NASCAR makes its second stop at Motor City as the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend.
A win in the backyard of the Top 3 manufacturers comes with bragging rights, perhaps even more so when your manufacturer isn't based there - such as when Denny Hamlin won in the spring in a Toyota. But no driver has swept both races at Michigan since 1995. Can Hamlin pull a double and add to the five wins he's already accumulated this season? Kasey Kahne will lead the field to green Sunday.
Michigan marks the second race where the new car will be used in the Nationwide Series. The new model won raves from drivers and fans after its first outing at Daytona, but this weekend marks the first time the car will be used on a 2-mile track. There are a lot of unknowns about how the car will perform on this kind of track. While Thursday's extended practice helped answer some questions, Saturday will be the true test to see how the car does in race conditions. Brad Keselowski is the defending winner of last year's event.
Meanwhile, the Camping World Truck Series returns to visit an old friend - the Lady in Black, Darlington Raceway. It's been nearly six years since the trucks have run at Darlington. During that time the track has been paved, which adds intrigue as well as more uncertainty to Saturday night's race. Who'll tame the Lady in Black - or end up on her bad side?
The following is a schedule of track events and television coverage at Michigan and Darlington. Events without a channel listed will not be televised. (All times in Eastern Standard Time):
Saturday, August 14:
9 a.m. NSCS Practice at Michigan, SPEED
10 a.m. NNS Qualifying at Michigan, SPEED
12 noon NSCS Final Practice at Michigan, SPEED
1 p.m. NNS Countdown at Michigan, ESPN
2 p.m. NNS: CARFAX 250, ESPN. Green flag: 2:16 p.m. (reruns at 3 a.m. on ESPN2)
4:30 p.m. NASCAR Smarts, SPEED
5 p.m. NASCAR Performance, SPEED
5:30 p.m. NCWTS Qualifying at Darlington, SPEED
7 p.m. NCWTS SetUp at Darlington, SPEED (reruns at midnight)
7:30 p.m. NCWTS: Too Tough to Tame 200, SPEED. Green flag: 7:48 p.m. (reruns at 12:30 a.m.)
Sunday, August 15:
9 a.m. NASCAR Performance, SPEED
9 a.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
9:30 a.m. NASCAR in A Hurry, SPEED
10 a.m. NASCAR RaceDay, SPEED
12 noon NSCS Countdown, ESPN
1 p.m. NSCS: CARFAX 400, ESPN. Green flag: 1:16 p.m. (reruns at 2 a.m. on ESPN2)
8 p.m. NASCAR Victory Lane SPEED (reruns at 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday)
1 a.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
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