lap 49 as Gordon began dropping back. He was the first driver to pit under green on lap 66 and when the stops cycled through, he was at the same spot at the back half of the Top 10. When the fourth caution of the day came out on lap 88, Gordon’s luck turned around as he gained several spots on pit road. When the race went back green, it didn’t take him long to begin racing in the Top 5. Yet, more bad luck struck the polesitter near the end of the race’s long green flag run as a piece of the aerodynamic fin came untightened on the back window of his Chevrolet. NASCAR didn’t black flag him and his team was allowed to fix the issue during their green flag pit stop on lap 166. The team executed the fix quickly and he returned to the race without losing much time. When the sixth caution waved about ten laps later, Gordon was sitting in an excellent position. Letarte decided to keep him on track as the rest of the field pitted for four tires. Gordon restarted in second position and looked to be close to a win. Yet, the bad luck was not finished. Staying out made Gordon loose on the restart and as he dropped back, he could barely control his car. As Matt Kenseth looked to pass him for fifth on lap 190, Gordon broke loose and slid right in front of his fellow driver. Kenseth bumped him and Gordon’s Chevrolet went spinning across the frontstretch and into the wet grass. His car was stuck in the mud and he lost a lap as a tow truck returned him to the track. Finally, after fighting strategy all day, Gordon was off the lead lap and he ended up finishing 27th after high hopes of winning. Overall, the race was filled with terrible luck for the points leader, but he still sits in a comfortable position heading towards the Chase.
Stage 4:
Comeback of the Race: Labonte and Mears Come from One Lap Down to Top 15 Finishes
When Bobby Labonte and Casey Mears crossed the finish line in today’s race, it appeared the two drivers had just consistently worked all four hundred miles to grab Top 15 finishes. However, their races were hard fought battles to overcome falling a lap down and maintaining a slight chance of advancing to the Chase for the championship. Labonte started the day in fourth place while Mears started 29th, needing to make a lot of moves to get to the front. In the first run of the race, the 2000 NNCS champion dropped a few positions and the winner of this year’s Coca-Cola 600 moved towards the middle of the pack. However, the race went downhill for Mears after the competition caution. He began to drop positions on the leaderboard and he came down pit road for an unscheduled stop around lap 50. The ESPN broadcast didn’t point out the pit stop, but it can be assumed that Mears had a flat tire or loose wheel. Either way, he lost a lap and sat in 42nd position with all drivers on track, which put him at a huge disadvantage early. As the laps progressed, Mears stayed a lap down and he only gained a few positions as drivers crashed and fell out of the race with issues. By lap 150, he was in 30th as Bobby Labonte started to lose a lap. Labonte waited to pit on the third round of green flag pit stops around lap 170, which put him a lap down as the rest of the field gained time on fresh tires. Fortunately for Labonte, he received the lucky dog and ended up back on the lead lap when the sixth caution waved on lap 176. Meanwhile, Mears had made it back onto the lead lap and now both drivers looked to move up in the pack. In the final twenty-five laps of the race, both drivers battled hard with Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch for incredible finishes. As the checkered flag waved, Labonte grabbed the ninth-place position and Mears beat Earnhardt Jr. to the line in a photo finish for the eleventh spot. Both drivers fought with incredible tenacity and were rewarded with excellent Top 15’s. Plus, as Labonte and Mears sit close to making the Chase, they stayed within reach of the twelfth spot with only three races left before the ten-race championship battle begins.
Stage 5:
Underdog of the Race: Blaney Utilizes Strategy and Consistency to Finish Sixth
The 2007 season has been a struggle for Dave Blaney and his Bill Davis Racing team. The team decided to run Toyota’s this year as the manufacturer jumped into full-time competition for the first season in the NNCS. There have been growing pains for the organization with the new cars and engines. In the first 22 races, Blaney had seven DNF’s, two DNQ’s, and a 34th place points position heading into MIS. However, with his seventeenth place starting spot, the team looked to turn things around. On the start, he stayed in the seventeenth spot when it looked like his bad luck was continuing. Juan Pablo Montoya broke loose underneath him in turn 4 on lap 14 and began sliding up the track. Montoya slid up the track and the two drivers didn’t make contact, which allowed Blaney to continue undamaged. From there, Blaney advanced towards the Top 10 during the first two runs and stayed around the eleventh or twelfth position for most of the race. In fact, when the final scheduled stops of the race began around lap 164, he was still in the twelfth spot and his stop went smoothly, bringing him back to the track in thirteenth. As the sixth caution waved on lap 176, Blaney’s team was left with a decision to pit and look to maintain 12th or stay out and hope for a better finish. Tommy Baldwin Jr., his crew chief, decided to keep him on track under the caution and the strategy call put Blaney in third for the restart. Over the next three restarts, he managed to fight hard on old tires and when the checkered flag waved on today’s race, Blaney grabbed a sixth-place finish, which is his best of the season thus far. Overall, the BDR team was exceptionally consistent throughout the race and the late strategy call gave Blaney momentum heading into the conclusion of the 2007 season.
After almost a week spent at MIS, the Nextel Cup Series doesn’t get a break as teams head to Bristol Motor Speedway for a Saturday night short track battle. The speeds were blazing fast today in Michigan, but Bristol’s slow speeds and tight racing present a much different challenge for all the NNCS drivers. Tempers will flare, sheetmetal will bend, and drivers will crash as the entire field looks to grab a memorable win at Bristol. In addition to the obvious short track action, various storylines surround the annual August trip to BMS. With the race today being run on a Tuesday, all the teams will have little time to prepare for a Saturday night race and with only three races before the Chase, every driver needs their cars dialed in. After his win today, Kurt Busch heads to Bristol where he is a five-time winner, which bodes well for his momentum heading into the Chase. Martin Truex Jr. might be in the eleventh spot currently in the points standings, but he isn’t locked into the Chase and he needs excellent runs in the next three races. Dale Earnhardt Jr. currently sits outside the Chase grid in thirteenth, but he has a previous night win at Bristol and a desire to run for a title. Jeff Gordon might be the points leader, but he needs to rebound from a rough end to today’s race. While it will be a while before NASCAR runs on a Tuesday again, today’s race at Michigan was worth the wait and showed that weekday races are enjoyable. Hard racing and intense strategy culminated in a dominant victory for Kurt Busch and great finishes for several drivers who desperately needed them.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 1- NASCAR started the race under the green and yellow flag to help dissipate the fog surrounding the race track.
2nd Caution: Lap 14- Juan Pablo Montoya spun in turn 4 after breaking loose underneath Dave Blaney. Montoya continued after not hitting anything on track. Chad McCumbee also spun in turn 4 at the same time.
3rd Caution: Lap 31- NASCAR waved the competition caution due to rain the two previous days.
4th Caution: Lap 88- Mark Martin’s car began smoking heavily in turn 2 and NASCAR waved the caution to check for oil on the track.
5th Caution: Lap 94- Michael Waltrip spun in turn 2 after breaking loose underneath Bobby Labonte. Waltrip avoided hitting anything until Joe Nemechek slammed into his front end, which ended the race for both drivers.
6th Caution: Lap 176- Debris was spotted on the track.
7th Caution: Lap 190- Matt Kenseth bumped Jeff Gordon exiting turn 4 after Gordon went up the track on older tires. Gordon spun around on the frontstretch and ended up stuck in the infield grass due to the rain.
8th Caution: Lap 199- Greg Biffle spun in turn 1 after breaking loose underneath Kyle Busch. Biffle chased his car up the track and managed to avoid hitting the wall. He drove away after straightening out his car.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: None
4th Caution: Jeff Green
5th Caution: Johnny Sauter
6th Caution: Bobby Labonte
7th Caution: Ryan Newman
8th Caution: None
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kurt Busch
2nd: Martin Truex Jr.
3rd: Jimmie Johnson
4th: Matt Kenseth
5th: Denny Hamlin
Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Carl Edwards
10th: Tony Stewart
12th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
13th: Kyle Busch
15th: Kevin Harvick
27th: Jeff Gordon
31st: Kasey Kahne
35th: Bill Elliott
40th: Michael Waltrip
42nd: Mark Martin
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2007_3M_Performance_400/W
-Image:
http://www.chron.com/sports/article/MOTOR-SPORTS-Busch-makes-off-with-Michigan-win-1551020.php
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSN0y2yDbRU
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