Countdown To Michigan: NASCAR Arrives In The Irish Hills This Week

Perhaps more than any other track on the circuit, Michigan International Speedway has become known for wild, unpredictable fuel-mileage finishes.

Having enough gas, in fact, is one of the primary concerns for teams at Michigan – on top of the typical worries about speed and handling. Every driver knows that saving fuel may be the difference between stealing a win or sputtering to a 25th-place finish.

This year, though, the fuel-mileage drama has an added twist. With a new fuel can, teams are struggling to get all the gas into the car before the tire changers swap four tires. Drivers who have left their stalls early have found themselves with gas tanks running dry; waiting an extra second or two after the tires are changed may cost them position on the track, but ensure they’ll have enough fuel to finish the race.

Because of that, the new fuel can has had a greater impact than anyone thought. Greg Biffle said last week that fueling issues are “absolutely, 100 percent” affecting the outcome of Sprint Cup Series races this season.

“The issue is that the teams are faster than you can fill the car with gas – it is that simple,” he said. “The pit crews have gotten so good and trained and worked so hard that they can get the tires on the race car faster than you can get the car full of gas.

”Congrats to them for how hard they have worked and what they have accomplished. With the new fuel connection or whatever you want to call it, has slowed up the fueling of the car enough to where you can literally change tires faster than you can fuel. Not by much, but it doesn’t take much.”

Biffle’s teammate Carl Edwards couldn’t help but notice what a small amount of fuel can do when he lost the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland recently. Edwards observed that just six ounces of fuel “can be the difference between winning and losing.”

Clint Bowyer said the extra second or half-second while waiting for the tank to get full can feel like an eternity.

And at Michigan, that fuel mileage will be just as important as any other aspect of the car. But are these types of races good or bad for fans?

Quite frankly, it depends on if the fuel mileage races benefit your favorite driver or not.

If fuel mileage becomes an issue at Michigan, drivers will do anything they can to save fuel.

“Then it’s all about…what extremes will you take it to?” Jeff Gordon said. “Anything that you’re going to do is going to cost you lap times for sure and it’s going to be a nail-biter, regardless.”

Aside from the gas issue, there are a few other items of note to watch this week at Michigan:

– Will Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch “have at it” now that their probation is expired? Harvick seems to have no intention of letting their rivalry fade.

– Can Edwards retain his point lead after letting Jimmie Johnson close within seven points, or can Johnson take the top spot? It’s not out of the question that Earnhardt Jr. (10 points back) or Harvick could leave Michigan as the points leader, too.

– How will Trevor Bayne fare in his first Sprint Cup Series start since recovering from his mystery illness? Bayne ran the Nationwide race at Chicagoland, but Michigan will mark the first time he’s been in a Cup race since April.