Race 2 Win: GFS Marketplace 400

Nextel Cup Series

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GFS Marketplace 400 - Race Notes

Michigan International Speedway

Track data:
Race #: 23 of 36 (8-21-05)
Event: GFS Marketplace 400
Location: Brooklyn, Mich.
Track Size: 2 Miles
Number of Laps: 200
Length of Event: 400 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 3,600 Feet
Length of Back Stretch: 2,242 Feet
Degree of Banking in Corners: 18 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: 12 degrees(Front)/5 degrees(Back)

Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: None
Last year's event winner: Greg Biffle 139.063 mph 8-22-04 2 hrs, 52 min, 35 sec
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman 194.232 mph 6-18-05 37.069 seconds
Track race record: Dale Jarrett 173.997 mph 6-13-99 2 hrs 17 min, 56 sec

Historical data:
Previous winners at Michigan:
David Pearson (9) Cale Yarborough (8) Bill Elliott (7) Rusty Wallace (5) Richard Petty (4) Bobby Allison (4) Mark Martin (4) Dale Jarrett (4) Davey Allison (3) Bobby Labonte (3) Ryan Newman (2) Darrell Waltrip (2) Dale Earnhardt (2) Jeff Gordon (2) Charlie Glotzbach (1) Benny Parsons (1) Buddy Baker (1) Harry Gant (1) Ricky Rudd (1) Geoffrey Bodine (1) Ernie Irvan (1) Tony Stewart (1) Sterling Marlin (1) Matt Kenseth (1) Kurt Busch (1) Greg Biffle (2)
Races won from the pole: 14 of 72 events (19%)
Races won from in top 10: 59 of 72 events (82%)
Races won from outside top 10: 13 of 72 events (18%)

Track Milestones

Donnie Allison won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Bud Pole at Michigan International Speedway in 1969.

Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 1969.

The first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Michigan was a 500-mile event; the second was 600 miles. The format since the third race (1970) has been 400 miles.

Qualifying has been canceled three times at Michigan International Speedway: June 1985, June 1990 and August 2004.

A race has run less than the scheduled distance only once at Michigan: June 2000 (rain). The 1974 Motor State 400 was shortened to 180 lpas/360 miles by the energy crisis.

There have been three caution-free races at the Michigan International Speedway: 1973, August 1984 and June 1999.

Track Update
Michigan International Speedway is the fourth-fastest track on the current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule behind Talladega, Daytona and Atlanta based on Ryan Newman's, Bud Pole speed of 194.232 mph set in June 2005.

Qualifying Update
There have been six different Bud Pole winners in the past nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan. Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte (two each) are the repeat Bud Pole winners in the nine-race period. Qualifying was canceled in August 2004.

Manufacturer Update
All three participating manufacturers have posted at least one victory in the last nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan, with Ford winning five, Dodge three and Chevrolet one.

The Money
Purse $4,912,254
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $10,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $5,000

Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side — D-6852; Right-side -- D-6854
Other Tracks With This Same Tire Combination: California, Chicago, Kansas
Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage

Notebook

The field will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.

Two qualifying laps will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as required.

There have been 72 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan International Speedway since the first race was held there in 1969. There have been two Michigan races each season except 1973, which had only one.

David Pearson, leads all drivers with 10 Bud Poles at Michigan.

Qualifying for the 2004 GFS Marketplace 400 was canceled due to weather.

David Pearson leads all drivers with nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories at Michigan.

Bill Elliott had seven Michigan victories - six of which came in an eight-race span. He won the first Michigan race in 1984 then swept 1985 and 1986 before topping off his dominance with a victory in the second Michigan race of 1987. His seventh Michigan victory came in the 1989 Miller 400.

Greg Biffle is the defending champion of the GFS Marketplace 400.

There have been 10 different race winners in the past 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan.

Ryan Newman broke a string of nine consecutive different Michigan race winners when he won back-to-back in August 2003 and June 2004. Greg Biffle repeated the feat, winning in August 2004 and June 2005.

Bill Elliott posted four consecutive victories at Michigan, winning both races in 1985 and again in 1986. David Pearson is the only other driver to post more than two consecutive victories at Michigan, winning three straight in 1972-73 (There was only one race in 1973).

The Bud Pole has been the most productive starting position at Michigan, providing 14 race winners.

Forty-two of 72 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Michigan have been won from the first four starting positions (58 percent).

Only 13 races at Michigan have been won from outside a top-10 starting position - all have occurred in the past 28 races there.

The farthest back that a Michigan race winner has started is 28th by Tony Stewart in the 2000 Kmart 400.

Bobby Labonte swept both Michigan NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races in 1995, the seventh time that a driver swept both races in a year at the Michigan track. Bobby Allison (1971), David Pearson (1972 and 1976), Cale Yarborough (1983) and Bill Elliott (1985 and 1986) have also swept Michigan.

Would You Believe?
Ryan Newman has a starting average of 6.75 in eight races at Michigan. His finishing average is 13.875. Conversely, Matt Kenseth has a stating average of 23.1 over the past 10 race while Carl Edwards has averaged a 23.0 start over the past two. Kenseth's finishing average is 7.10 in those 10 races while Edwards' is 7.0 over the past two.

Michigan Milestones

Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 58th career start at Michigan, two more than Dave Marcis who had 56 starts at Michigan.

Mark Martin is expected to make his 625th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start at Michigan International Speedway.

Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Michigan International Speedway
Kurt Busch has competed in nine races at Michigan International Speedway, scoring one victory (June 2003) and three top-10 finishes. Busch has scored top-15 finishes in each of his last three visits to the Irish Hills superspeedway.

Point Leader at Michigan International Speedway
Tony Stewart has competed in 13 races at Michigan International Speedway posting one victory (June 2000) and eight top-10 finishes. Stewart has posted top-10 finishes in five of his last six races at Michigan.

Starting Up Front at Michigan is not as important as in the past...
The first 44 races at Michigan International Speedway were won from a top-10 starting position. Since August 1991, there have been 13 races won from outside the top 10 including the last two by Greg Biffle from 24th and 25th, respectively.

Winners Galore

There have been six different Bud Pole winners in the last eight races at Michigan International Speedway.

There have been 10 different race winners in the last 12 races at Michigan. Ryan Newman (August 2003 and June 2004) and Greg Biffle (August 2004 and June 2005) both won back-to-back in the last four races there.

Latest Dominators at Michigan

Greg Biffle has scored three top-five finishes, including two consecutive victories, in his last four races at Michigan.

Matt Kenseth has scored five straight top-10 finishes at Michigan International Speedway the longest current top-10 streak at Michigan.

Manufacturer Domination at Michigan
A Ford has won five of the last seven races at Michigan International Speedway. The other two were won by Dodge. The last Chevrolet win there was in June 2001.

“Last-Timers” at Michigan

Mark Martin (872) has led more laps than any other full time driver at Michigan International Speedway.

Rusty Wallace has scored five victories in his 43 races at Michigan, the most of any full time driver.

And the Beat Goes On
Jeff Burton has been running at the finish in all 23 of his races at Michigan, the longest current streak.

Owner Domination at Michigan
The Wood Brothers are the all-time winning car owners at Michigan International Speedway, posting 11 victories: David Pearson (eight), Cale Yarborough (two) and Dale Jarrett (one).

Starting and Finishing Up Front at Michigan

Ryan Newman has a 6.75 starting average and a 13.875 finishing average in eight races at Michigan International Speedway. His starting average is the best among active drivers.

Matt Kenseth has a 23.25 starting average and an 8.5 finishing average in 12 races at Michigan International Speedway. His finishing average is the best among active drivers with more than five starts there.

Top 10 Lap Leaders at Michigan International Speedway
Driver Races Laps Led
1. Yarborough, Cale 36 1,308
2. Elliott, Bill 53 1,004
3. Martin, Mark 39 872
4. Pearson, David 29 864
5. Wallace, Rusty 43 854
6. Gordon, Jeff 25 794
7. Waltrip, Darrell 48 690
8. Allison, Bobby 37 665
9. Earnhardt, Dale 43 597
10. Petty, Richard 47 538

Would you Believe?
A Chevrolet has won only one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race in the 13 races at Michigan since 1999.

Michigan May Spell Trouble for Some of the Top 10

Rusty Wallace has posted only one top-10 finish in his last six races at Michigan International Speedway.

Jeremy Mayfield has not posted a top-10 finish in his last eight races at Michigan International Speedway

Winning Tougher than Ever in 2005
After 22 races in 2005, there are seven drivers who won in 2004 that have not won in 2005: Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield, Rusty Wallace and Joe Nemechek.

Manufacturer Dominance
Chevrolet has won 12 of the 22 races in 2005. Ford has won nine races and Dodge has one victory.

Streaks
Rusty Wallace has been running at the finish in 35 consecutive races - since Bristol last fall, the longest current streak.

Get Those Bonus Points

Greg Biffle is the only driver to lead at least one lap in 14 of the 22 races in 2005. He has led 1,012 laps this season and is second behind Tony Stewart who has led 1,190, the most of all drivers. No other drivers have led more than 500 laps.

Tony Stewart has led the most laps in eight of the 22 races this season, including six of the last eight, earning 95 bonus points in the first 22 races, 10 more than closest competitor Greg Biffle.

Maintaining a Top-10 Standard
Jimmie Johnson is the only driver that has ranked in the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after every race in 2005. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Atlanta in March 2004, 55 straight races, the longest current streak.

2005 Success

Greg Biffle ranked 24th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is third.

Rusty Wallace ranked 18th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is fourth.

Mark Martin ranked 13th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is fifth.

2005 Struggles

Dale Earnhardt Jr., ranked third in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is 15th.

Jeff Gordon ranked second in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is 13th.

Matt Kenseth ranked fifth in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is 16th.

Despite scoring five victories in 2005, Greg Biffle has only scored only one top-10 finish in his last seven races.

Jeff Burton has not scored a top-10 finish in his last 13 races.

Bobby Labonte leads all drivers with nine DNFs in 22 races.

Neither Elliott Sadler nor Dale Jarrett are currently ranked among the top 10.

Bobby Labonte ranked ninth in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. This year he is 24th.

Jeff Burton has not scored a top-10 finish in his last 13 races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., has led only 16 laps in 2005. One year ago he had led 587.

Dale Jarrett has led only two laps in 2005.

Jamie McMurray has led only one lap in 2005.

The Race to the Chase

With four races remaining before The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup formally begins at New Hampshire the “magic number” for elimination is 625. Any driver more than that behind 10th place can not mathematically make The Chase providing the driver in 10th starts the remaining races.

There are 10 drivers eligible for the championship run since no drivers outside the top 10 are within 400 points of the leader.

Of the 10 drivers eligible at this time, five have yet to post a victory in 2005.

Four of the nine race winners this season are not currently eligible for the Chase.

The 10 eligible drivers have accounted for 62 of 110 top-five finishes and 114 of 220 top-10 finishes this season.

Who's Hot

Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart have each scored 14 top-10 finishes in 2005.

Tony Stewart has scored eight straight top-10 finishes, including five victories, in the last eight races.

Mark Martin has scored four top-10 finishes in the last five races. He has also scored nine top-15 finishes in the last 10 races.

Brian Vickers has scored five straight top-15 finishes.

Roush Racing drivers have won nine of the 22 races in 2005. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won five and Joe Gibbs Racing also has five victories. Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress Racing, and Evernham Motorsports each have one.

Top 10 Heading to Michigan

First
Tony Stewart finished first in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, adding 30 points to his lead over second-place Jimmie Johnson. Stewart has set a remarkable pace during the last eight races scoring all but 89 of the 1,520 championship driver points available in those races. This is the second straight week that Stewart has sat atop of the point standings. Stewart has scored eight top-10 finishes, including five victories, in his last eight races. He has scored 14 top-10 finishes this season. He leads second-place Jimmie Johnson by 105 points. Stewart was 380 points behind Johnson after race No. 14 at Pocono in June. He made up 455 points in the seven races (Michigan in June thru Indianapolis), climbing from 10th to first in the point standings. Stewart ranked fourth in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has competed in 13 races at Michigan International Speedway, scoring one victory and eight top-10 finishes. Stewart has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six races there. He finished ninth in this race one year ago and second there in June, one of five top-five finishes that he has scored at Michigan. Stewart has a 13.1 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Second
Jimmie Johnson finished fifth in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and remained second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Johnson led the point standings after 16 of the 22 races this season. He has scored two victories in 2005 (Las Vegas and Charlotte). He and Tony Stewart are the only drivers to score 14 top-10 finishes in 2005. Johnson ranked first after 22 races one year ago, 40 points ahead of second-place Jeff Gordon. One year later he is 105 points behind first-place Tony Stewart. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Las Vegas in March 2004, 55 straight races. Johnson has competed in seven races at Michigan International Speedway scoring two top-10 finishes. He finished 40th in this race one year ago, his worst finish at Michigan and only DNF there. He finished 19th there in June. Johnson has an 18.1 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Third
Greg Biffle finished 38th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen yet remained third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Biffle has ranked among the top-five in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings since race No. 2 at California. He trails second-place Jimmie Johnson by 147 points and is 252 behind point leader Tony Stewart. Biffle ranked 24th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has scored five victories in 2005, tied with Tony Stewart for the the most of all drivers. He has scored 11 top-10 finishes in the first 22 races, three less than Stewart and Johnson. Biffle has competed in just five races at Michigan International Speedway finishing first in his last two races and has posted top-five finishes in three of his five races there. He has led in four of his five races at Michigan. Biffle has a 12.0 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Fourth
Rusty Wallace finished sixth in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and remained fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He is 258 points behind first-place Tony Stewart and trails third-place Greg Biffle by just six points. Wallace was 14th in the point standings after race No. 10 at Darlington. He has scored 17 top-15 finishes this season, tied with Johnson for the most among all drivers. Wallace ranked 18th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. Wallace has competed in 43 races at Michigan International Speedway scoring five victories and 21 top-10 finishes. He has led 854 laps at Michigan International Speedway, ranking fifth all-time in laps led at the Irish Hills superspeedway. He finished 36th in this race one year ago, scoring his sixth DNF there. His 10th-place finish there in June marked his first top-10 finish there in his last six races. Wallace has a 14.2 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Fifth
Mark Martin finished seventh in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and climbed from sixth to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 331 points and is 73 points behind fourth-place Rusty Wallace. Martin ranked 13th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has posted 12 top-10 finishes in 2005. Martin has competed in 39 races at Michigan International Speedway scoring four victories and 26 top-10 finishes. Martin has led 872 laps at Michigan International Speedway and ranks third all-time. Martin finished second there one year ago and third there in June. Tenth to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings are separated by 189 points Martin has an 11.6 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Sixth
Kurt Busch finished 39th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and dropped from fifth to sixth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 421 points and is 90 points behind fifth-place Mark Martin. Busch ranked seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has scored 11 top-10 finishes in 22 races this season.. Busch has competed in nine races at Michigan International Speedway scoring one victory (June 2003) and three top-10 finishes. He finished sixth in this race one year ago and 12th there in June. Busch has a 20.3 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Seventh
Jeremy Mayfield finished 11th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and climbed from eighth to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Mayfield has scored 14 top-15 finishes in 22 races in 2005. He has climbed from a low of 26th in the point standings after race No. 3 at Las Vegas to a season high seventhplace ranking. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 429 points and is just eight points behind sixth-place Kurt Busch. Mayfield ranked 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has scored just five top-10 finishes in 22 races this season. He has competed in 23 races at Michigan International Speedway scoring just three top-10 finishes. He finished 11th in this race one year ago and 22nd there in June. He has not scored a top-10 finish in his last eight races at Michigan. Mayfield has a 19.1 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Eighth
Ryan Newman finished 30th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen. Newman dropped from seventh to eighth the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 467 points and is 38 points behind seventh-place Jeremy Mayfield. He ranked 12th in the point standings after 22 races one year ago. Newman has scored 14 top-15 finishes including 10 top-10 finishes in 2005. Newman has competed in eight races at Michigan International Speedway, scoring two victories and four top-10 finishes, all top fives. Six of his eight finishes at Michigan are top 15s. He finished 14th in this race one year ago and 15th there in June. Newman has a 13.9 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

Ninth
Jamie McMurray finished 13th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and climbed from 11th to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. McMurray trails point leader Tony Stewart by 514 points and is 47 points behind eighth-place Ryan Newman. McMurray ranked 15th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings after 22 races one year ago. He has scored seven top-10 finishes in 22 races this season. He has competed in just five races at Michigan International Speedway scoring just one top-10 finish. He finished fourth in this race one year ago and 13th there in June. McMurray has a 20,8 average finish at Michigan International Speedway.

10th
Carl Edwards finished 19th in the Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen and remained 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Edwards has scored 12 top-15 finishes in 22 races in 2005. He trails point leader Tony Stewart by 520 points and is just six points behind ninth-place Jamie McMurray. Edwards has scored eight top-10 finishes in 2005. He has scored top-10 finishes in both of his races at Michigan International Speedway. Edwards first start came at Michigan in August one year ago where he finished 10th He finished fifth at Michigan in June. Eleventh-place Elliott Sadler and 12th-place teammate Dale Jarrett are tied in championship points and trail 10th-place Edwards by just three points.

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