Race Day | Michigan 400

DAVID POOLE, dpoole@charlotteobserver.com

Saturday, Aug. 18, 2007

RACEDAY

3M PERFORMANCE 400
Where: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Mich.
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Weather: 70 degrees, showers and thunderstorms likely (60 percent chance)
TV: Coverage begins at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
Radio: Motor Racing Network, WSOC-FM (103.7)
Race distance: 400 miles (200 laps)
Track length: 2 miles

THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Roush Racing Fords have won four of the past six Michigan race, with Matt Kenseth winning here a year ago and Carl Edwards victorious in June. Edwards, Kenseth and Greg Biffle, who won in August 2004 and June 2005, were all among the four fastest cars in Saturday’s first practice.
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has had engine failures in two of the past three races and is now 14th in the standings, 100 points below the Chase cutoff. He did finish fifth here in June.
3. Teammates Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler ran so poorly here in June it led to a major upheaval in how things are done at Evernham Motorsports. Both of those cars start in the top five today.

PRACTICE UPDATE
Carl Edwards, who won the race here in June, had the fastest laps in both of Saturday’s practices. Greg Biffle was second in the first practice and fifth in the second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the fifth fastest lap in the first practice, but his team decided to change a transmission on the No. 8 Chevrolet before the final session. Earnhardt Jr. was 36th in the second practice and will start from the rear of the field today.

OBSERVER’S PICK
David Poole
Jeff Gordon – Delivers a “make good” for Watkins Glen misstep to his team and fans.

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