A Breakdown of the NASCAR Cup Weekend at Michigan
With the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader behind closed doors at Michigan International Speedway in the rearview mirror, here's a look back at what you might have missed:
Kevin Harvick Sweeps the Weekend
With his two victories over the weekend at Michigan, Kevin Harvick now leads the NASCAR Cup Series in race wins (6), playoff points (35) and the regular season championship standings. The Stewart-Haas No. 4 team are the unquestioned championship favorites with four races remaining until the playoffs begin. Harvick has amassed so many points during the regular season that he can pretty much coast through the playoffs until the championship race at Phoenix.
"On the days when things aren't going like we want them to with the handling in the racecar, we figure out a way to have some good pit strategy or restarts," Harvick said. "They have a great pit stop on pit road. When one side is down, there's somebody there to pick up the pieces on the other side. That's what it takes to run well week in and week out."
The Big 3 is a Real Thing
Even though Harvick swept the weekend, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski continue to be the most persistent threats on a weekly basis. Hamlin came up just short at the end on Sunday and has one fewer win than Harvick. Combined, they run 1-2-3 in the regular season championship standings and are the only three drivers with average finishes below 10.0. Barring a string of unexpected winner in the penultimate round of the playoffs, all three should qualify for the championship race at Phoenix.
Playoff Battle is All but Settled
There are four races remaining the regular season: The Daytona Road Course, Dover, Dover and the Daytona Superspeedway. That leaves just four chances for the likes of Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson and Tyler Reddick to race their way in on championship points. However, with two wild card races remaining at Daytona, it’s possible for someone currently outside of the current playoff picture to win their way into the Round of 16. If that were to happen, it would bump the lowest driver inside on points off the provisional playoff grid.
So, it’s important for William Byron to pass Matt DiBenedetto in the standings just in case there is a surprise winner.
Debut of the Choose Rule
The doubleheader at Michigan marked the debut of a new procedure that permitted lane selection prior to every restart. Borrowed from pavement short track racing, the procedure was introduced to offer an additional layer of strategy, while also removing the even-odd randomness from lane selection.
The rule has become increasingly necessary due to a competition package that emphasizes restarts more than ever, with most tracks having a preferred and non-preferred restart lane. Drivers have advocated for the rule for much of the summer but offered mixed responses to its debut over the weekend at Michigan.
Penske Teammates Crash but Shrug It Off
Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney looked capable of denying Kevin Harvick a Michigan clean sweep but crashed out while racing for the lead on Sunday. Keselowski misjudged his momentum into turn 1 with 60 laps to go and washed up the track and into his teammate. The incident destroyed both of their cars and eliminated them from contention. Keselowski claimed responsibility.
"I just lost it," Keselowski said. "It's my fault. I feel really bad for my teammate Ryan Blaney. He didn't deserve that. I just came off of turn four and (Harvick) was behind me and he gave me a push. I swear I went into the corner like 20 mph faster than I had all day. Got past (Denny Hamlin) and got underneath (Blaney) and it just slipped.
"Lost the back a little bit. When I went to collect it, he was there, and I wiped him and myself out. I feel terrible for everyone at Team Penske and especially Ryan Blaney. Gosh, he didn't deserve that."
Next Up: The Daytona Road Course
With NASCAR unable to travel to New York due to state coronavirus regulations, the Cup Series will instead make its unplanned debut on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course — essentially the same configuration used during the Rolex 24 each January. There will be no practice sessions in advance of the race and Cup Series drivers will not be permitted to race in any other division that weekend. Kevin Harvick is starting on the pole and has no idea what to expect.
"I think me leading everybody into turn one at Daytona could be interesting because I have no freaking clue where I'm going as we go down there," Harvick said. "Most everybody in the field is the same way. We'll prepare the best that we can and hope that we can make it around the first lap with all the wheels still headed in the right direction."
