Johnny Benson

Michigan International Speedway has been special for Carl Edwards.

The intermediate track is where Edwards made his first Cup start, where he made his 100th Cup start, and where last June he snapped a 52-race winless streak with a victory after leading a race-high 63 laps.

Edwards is primed for another trip to Victory Lane at the D-shaped oval, which stretches a couple of miles in length, and come Sunday he's my pick to best the field over 400 miles.

Working in Edwards favor
The Roush Fenway Racing driver is very fond of Michigan, which he says is his second favorite track next to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. And Michigan is considered a home venue for the Roush Fenway organization, which runs Fords so it's in the manufacturer's backyard. All of the organization's employees know team owner Jack Roush puts big-time emphasis on getting one of his cars to Victory Lane at this oval.

Roush Fenway Racing puts an extreme amount of effort into this race and at this time Edwards stands out among the RFR drivers as the one who is best suited to make a strong run at crossing the checkers first. His Cup resume at Michigan has more than the 2007 win as a highlight. In seven Cup starts at Michigan the No. 99 Ford has six top-10s, four top-fives and an average finishing position of 7.3. Edwards is saying to his counterparts go try and top how well he runs at this layout. And they all know doing so won't be in any way an easy task.

When a driver likes a track as much as Edwards likes Michigan, he seems to have a special connection to racing at the venue. He better understands what he'll encounter running the track and what he is looking for in a setup. For whatever reason, a special affinity for a track usually pays dividends to the driver and we could see that again on Sunday with Edwards at Michigan.

Other drivers to watch
With the kind of season Kyle Busch is having he can definitely win this race. Edwards can feel he has an edge over Kyle but it's a slim one at best. Kyle's first Cup race at Michigan came in 2005 and he impressed with a ninth-place result. His best finish at this oval was sixth in this event last year.

Last weekend Kyle became the first driver to compete in all three of NASCAR’s national series at three different race tracks on the same weekend. After coming home second in Friday night’s Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway he could do no better than 20th in the Nationwide Series race at Nashville on Saturday night. Then on Sunday at Pocono he started at the rear of the field after wrecking his primary car in Saturday’s practice session. Running deep in traffic he got into Jamie McMurray and his car wound up needing major repairs and though he got back on the track he finished last with his rebuilt chassis. By doing so he lost 121 points off his 142-point lead for the top spot in the standings.

Special feature LifeLock 500 Loop data, track and overall season stats for some favorites in the upcoming race in Michigan.

Kyle tries the triple again this weekend with Friday's Craftsman Truck Series race in Michigan, the Nationwide Series race in Kentucky on Saturday and then back to Michigan for the Cup event on Sunday. Attempting the triple is something Busch can handle physically but he does run the risk of compromising his Cup success if he gets injured in one of the other top series.

While there continues to be speculation over what Tony Stewart's future will hold, his present hasn't produced a finish above 21st in the last four points races. Still this is the time of year when -- like the weather -- the two-time Cup champion usually heat ups and Michigan is the style of track he excels on with a win (in 2000), 12 top-10s and eight top-fives in 18 starts.

Interactive Resurgent Kahne headed for the Chase

Jimmie Johnson was third in the summer race at Michigan last year. He's moved up to sixth in points and his Michigan resume reads one pole, two top-fives, and five top-10s in 12 starts. The two-time defending Cup champion has marked this two-mile oval as one of the tracks he wants to improve and he likes that it's a venue with several grooves and good side-by-side racing.

There isn't a hotter Cup driver than Kasey Kahne, who has come away with wins two of the last three weeks including last Sunday at Pocono. Kahne and his crew chief Kenny Francis are getting a handle on whatever changed between this year and last year -- which was a dismal one for them -- and that isn't good news for the competition nor is it good news for the other drivers that Michigan is a track Kahne enjoys running at. That's because Michigan is a track where drivers can run up top and Kahne is one of the drivers that loves to race the high groove.

Among those singing the praises of Michigan is Kurt Busch, who while competing for Roush Fenway Racing chalked up a win at the track in 2003 and got back to Victory Lane last summer with his current organization Penske Racing. Michigan is a welcome sight for Kurt, who at 21st in points needs to get on a roll to make up ground in the standings and challenge for a spot in the Chase.

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