Pick 'em: Michigan

Edwards the big favorite; Johnson gets two votes

By NASCAR.COM
August 16, 2008
10:15 AM EDT

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Each week the staff at NASCAR.COM will pick a race winner, a dark horse for the checkers and the ain't-got-a-chance driver (no scrubs; someone with a Q score).

Our scoring system: Experts receive as many points as the "winner" pick gets in the race.

3M Performance 400

Writer	Winner	Here's why ...	Dark Horse	No Chance	Points

Josh Pate	Jimmie Johnson	Remember how good Kyle Busch was at the start of the year? That's where Jimmie is now. In five of his past six Michigan races he's finished sixth or better. He's never won at MIS, so while Roush steals all the headlines, the 48 team will snag the trophy.	Brian Vickers	Clint Bowyer	3,187
Duane Cross	Tony Stewart	Conventional wisdom had me thinking Matt Kenseth, but now that his shop is in order I think we may begin to see Smoke emerge from the fog.	Martin Truex Jr.	Kurt Busch	3,171
Bill Kimm	Carl Edwards	Roush owns this track and I'm going to go with his hottest driver. Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle each have their two wins here, now it's time for Edwards to get his second.	kasey Kahne	Clint Bowyer	3,131
Joe Menzer	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Last time he broke his long winless streak at Michigan by winning on fuel mileage. This time, he'll do it because he's got one of the best cars and he and crew chief Tony Eury Jr. are starting to take more aggressive chances.	Juan Montoya	Ryan Newman	3,045
Raygan Swan	Carl Edwards	Everyone knows that Roush Fenway Racing cars dominate in Michigan so Carl Edwards is the obvious pick this week and he's looking to cut into Busch's lead heading into the Chase.	David Raygan	Clint Bowyer	3,003
David Caraviello	Matt Kenseth	He's overdue, and he needs a strong run to solidify his place in the Chase. He'll get that and more Sunday at a track where Roush Fenway cars have traditionally dominated.	Kurt Busch	Jeff Gordon	2,988
Dave Rodman	Jimmie Johnson	He is getting into a zone that may result in his third consecutive Cup championship, but at the very least will result in a victory Sunday.	Brian Vickers	Clint Bowyer	2,882
Jarrod Breeze	Carl Edwards	Gotta go with arguably the second-best driver all year -- at least in terms of wins (four) and points (currently) -- whose track record at Michigan also is arguably second to none. He's good there because of Roush; but Roush is good there because of Edwards.	Elliot Sadler	Kasey Kahne	2,764
Mark Aumann	Carl Edwards	With seven top-10s in eight starts, has the best average finish of any active driver at Michigan. And he's hungry to find 10 more bonus points.	Kasey Kahne	Kyle Busch	2,656

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3M Performance 400

Race Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Make	Speed	Time

1.	B. Vickers	Toyota	188.536	38.189
2.	J. Johnson	Chevrolet	187.028	38.497
3.	E. Sadler	Dodge	186.577	38.590
4.	Dale Jr.	Chevrolet	186.321	38.643
5.	J. Gordon	Chevrolet	186.032	38.703
6.	P. Carpentier	Dodge	185.979	38.714
7.	D. Reutimann	Toyota	185.907	38.729
8.	R. Smith	Chevrolet	185.874	38.736
9.	G. Biffle	Ford	185.821	38.747
10.	S. Riggs	Chevrolet	185.821	38.747

• Lineup | Race Video | Photo Gallery

Sprint Cup Series

Official Standings

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	--	Kyle Busch	3254	Leader
2.	+1	Carl Edwards	3012	-242
3.	+1	Jimmie Johnson	3010	-244
4.	-2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	2985	-269
5.	--	Jeff Burton	2945	-309
6.	--	Jeff Gordon	2754	-500
7.	+2	Tony Stewart	2744	-510
8.	-1	Kasey Kahne	2713	-541
9.	+1	Denny Hamlin	2689	-565
10.	-2	Greg Biffle	2689	-565
11.	--	Kevin Harvick	2670	-584
12.	+1	Matt Kenseth	2628	-626