Johnny Benson

Sunday, the Sprint Cup circuit makes its second visit of the summer to Michigan International Speedway, and based on his strong history at the track Tony Stewart is my pick to win and get to Victory Lane for the first time this year.

Working in Stewart’s favor
The veteran driver has finished in the top-five in three of his last four Cup starts at this flat, two-mile, D-shaped track. And he’s been running well of late, climbing three spots in the Cup standings to seventh after finishing second in his last two races.

Stewart is tough to beat at MIS, where he has finished in the top 10 in all but two of his last 12 races. His last Cup victory at this track came in June of 2000 when he started 28th. Since then no driver has started from further back in this event and wound up as the winner.

Stewart has a knack for overcoming poor starts at MIS. Two seasons ago, he started 41st and rallied to a third-place finish, establishing a new Cup record at the track by advancing 38 places to top the mark previously established by Jimmy Spencer in the June 1996 race.

The veteran could gain an advantage from the chassis he will be in on Sunday. It’s the same one he drove to fifth place finishes at MIS in June and Chicagoland in July. It had a memorable debut at Charlotte in May, when Stewart started 31st, led four times for 31 laps and was kept from vying for the win by a flat right-front tire.

Other drivers to watch
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be bidding for a season sweep at MIS. He won the Father’s Day event in June, marking his first win, third top-five finish and sixth top-10 in his 17th start at the track. Junior has led 124 laps at MIS and completed 98 percent of all the laps run.

Junior’s crew chief chief Tony Eury Jr. has chosen chassis No. 499 for Sunday's race. It’s the same chassis Junior drove in leading 76 laps and finishing sixth in the 600-mile event at Charlotte in May. It also recorded a 12th-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month.

Carl Edwards has fond memories of racing at MIS. The Roush-Fenway Racing driver made his Cup debut a strong one with a ride to 10th place in this event four seasons ago. In his seven MIS starts since that race the Colombia, Mo. native has finished outside the top seven just once. His June victory at MIS last year ended a stretch of 52 straight Cup races without a win.

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Edwards is having a superb season as he is second in points and his top-10 finish last weekend at Watkins Glen was his 16th of the year and that’s tops in the Cup series.

The only driver ahead of Edwards in the Cup standings is Kyle Busch, who, despite his eight wins this season is not a likely candidate to be among the top Michigan finishers on Sunday given his history at this track. Busch raced from the pole at MIS in June but managed only a 13th-place result. And in seven career starts at the track, his average finish is 19.57. Busch should have his work cut out for him at MIS.

Expect strong finishes at MIS from Jeff Burton and Brian Vickers. Even though Burton has failed to crack the top 10 in each of his last seven starts at the track, the Richard Childress Racing veteran has been consistent in 2008 and I like his chances to find the touch that helped him record five top-10 finishes in a span of six MIS starts from 1996 to 1999.