Kurt Busch and Trevor Bayne spent the past two days at Michigan
International Speedway testing NASCAR’s Gen-6 Car for their Furniture Row
Racing and Wood Brothers Racing teams, preparing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series Quicken Loans 400 on June 18 and the Pure Michigan 400 on Aug. 18.
“Raw speed,” said Busch of his MIS test. “This place is fast. It’s
fun. You always pull the belts down tight for your first lap out.”
A new coat of asphalt made Michigan NASCAR’s fastest track a year
ago, and Busch’s top average speed around the two-mile oval -- 195.865 mph with
a top speed of 212 mph down the back stretch.
Bayne was nearly as fast on the second day of his test. He clicked
off a lap at 193.500 mph with a top speed of 211.500 mph.
Michigan International Speedway officially became NASCAR’s fastest
track in June of 2012, when Marcos Ambrose qualified at 203.241 mph for the
Quicken Loans 400. It was the 11th-fastest pole-winning speed in NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series history and the first time the pole winning speed was faster than
200 mph at a track other than Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International
Speedway.
Wood Brothers Racing is looking to take the new Gen-6 car to
victory lane to add to their impressive 11 total Sprint Cup Series victories at
Michigan. The Wood Brothers history seems fitting given the location, as it is
in the back yard of the Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford Motor Company, who has
supported the Wood Brothers for many years.
“This would be one of the biggest wins for the Wood Brothers,”
Bayne said. “It’s a big deal to run good here.”
MIS is once again host to a pair of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races
in 2013. The top series comes to the Irish Hills for the Quicken Loans 400 on
Sunday, June 16, and returns just two short months later for the Pure Michigan
400 on Sunday, August 18.
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