Arena: Michigan International Speedway

Location: Brooklyn, MI

Date: August 19, 2012

NASCAR Betting Online: On August 19th, approximately 42 drivers will take to the course at Michigan International Speedway for the CARFAX 400. The defending champion of this event is Brian Vickers. He rode his Toyota to Victory Lane in Michigan at an average speed of 131.531 MPH. However, the three hours and two minutes that the race took was the longest since 2003 and was the third longest since 1981. It was the first time that a Toyota driver crossed the finish line first in this race. Ford easily leads the way in manufacturer victories with 16, nearly half of the total races run at Michigan International Speedway.

The richest prize ever for this event came in 2008 when Carl Edwards walked away with a cool $226,075 in earnings. The only other $200,000+ earner for one race was Matt Kenseth in 2006.

Most recently known as the 3M Performance 400, this race has taken on plenty of other sponsors. GFS Marketplace, Pepsi, and GM Goodwrench have all sponsored the 400 mile race in Michigan.

David Pearson won the first of these races, the Yankee 600 in 1969. He also won it in 1972, 1974, 1976, and 1978.

Just as he did in the other race in Michigan, Bill Elliott has a three-peat to his credit. From 1975 to 1993, this event was known as the Champion Spark Plug 400. Bill Elliott won this race in 1985, 1986, and 1987. Mark Martin has won this race three times, stretching from his first win in 1990 to his most recent victory in 1997. If he could win this coming season, Martin would become just the second four time winner of the event.

There have been seven straight first time winners of the CARFAX 400, starting with Ryan Newman in 2003. Dale Jarrett, who won the race in '02, also won in 1996.

Most of the drivers in the Chase for the Championship have actually never won this race, including Kevin Harvick and four-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. Denny Hamlin has already won a handful of races in 2010, but he has never won at Michigan International Speedway at the CARFAX 400 either. Even the great Jeff Gordon has only won this race once, and that came back in 1998.

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2011 Pure Michigan 400 Winner - With Michigan Win, Busch Clinches Chase Spot

Michigan finally unrolled the welcome mat for Kyle Busch, the first official member of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Busch got his first Sprint Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedwayin his 14th start at the 2.0-mile track, holding off Jimmie Johnson in a green-white-checkered-flag finish to win Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.

Busch beat Johnson to the finish line by .568 seconds to claim his series-best fourth victory of the season and the 23rd of his career. Busch kept Johnson winless at Michigan, one of five active tracks on the Cup circuit where the five-time champion hasn’t been to victory lane.

Brad Keselowski continued his recent surge with a third-place run, followed by Mark Martin and Ryan Newman. Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth completed the top 10.

Busch clinched his berth in the Chase by virtue of the fourth win, which guarantees him at least a wild-card berth in NASCAR’s 10-race playoff. He also claimed sole possession of the series lead, by 10 points over Johnson, after Carl Edwards finished 36th because of electrical problems and dropped from a share of first to fourth in the standings.

Harvick wins 2010 CARFAX 400

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin were joking on the radio about where Gatorade Victory Lane was located following Harvick's victory in the CARFAX 400 on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

Harvick eventually found Gatorade Victory Lane and celebrated his first Sprint Cup Series win at MIS. His only other victory at MIS was in a Nationwide Series race in 2003.

With his victory, Harvick becomes the first driver to secure a spot in the 10-race 'Chase for the Championship.' He currently holds a 293-point lead over second place Jeff Gordon with three races to go before the Chase.

The victory also gave owner Richard Childress his first Sprint Cup victory at MIS since Dale Earnhardt Sr. won here in 1990, a span of 20 years.