| Upcoming Events in the World of NASCARNext | | | | Performance 400Who's Hot?Denny Hamlin is |
| week, the NASCAR Nextel Cup teams head west, | | | | sitting at the top in a class of outstanding |
| or mid-west to be more exact, to the 1 1/2 | | | | rookies. This year's rookie class has been |
| mile tri-oval at Michigan International | | | | compared to the same rookie class that |
| Speedway. Initially, MIS was modeled after | | | | yielded Jimmie Johnson & Ryan Newman. Is |
| the other great 1 1/2 mile speedway, Lowe's | | | | Denny Hamlin on the same level as Jimmie & |
| Motor Speedway. But after nearly 30 years or | | | | Ryan? Time will only tell, but what we do |
| racing, it has developed a personality of | | | | know is that he is a serious big-time |
| it's own that no single driver has been able | | | | competitor.Denny started his season with a |
| to dominate. Unlike other speedways, since | | | | bang by winning the Budweiser Shootout in |
| the 2000 season there has never been a single | | | | Daytona. Since then, Hamlin has posted a 4th |
| driver to win consecutive races at | | | | place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in the |
| Michigan.Don't run to the store or sit on the | | | | Samsung/Radioshack 500, a 2nd place finish at |
| toilet too long next Sunday. The races at | | | | the Richmond International Raceway in the |
| Michigan tend to go by very fast!!! Of the | | | | Crown Royal 400, and a win in this past |
| tri-oval tracks currently on the Nextel Cup | | | | weekend's Pocono 500 at Pocono International |
| circuit, Michigan holds the fastest average | | | | Raceway. Along the way, his average finish of |
| race speed clocking in at just over 174mph. | | | | 16th has been enough to catapult him into the |
| Only Daytona and Talladega have faster | | | | top 10 in driver's points.The rest of the |
| average speeds.Next week at MIS, expect Carl | | | | NASCAR world is starting to see what Joe |
| Edwards to continue to make his move to | | | | Gibbs & Co. have known all along, Denny |
| qualify for the Chase for the Championship. | | | | Hamlin is the real deal!!! Not only can Denny |
| In three starts at Michigan, Carl has 2-top 5 | | | | make a mean hamburger and funny commercial, |
| finishes and 1 top 10.Also expect the | | | | he can drive the hell out of a race car |
| following drivers to do well next week:Other | | | | too!Who's Not?Jeez Jeff Gordon, where have |
| drivers to note:Matt Kenseth - Average Finish | | | | you gone? I was hoping last week's section of |
| 8th | | | | Who's Not? would serve to motivate Jeff and |
| | | | the rest of the Rainbow Warriors to turn |
| Jeff Gordon - Average Finish 10th | | | | their season around. From the results at |
| | | | Pocono, it appears neither Jeff nor the brake |
| Greg Biffle - Average Finish 11th | | | | technician at Hendrick Motorsports bothered |
| | | | to read my article.Oh well. If they had, |
| Mark Martin - Average Finish 12thNext Week's | | | | perhaps they would not be in the dreaded 11th |
| Schedule:Nextel Cup: @ Michigan International | | | | place position headed into Michigan next |
| Raceway | | | | week. Jeff currently sits 25 points out |
| | | | |
| 6/17/06 - 10:35pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | of 10th behind his ever-charming teammate |
| Performance 400 Practice | | | | Kyle Busch. Fortunately for the 24 team, of |
| | | | the last tracks to be raced prior to the |
| 6/16/06 - 03:10pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | cut-off for the Nextel Cup Championship Race, |
| Performance 400 Qualifying | | | | Jeff has always posted strong finishes (an |
| | | | average finish in the top 12). |
| 6/18/06 - 01:40pm NASCAR Nextel Cup 3M | | | | |