Getty Images fileKeys to success at Michigan
To run this track and to run it well a driver needs a lot of experience. That experience translates to the ability to find more grip, if needed, on this very wide track. This is a track where drivers can run two and even three distinct grooves. With the multiple grooves there is a lot of room for drivers to move around, and make some exciting passes.
If a driver can't get his car to grip on the bottom of the track, he can try to run in the middle or run high. And drivers like Kasey Kahne, who have reputations for going to the top of tracks, will likely look to run up high at MIS. With the new car it should be harder to run the bottom of the track, which would give an advantage, especially in the closing stages of the race, to the drivers whose setups work well racing in the high groove.
With a wide track offering a lot of room to run and to pass, races at MIS are usually pretty clean. Managing fuel is always a major challenge, and engine tuning is the most critical factor in getting maximum fuel mileage.
Drivers have to be extremely conscious that races at MIS have often been decided by fuel mileage so they have to be very careful of how they run the throttle. Crew chiefs will be under greater pressure to make the right calls with fuel mileage such a key factor. For them they have to hit on a balancing act of horsepower and fuel mileage that will suit them best in the race.
With the double-file restarts, the racing at MIS could get more exciting than it has been in the past.
Finally, there's a long pit road at Michigan so I expect some drivers will be penalized for speeding, especially under green-flag pit stops.
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