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The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
by The Frontstretch Staff
PIR Set to Become "Jeff Gordon Raceway" to Honor Retiring Star
NASCAR Hands Down Warnings After Pocono
The dreaded warnings seem to be becoming more and more common in NASCAR. After Pocono, NASCAR handed down four more in regards to inspection. Jimmie Johnson and Sam Hornish, Jr. got them for issues getting through pre-race inspection, while Danica Patrick and David Gilliland got them for pre-qualifying inspection issues. Read more
Martin Truex, Jr. Paces Field in Open Test Session at Darlington
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The Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the first of two events at the speed palace. Coverage for the Quicken Loans 400 begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1; the race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate or SiriusXM Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 160 laps (400 miles) en route to the checkered flag.
Records and facts
Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion of the Quicken Loans 400. He passed Matt Kenseth with 11 laps to go and pulled away to win by 1.2 seconds. Kevin Harvick was second, followed by Brad Keselowski. Paul Menard was fourth, followed by Kasey Kahne.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: Two-mile D-shaped oval, 200 laps (400 miles)
Banking: 18 degrees in turns
Frontstretch: 3,600 feet; banked 12 degrees
Backstretch: 2,242 feet; banked 5 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 84,000 Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1969
Website: http://www.mispeedway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MISpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MISpeedway
Pre-Race Schedule:
Practices: Friday, June 12, 11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Saturday, May 30, 9 - 9:55 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Saturday, May 30, 12 p.m. - 12:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Qualifying: Friday, June 12 at 4:15 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Say What?!
"Michigan is a track that we seemed to have lost the handle on a bit when it was repaved a few years ago. We had some great runs there early in my career, but for whatever reason, we have struggled a bit over the last five or six races. We had a strong run there last August, and hopefully we can build on that for this weekend. Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and the crew have been bringing faster and faster cars each week, and Michigan is definitely one of those tracks that you need a lot of horsepower and raw speed. It's big and wide and our goal is to get our FedEx Camry flexible enough to run different lines if we need to." - Denny Hamlin
"With the repave a couple years ago, it's just lightning fast. And the groove is getting wider and wider so it's easier to race there. It's definitely just a fast, fast racetrack. We talk about momentum. Momentum is a huge deal there. You carry so much speed to the turns, and the corners are so long and so round, you have to be very smooth there." - Tony Stewart
"I think Michigan has widened out quite a bit since where we first started after the repave. When we first started racing on the new surface, it was like one black groove. And if you got out of it, whether you went low or high, you were in trouble. Now, it's opened up to where you can run the bottom and make moves on the bottom. And it's got a long enough straightaway that you can draft and try to make something happen. I think there's going to be a huge draft this year with this rules package." - Cole Whitt
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This Week's Race: Honda Indy Toronto
Track: Streets of Toronto's Exhibition Place. This is an 11-turn, 1.755-mile temporary street course.
Last year's P1: Sebastien Bourdais for Race 1 with a lap at 58.9479 seconds, 107.179 mph. Helio Castroneves for Race 2, set by entrant points.
Last year's winner: Sebastien Bourdais, Race 1 and Mike Conway, Race 2.
Track record: Qualifying: Gil de Ferran, 57.143 seconds, 110.565 mph, set July 17, 1999.
Distance: 85 laps for 149.175 miles. This weekend is no longer a double race but a single race taking place on Sunday.
Who Ya Got? Toni Montgomery, along with Matt Weaver is going with Scott Dixon who seems to be making a midseason surge. Huston Ladner agrees and is also going with Dixon while Matt Stallknecht goes with Juan Pablo Montoya.
Where To Watch: NBC Sports Network has the broadcast this week. Qualifying is at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 13. Race coverage is at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.
On Social Media: Follow along with @HondaIndy, @IndyCar, #IndyTO, and #IndyCar
Quotable:
Will Power (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "Anytime you race at Toronto, you need to have a bit of luck on your side. Obviously a fast car helps tremendously, but it seems inevitable that you will have some contact during the race. You just hope it doesn't put you out. You have to race side by side into some of the corners - especially after the long straight - and sometimes both of you don't come out of it unscathed. Hopefully, we qualify our No. 1 Verizon Chevy on the pole, lead every lap and run away with it. The speed is there every weekend, but we need to close the deal like we did at the (Angie's List) Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Toronto is a great place to win. The fans are fantastic and it's just a great venue. Really looking forward to getting back there this weekend and picking up another win."
Scott Dixon (No. 9 Jurassic World Chevrolet): "Toronto is a fun place. You're right down almost by city center and you're right there on the water. The track is fantastic and it's got great flow. The circuit is great for racing. It has passing opportunities, a big, long straight, and I think it's probably one of the most exciting races that we've ever had in the series. It's really got it all - with the hairpin and late restarts. Two years ago, we were lucky to win, actually back to back, the doubleheader there, which was a fantastic race weekend for us and one that helped us go on to win the championship. Last year, we didn't do so great and we didn't have a good result there. But overall I love Toronto, the people, the race fans there and the city itself. It's just a cool place to go."
Sebastien Bourdais (No. 11 Team Hydroxycut-KVSH Racing Chevrolet): "Obviously the Toronto street circuit is one I enjoy racing on. We have had some good results there including the win last year, which was special because it was my first since coming back to INDYCAR. It is also a very important race for the KVSH Racing team because our sponsor, Hydroxycut, has its headquarters nearby in Oakville, so it is like a home race for us and we are expecting a lot of support at the track. Toronto is always a great event. The city really supports the race, the track is challenging and the fans are knowledgeable. The Hydroxycut-KVSH Racing Chevrolet car has been fast on the street circuits this year and hopefully we can have a good result for the sponsors, their employees and guests and make up some ground in the championship standings."~~~~~~~~~~
Friday Faceoff: Penalties, Crew Chief Swaps, and Manufacturers
Thursday's Answer:
Q: The June race weekend at Michigan International Speedway in 1994 saw a series of spins and crashes in turn 3. Why was there so much more carnage in one portion of the track?
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