| N'Wide: Edwards tops Michigan P2 | Friday 8/15, 5:20 PM CT |
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Carl Edwards posted the fastest single lap of practice in Nationwide Happy Hour for the Carfax 250 with a speed of 182.094.
Our View: Greg Biffle was great in the middle of the day and Edwards is tops now – do you see a theme? If you need a hint, the first word is "Jack." Roushketeers should dominate on Saturday. |
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| Sauter goes home | Friday 8/15, 4:07 PM CT |
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With 44 cars entered for the 3M Performance 400 by Bondo, only one driver went home from Michigan early. Johnny Sauter failed to qualify the No. 08.
Our View: There were some anxious moments for Brad Coleman, however, and he was the man on the bubble before Sauter came out with two cars remaining. |
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| Vickers wins Michigan pole | Friday 8/15, 4:01 PM CT |
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Brian Vickers was fast in practice and he backed that up with a pole-winning run of 188.536 mph.
Our View: Even while he's struggled elsewhere, Vickers has been stout at Michigan with Red Bull Racing and he will be the best dark horse value of the race – hand's down. |
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| N'Wide: Biffle fastest in Michigan P1 | Friday 8/15, 2:33 PM CT |
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Greg Biffle posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session for the Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway with a speed of 179.154 mph.
Our View: The top 10 was dominated by Claim Jumpers and the race will be also. This is a great track for Roush-Fenway Racing and Biffle has had his share of their success. |
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| N'Wide: Richardson crashes at Michigan | Friday 8/15, 2:00 PM CT |
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Robert Richardson crashed in practice for the Carfax 250 at Michigan.
Our View: His damage was not nearly as extensive as Jeremy Clements, so this team will probably be able to post a qualification time, but they aren't expected to be a good fantasy value. |
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| N'Wide: Clements crashes at Michigan | Friday 8/15, 1:42 PM CT |
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Jeremy Clements crashed in the first practice session for the Carfax 250 at Michigan after apparently cutting a tire or breaking a right front suspension.
Our View: The No. 50 does not have a backup car at the track, so this will send them home. |
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| Montoya notably fast in Michigan P1 | Friday 8/15, 12:56 PM CT |
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Juan Pablo Montoya was notably fast in the first practice session for the 3M Performance 400 by Bondo. His speed of 186.099 was third fastest on the speed chart.
Our View: With an average finish of 35.7 in three Michigan starts, he is certainly not a favorite – but he might deserve notice for the remainder of the weekend. |
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| Vickers fastest in Michigan P1 | Friday 8/15, 12:34 PM CT |
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Brian Vickers had the fastest car in the first practice session for the 3M Performance 400 by Bondo with a speed of 187.373 mph.
Our View: This practice is used primarily for qualification setups so Vickers will probably start pretty close to the front on a track that has traditionally been very kind to him. |
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| Coleman gets rookie stripe at Michigan | Friday 8/15, 11:52 AM CT |
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Drivers not only have to figure out how to navigate the track, they also have to navigate the garage: On Friday, Brad Coleman scraped Terry Labonte exiting his stall and did minimal damage.
Our View: There is no real fantasy impact here except to point out that rookies have a lot to learn. |
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| Newman changes engine at Michigan | Friday 8/15, 11:46 AM CT |
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Ryan Newman didn't even take a single lap in Friday's practice before he pulled into the garage and had the team change his engine.
Our View: Newman will probably miss most of this practice and he'll be qualifying for pit selection only. He will have to go to the tail-end of the field for Sunday's 3M Performance 400 by Bondo. |
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| Happy Birthday Edwards | Friday 8/15, 11:43 AM CT |
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Friday, August 15 is Carl Edwards' birthday; he turns 29.
Our View: In 144 NASCAR Cup starts, he's posted 11 victories with the latest coming only two weeks ago at Pocono Raceway. |
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| It's official: Newman joins Stewart | Friday 8/15, 9:35 AM CT |
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One of the worst kept secrets was made officially official with a news conference on Friday morning: Ryan Newman will join Stewart-Haas as the second member of that team.
Our View: These two drivers both have open wheel backgrounds and are Hoosier natives, but their personalities couldn't be any more different. This is a good fit, even though there is a lot of room for this team to grow. |
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