NASCAR WCUP: Michigan Fast Facts, Race Preview
17 August 1999
Track Milestones
* Donnie Allison won the first NASCAR Winston Cup pole at Michigan Speedway in 1969.
* Cale Yarborough won the first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Michigan Speedway on June 15, 1969.
* The first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Michigan was a 500-mile event, the second was 600 miles. The format since that time has been 400 miles.
* There have been two caution-free races at the Michigan Speedway: the 1973 Motor State 400 and the 1984 Champion 400.
Track Update
Jeff Gordon has posted nine finishes of sixth or better, including one victory, in the last nine races at Michigan. Mark Martin has posted 19 top-10 finishes, including four victories, in the last 20 races at Michigan.
Manufacturer Update
A Ford has won six of the last seven NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan. Jeff Gordon broke a five-race winning streak by Ford last August, with his victory in the Pepsi 400 presented by DeVilbiss in 1998.
Qualifying Update
There have been 14 different Bud Pole winners in the 15 races at Michigan since 1992. Jeff Gordon (June 1995 and June 1999) is the only repeat Bud Pole winner in the 15-race period.
NASCAR Winston Cup Active Drivers Firsts and Lasts at This Track
First Start
Ted Musgrave 8-19-90
Jerry Nadeau 6-15-97
First Pole
Rusty Wallace 6-26-87
Bobby Hamilton 6-21-96
Jeff Burton 8-16-96
First Win
Dale Jarrett 8-18-91
Last Pole
Michael Waltrip 6-21-91 Brett Bodine 6-18-93
Johnny Benson 8-15-97
Last Win
Ernie Irvan 6-15-97
Track Tidbits
* The posted awards for the Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer at Michigan Speedway are $1,908,399.
* The Winston Leader Bonus is worth $20,000 for the Pepsi 400 presented by Meijer.
* The field at Michigan will consist of 43 cars: the fastest 36 cars plus seven provisional spots based upon current NASCAR Winston Cup owner points. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR Winston Cup champion if needed. If unused by a past champion, it will go to the next eligible car owner.
* One qualifying lap will be run on Friday to determine the first 25 starting positions. A second round of qualifying on Saturday will set positions 26-36 with provisionals added afterward as required.
* There have been 60 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan Speedway since the first race was held there in 1969, 54 in the modern era. There have been two Michigan races each season except 1973 which had only one.
* Retired driver, David Pearson, leads all drivers with 10 Bud Poles at Michigan.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with six Bud Poles at Michigan.
* There have been 14 different Bud Pole winners in the 15 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan, since 1992.
* Ernie Irvan is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Pepsi 400.
* Retired driver, David Pearson, leads all drivers with nine NASCAR Winston Cup victories at Michigan.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with seven NASCAR Winston Cup victories at Michigan Speedway.
* Six of Bill Elliotts seven Michigan victories 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.
* Jeff Gordon is the defending champion of the Pepsi 400.
* There have been six different race winners in the last eight NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan. Mark Martin (August 1997 and June 1998) and Dale Jarrett (August 1996 and June 1999) are the only repeat winners in the eight-race period.
* The pole has been the most productive starting position at Michigan, providing 13 race winners.
* Thirty-eight of 60 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan have been won from the first four starting positions (63 percent).
* Only seven races at Michigan have been won from outside a top-10 starting position. All have occurred in the last 16 races there.
* The farthest back that a Michigan race winner has started is 24th: Harry Gant in the 1992 Champion 400.
* Bobby Labonte swept both Michigan NASCAR Winston 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.
* In the 18 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan in the 1990s prior to the Kmart 400 this past June, Pontiac scored just six top-five finishes out of 90 possible chances. Pontiac scored two top-fives in June: Ward Burton (fourth) and Bobby Labonte (fifth).
Would You Believe?
Jeff Gordons 4.7 finishing average in 13 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan is better than the best finish recorded there by several drivers in their career at the Michigan track. Ken Schrader (sixth in 30 races), Michael Waltrip (seventh in 28 races), Bobby Hamilton (eighth in 14 races) and Chad Little (10th in 13 races) all have best finishes that do not beat Gordons average.
Update of the Week
Rusty Wallace finished no worse than sixth in the seven NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan between June 1993 and June 1996. In the six races there since that time, his best finish has been 12th in the 1999 KMart 400 presented by DeVilbiss.
Selected Modern Era Performance at this Track
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with six Bud Poles in 42 starts at Michigan. Geoffrey Bodine, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader each have two poles at the Michigan facility.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with seven NASCAR Winston Cup victories at Michigan. Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin each have four.
* Darrell Waltrip leads all active drivers with 17 top-five finishes in 48 starts at Michigan. Bill Elliott follows closely with 16.
* Bill Elliott leads all drivers with 26 top-10 finishes at Michigan. Darrell Waltrip has 25 and Dale Earnhardt has 22.
* Bill Elliott leads all active drivers with more than 10 starts at Michigan with a 8.2 starting average followed by Mark Martin at 8.7.
* Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with more than 10 starts at Michigan with a 4.7 finishing average.
* Chad Little (13 starts) and Jeff Burton (11 starts) have not had a DNF at Michigan.
Track Standouts
* Mark Martin has finished 10th or better, including four victories, in 19 of the last 20 races at Michigan.
* Bobby Labonte has finished ninth or better, including two victories, in nine of the last 10 races at Michigan.
* Jeff Gordon has finished sixth or better, including one victory, in 11 of his 13 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan.
* Dale Jarrett has finished sixth or better, including two victories, in the last six races at Michigan.
* Ernie Irvan has six finishes of seventh or better in the last seven races at Michigan.
* Jeff Burton has five top-10 finishes in the last six races at Michigan.
Headaches
* Johnny Benson has two top-10 finishes in his seven NASCAR Winston Cup races at his home track. His other finishes there have all been 19th or worse.
* Dale Earnhardt has finished 15th or worse in four of the last six races at Michigan.
* Terry Labonte has finished 19th or worse in four of the last five races at Michigan.
How Important is Track Position?
Thirty-eight of 60 NASCAR Winston Cup races at Michigan have been won from the first four starting positions (63 percent). Only seven have been won from a starting position outside the top 10; however, four of the last nine races there have been won from outside the top 10.
Move of the Week
Wally Dallenbach used his seventh-place finish at Watkins Glen to make the points move of the race. He climbed from 18th to 15th in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.
Championship Update
Dale Jarrett assumed the lead in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings from Jeff Burton following the race at Richmond in May, 11 races ago. The point spread between Jarrett and Burton was has 63 points at that time. Since then three different drivers ranked second in the point standings and the point spread is now 300 points.
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