0 – Laps led this season by Aric Almirola (22nd at Michigan). He would be in the current Chase field if the season ended today.
1 – Lap led this season by Paul Menard (eighth at Michigan). He would be in the current Chase field if the season ended today.
2 – DNFs in four races for Kyle Busch since his Sprint Cup return. Busch was dead last Sunday after crashing out of the race on lap 53.
2 – Laps led by Danica Patrick while stretching fuel during a green-flag pit cycle. It’s the first two laps she’s led all season.
3 – Green-flag, on-track passes for the lead at Michigan during the first three laps. There were zero green-flag, on-track passes for the lead at Michigan the rest of the race.
3 – Straight seventh-place finishes by Jamie McMurray. He is now 76 points ahead of Clint Bowyer, the first driver outside of the Chase on points with just 11 races remaining in NASCAR’s regular season.
4 – Red flags for rain at Michigan Sunday, a modern-era record. All were for precipitation.
5 for 38 – Number of cautions and caution laps at Michigan. Four of those were for debris or rain. 28% of Sunday’s race (38 of 136 laps) was run under the yellow flag. Pocono, by comparison was run under yellow for 19% of the time last week.
6 – Laps led all day for race winner Kurt Busch at Michigan – the final six.
14th – Finish Sunday by Ty Dillon at Michigan, a career best in six Sprint Cup starts. Dillon is seeking sponsorship to move up to Cup full-time in 2016.
14 – Top-10 finishes for Martin Truex Jr. in the first 15 races this season (third at Michigan). That’s a new modern-era record and the most since Richard Petty did it in 1969.
15 – Positions lost by Jeff Gordon from his Michigan qualifying spot. Gordon, who wound up 21st after starting sixth is without a top-five finish in four straight races.
34.0 – Average finish for Greg Biffle at Fontana and Michigan this season, both Roush Fenway Racing strongholds. At Michigan, Biffle has four career victories and an average finish of 12.5.
$97,065 – Money won by Danica Patrick for finishing 16th at Michigan.
$101,561 – Money won by Kyle Busch for crashing out and finishing dead last.
About the author
The author of Did You Notice? (Wednesdays) Tom spends his time overseeing Frontstretch’s 40+ staff members as its majority owner and Editor-in-Chief. Based outside Philadelphia, Bowles is a two-time Emmy winner in NASCAR television and has worked in racing production with FOX, TNT, and ESPN while appearing on-air for SIRIUS XM Radio and FOX Sports 1's former show, the Crowd Goes Wild. He most recently consulted with SRX Racing, helping manage cutting-edge technology and graphics that appeared on their CBS broadcasts during 2021 and 2022.
You can find Tom’s writing here, at CBSSports.com and Athlonsports.com, where he’s been an editorial consultant for the annual racing magazine for 15 years.
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