NASCAR At Michigan 2012: Start Time, Starting Lineup, Live Streaming, TV/Radio Schedule And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Michigan International Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s race for you below.

What time does the race start today? Jimmy Howard, the Detroit Red Wings’ starting goalie, will give the command to fire engines today along with his father, James, at 1:07 p.m. Eastern time. After a few pace laps, the race will go green at 1:16 p.m. ET. So if you’re looking to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race itself, turn on your TV set at 1:16 p.m. ET. **Note: Weather is expected to impact the start of today’s race. See below for more.**

Race name/distance: The Quicken Loans 400 is a 200-lap race around the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway for a total of 400 miles. This is the first race on Michigan’s newly repaved racing surface.

TV, radio and live streaming: Today’s race can be seen on TNT. This is TNT’s second of six broadcasts this summer before handing the reins to ESPN for the rest. There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found at NASCAR.com’s “RaceBuddy” site. If you’ll be away from your computer and TV, check the Motor Racing Network’s web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.

*** NOTE: If you’re out and about today and can’t watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting updates about the event. ***

National anthem: The U.S. Army Chorus A Capella Team will sing the national anthem today. That should be a big upgrade over the Michigan race of a few years ago, when Saving Abel butchered the anthem in an infamous performance.

Tickets: The race is not a sellout, so you should be good to go if you’re planning to make a last-minute trip on race day.

Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, says today’s weather is not good. Neudorff expects overnight showers and storms to remain in the area throughout the morning, but he’s optimistic there could be some racing later in the afternoon.

Last time: One year ago, Denny Hamlin held off Matt Kenseth to win at Michigan after a late caution with five laps to go. Then, last August, Hamlin’s teammate Kyle Busch beat Jimmie Johnson in a green-white-checkered finish to win and clinch a Chase spot.

Starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway: