NASCAR Michigan 2014: Quicken Loans 400 preview

It doesn’t have the history of Darlington or Martinsville, two of NASCAR’s oldest tracks. At 400 miles it isn’t even the longest race on the Sprint Cup calendar. And it isn’t physically demanding like Bristol or Dover, a pair of high-banked concrete ovals that wear drivers down.

What Michigan International Speedway does represent is straightforward: speed. A 2-mile track with an ultra smooth surface and wide corners, Michigan is the fastest circuit in NASCAR.

Kevin Harvick’s pole-winning run of 204.557 mph was the fastest since 1987 when Bill Elliott eclipsed 212 mph in qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway -- the last race before the implementation of restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega, which reduce airflow into the engine and limit horsepower.

Michigan has become synonymous with speed since a repave in the spring of 2012 afforded drivers more grip. Offseason rule changes to suspension and aerodynamics have also made the Generation-6 car more comfortable to drive, and why Friday’s qualifying session was the fastest in 27 years.

“As a driver, I don’t know how much faster we’ve gone this year than last year, but I feel like it’s quite a bit,” said Jeff Gordon, who qualified second. “My car was way more comfortable and those speeds were easier to handle this year than they were last year.”

The rule changes, a resurfaced track and enhanced driver comfort have combined to increase corner speeds by five to 10 mph according to Brad Keselowski.

“It feels probably 10 to 15 miles an hour slower because of how much rear grip that spoiler put in the car and how much more secure you feel with that,” he said.

The speed that has been prevalent throughout the weekend presents a unique challenge. Engines, tires and mechanical parts will be pushed to the limit -- and in some cases beyond -- like no other race this season. And a race that magnifies the stress on engines and emphasizes reliability is an ominous sign for Sunday’s pole-sitter.

In his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick owns two victories, and week-to-week no one has been consistently better. But the 38-year-old’s dominance has continually been pockmarked with equipment failures that have cost him several potential victories.

“It’s just part of it,” Harvick said. “In my career, I’ve won a lot of races that I probably shouldn’t have won and lost a lot that you should have won. It’s a vicious cycle.

“But you just have to keep plugging along week by week. Experience counts and a lot of these guys have been around this a long time.”

Concerns about durability aren’t limited to just Harvick, whose SHR team shares a technical partnership with and receives engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Led by Harvick, Hendrick-powered drivers swept the first three positions in qualifying and the top four spots in final practice.

It’s a clear indicator that a Hendrick-backed driver could win for a fifth consecutive week. Except the recent history of Hendrick at Michigan is worrisome; a blown engine knocked Johnson out last August, and similar troubles inflicted Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne within the past two years.

Although practice may have placed Hendrick and its affiliated teams on a pedestal for Sunday, Michigan’s high speeds and stress have also created great unpredictability. The Quicken Loans 400 may not be so much a race but a battle of attrition.

“This weekend is going to be a real challenge for reliability,” Gordon said. “We are going so fast. From engines to just components on the car, tires, it’s concerning. I’m glad it’s 400 miles, but even 400 miles you are going to have to manage it.”