This week, NASCAR took the track in the Motor City to run 400 miles at Michigan International Speedway. This two-mile track is wide and fast. There is plenty of room for passing in the turns and on the straightaways. Like most Michigan races, the action this afternoon was entertaining. But, as is often the case at Michigan, the race was actually decided by fuel mileage.
For most of the day, the usual suspects battled for the lead. But, the top contenders throughout the day came up short in the fuel game and had to pit with under ten laps remaining. This allowed Jeremy Mayfield to come out of nowhere and win the race. This win solidified Mayfield's place in the Chase. It moved Mayfield from seventh to sixth in the standings. Scott Riggs came in second on Sunday and Matt Kenseth came in third. Carl Edwards finished fourth. This strong finish moved the young Edwards out of the tenuous tenth position and into ninth in the standings. Tony Stewart rounded out the top five. This was good enough for Smoke to keep his spot at the top of the championship standings.
Next week, NASCAR returns to Thunder Valley for the night race at Bristol. This is possibly the hottest ticket of the entire season. The race can be seen on Saturday night at 7 p.m. on TNT.
