This Week in Auto Racing August 14 - 16

This Week in Auto Racing August 14 - 16

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series head to the Irish Hills of Michigan for a weekend of racing at Michigan International Speedway.

Sprint Cup Series

CARFAX 400 - Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI

With four races remaining before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship begins, tension is building among several drivers who hope to secure a spot in the playoffs. Just 203 points separate sixth-place Carl Edwards from 13th- place Kyle Busch.

Edwards remained sixth in the standings after finishing third on Monday at Watkins Glen, while Busch's fourth-place run there helped him move to within 58 points of 12th-place Matt Kenseth. Greg Biffle finished fifth at The Glen and advanced two positions in the rankings to 10th.

Fortunately for Biffle, Edwards and Kenseth, Michigan is the next stop on the Sprint Cup Series schedule. Roush Fenway Racing has been dominant at the two- mile track, winning a Cup race there for seven consecutive years (2002-08). Team owner Jack Roush, who resides 60 miles away from the track in Northville, MI, recorded his 11th victory there one year ago when Edwards held off Busch in a two-lap shootout to the finish.

Michigan has been a special place for Edwards, who made his Cup debut there in August 2004.

"I started my first Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan," Edwards said. "It's real special to me for that reason. It's always an important race to me and the series because it is right in Ford Motor Company's backyard, and Roush Industries is right up the road. We have had a lot of success there, including a big win there last year."

Edwards has yet to win a race in 2009 after leading the series with nine victories last year.

After winning the first two races this season -- Daytona and California -- Kenseth has tumbled in points, with only two top-five finishes in the last 20 races.

"We have to get better than we are right now," Kenseth said. "We are running around 15th every week, and if that will get us in the Chase, we'll make it. But we have to continue to get better and get our cars better and start finishing better if we are going to be competitive down the road."

Kenseth has won twice at Michigan (2002 and '06), and has finished fifth or better in three of the last four races there.

Biffle, who is also winless so far this season, hopes his latest success at Michigan continues. He has finished fourth and fifth in the last two races there.

"Michigan has always been one of my favorite tracks on the circuit," Biffle said. "It's fast and it allows for a lot of passing because it is so wide. We won back-to-back races there in 2004 and 2005, and had the lead there in June until we ran out of fuel on the final lap."

Mark Martin gave the Roush organization its first Michigan win in 1990. Martin, now in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports, notched his fifth victory there in June.

Martin won in a thrilling battle of fuel mileage at Michigan. Jimmie Johnson held the lead before running out of gas just short of crossing the line to start the final lap. Biffle then inherited the top position, but he too ran out of fuel on the backstretch, allowing Martin to lead just the last lap to claim the victory.

"I think about Michigan and I think, 'ahhhhh, that will be fun'," Martin said. "It's always been a great race track, and our car ran really well up there the first race."

The 50-year-old driver currently leads the series with four victories this season. He is now 11th in points, just two markers behind Biffle.

Martin will attempt to become the first driver to win both races at Michigan in a season since Bobby Labonte did it in 1995.

Tony Stewart, who won Monday at Watkins Glen, could become the first driver to clinch a spot in the Chase this weekend. Stewart holds a 756-point advantage over Busch. If he leaves Michigan 586 points ahead of the 13th-place driver, he will secure a playoff position.

Forty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the CARFAX 400.

Nationwide Series

CARFAX 250 - Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI

If Carl Edwards has a shot at catching Kyle Busch in the Nationwide Series point standings, the time is now for him to make the move. Edwards is hoping his late-season rally begins this weekend at Michigan, where he is the defending race winner.

Edwards is 212 points behind Busch with 13 races remaining in the season. Last year, he trailed Clint Bowyer by 187 markers at this point of the season. Edwards managed to make up all but 21 points of the difference before losing the title to Bowyer at Homestead.

"We have had a lot of success (at Michigan) in the Nationwide Series, including a big win last year," Edwards said. "Our goal is to close the gap between us and the series leader."

Busch continued to pull away from Edwards in the points race after he finished second last Saturday at Watkins Glen. He has posted a first or second-place run in the last 10 events, surpassing Jack Ingram's 1983 record of consecutive one-two finishes.

Michigan-native Brad Keselowski is spending time at home early this week before he heads to "The Big House" in Ann Arbor, MI on Thursday. Keselowski will make his second trip to the University of Michigan to attend a Wolverines' pre-season practice.

"Like last year, I am so pumped to be able to go to football camp up at the University of Michigan," Keselowski said. "I have been a fan of the Wolverines for as long as I can remember."

Keselowski is currently third in points (-409). He will make his third Nationwide start for JR Motorsports at Michigan. He finished 11th there last year.

"I'm so excited to come back home to the Michigan area and have the opportunity to race at this track in front of these great fans," he said.

Ryan Newman is among the 14 Sprint Cup regulars that will pull double-duty at Michigan this weekend. Newman will attempt to make it 3-for-3 at the two-mile track. He has run in two Nationwide races at Michigan, with both of them resulting in victories. He competed there in 2001 and '05.

Newman will drive the No.5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

Fifty-three teams are on the preliminary entry list for the CARFAX 250.