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Phoenix_NSCS_Harvick_VL_031515Kevin Harvick might not be happy about having just two wins, but he does have eight runner-ups that give him 10 top-two finishes on the year.

The 10 top-two finishes tie him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison (1972) for the most through 14 races in a season. The only other drivers with as many as nine top twos through 14 races are NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty (1971) and Cale Yarborough (1974 and 1977).

Harvick’s strong finishes have allowed him to build a 39-point lead over Martin Truex Jr. in the season points standings.

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nscs_autoclub_jeffgordon_032114Jeff Gordon showed the crowd incredible things last August at Michigan, leading 68 laps from the pole after setting the track qualifying record (206.558 mph), and pulling away from Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano for the win.

Gordon will try to visit Victory Lane again Sunday, for the second straight race in the Great Lakes State, filling his blank space in the win column and clinching a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The No. 24 Chevrolet driver’s three Michigan wins rank second among active drivers and his eight runner-ups stand as the most in history.

Gordon is coming off a 14th-place showing at Pocono. His third-place finish at Bristol was his best of the season. He currently occupies the 13th spot on the Chase Grid, 57 points above the cutoff line.

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nascar_bms_031414_keselowskiBrad Keselowski has won plenty of races in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

Seventeen to be exact.

One place he hasn’t won is his home track – Michigan International Speedway. He will try to visit Victory Lane for the first time in front of the home crowd in Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400. In 11 starts at Michigan, Keselwoski owns three top fives (27.3%) and four top 10s with an average finish of 14.8. The numbers seem mediocre, but take away his first four starts at MIS and Keselowski’s average finish improves to 7.6.

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The Final Lap Weekly Podcast LogoSHOW #362 – Guest: Daniel Suarez – We recap the Pocono race weekend, congratulations to Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth hangs back stage with Taylor Swift, teams tested Darlington, MWR crew shuffle, chase spots dwindle, plus a full Michigan preview. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Toby Christie

( Roughly 48:00 mins)

Continue reading “The Final Lap Weekly #362 Daniel Suarez / Michigan Preview”

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O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 - PracticeChris Buescher hasn’t seen anyone ahead of him lately.

And he’d like to keep it that way.

The No. 62 Roush Fenway Racing driver has won two of the last three NASCAR XFINITY Series races and has climbed to the top of the driver standings, 15 points ahead of Ty Dillon.

“It’s been a smooth start to the beginning of the year,” said Buescher following his latest win at Dover. “We’ve had a lot of races where we’ve been in the top five and have been very competitive. We know as long as we can run in the top five area, we’ll be able to get some of these wins. We are just trying to do everything we can each and every week to win these races. If we go do that, everything else comes with it.”

Buescher will try to continue his smooth start in Saturday’s Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America at Michigan International Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).

The Texan faces added pressure since MIS is the home track of team owner Jack Roush and his car manufacturer Ford, but he has done well at the two-mile oval previously. In two career XFINITY Series starts at Michigan, Buescher has finished seventh and 10th. He will attempt to add to RFR’s legacy that includes a track-record five wins.

“It’s been a good week off, but I’m ready to head to Jack (Roush) and Ford’s home track up in Michigan,” Buescher said. “It is one of the fastest tracks we go to, and has been a pretty good track for me in the past.”