2019 NASCAR Preview: Week 23 – Michigan

Chase Elliott spanked the field for the 2nd year in a row at Watkins Glen, this time leading 80 of 90 laps. We were there, and pretty darn close! Check out some pics, let us know if you can [almost] smell the rubber and racing fuel like we could!

2019 Go Bowling at The Glen pre-race ceremonies. (Photo: Lisa Kuhmann)

Pace laps of the 2019 Go Bowling at The Glen. (Photo: Lisa Kuhmann)

Pit stops under way for Buescher and Blaney! (Photo: Lisa Kuhmann)

Jack Daniel’s Bar at The Glen. (Photo: Lisa Kuhmann)

A more extensive order on the menu this week as NASCAR heads to Michigan. Time to turn left (and only left) in the Irish Hills once more.

Here’s what to look for:

MISpeedway – That pole winning feeling. (Source: @MISpeedway)

–Brad Keselowski was the final car to take time and put an exclamation point on Qualifying day. A great lap for the pilot of the #2, Keselowski looks to capture the flag at his home track. The Rochester Hills, MI native has come close a few times but hasn’t been able to get all the way to the top. With six finishes in the Top 4, and a 7.7 over the last ten, Keselowski hopes that this week is it.

Ford Performance – #NASCAR | @KevinHarvick keeps it going, closes final Cup practice as the fastest #Ford in P3. #ConsumersEnergy400 @MISpeedway @StewartHaasRcng (Source: @FordPerformance)

–Kevin Harvick will start 2nd after looking like he’d be starting 1st. Great times for this front row, they ran significantly better than those behind them. (Harvick was almost a tenth better, Keselowski around fifteen hundredths.) Happy has some success here, too; why, he was the winner just last year! The defender of the crown, Harvick holds an 8.0 average finish over the last ten races.

Hendrick Motorsports – .@chaseelliott has three runner-up finishes and is looking for more this weekend @MISpeedway! (Source: @TeamHendrick)

–Chase Elliott is our 3rd guy to watch this week, currently sporting the best average among active drivers over the last ten races. He’s got a 7.4, but has been slipping, if you can even call it that. He opened with three straight 2nd place finishes, and then did an 8 with a pair of 9’s, and now he’s coming off a 20th in June. Should we be bothered by that? I’m not sure. What I CAN tell you is that if momentum is the most important factor, this guy is going to find his way to the front early, and stay there. Elliott rolls off 6th.

Joey Logano – ‏ Qualifying is set at @MISpeedway. My No. 22 @ShellMotorsport @Pennzoil @FordPerformance will start P9 on Sunday afternoon! (Source: @joeylogano)

-We should keep an eye on Joey Logano, too. He won the Spring race and led a whopping 163 laps (of 203)! Sure to be a popular pick this week, Logano launches from 8th. His teammate is on the Pole though, and instances like that usually bode well for the entirety of the team. Fords have won the last three Michigan races.

RCR Cup Teams – ‏ .@DanielHemric tells @LukeLambertCC the overall speed of the @BassProShops Chevrolet was better on that run. He spent that run working through traffic in the pack. (Source: @RCRCup)

-And we’ll throw a glance towards Daniel Hemric as well. He’s a rookie, making his second start in Michigan, and feels pretty good about this race. With a 12th place finish back in Week 15 the first time around, he’s got the confidence he needs to build upon that. And he’ll need it, as he and Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon had their times disallowed and will start from the back of the pack. (“Alternator infraction,” if you’re curious.) The pedal, as they say, will most assuredly be to the metal.