NASCAR At Michigan: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Wins Quicken Loans 400 Title

After significant drought since taking a checkered flag, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. emerged victorious on the final lap to take the Quicken Loans 400 at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday in thrilling fashion.

Earnhardt Jr. literally cruised to victory after opening the day in the No. 17 position, and shattered a 143-race winless streak that had begun to take a toll over time. Leader for 95 of the 200 laps on Sunday, Earnhardt's trip to victory lane at MIS came on his 450th career NASCAR start.

Rounding out the top four were Chevrolet's Tony Stewart (2nd), followed by Ford's duo of Matt Kenseth (3rd) and Greg Biffle (4th). Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished in 5th and 6th respectively.

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR At Michigan: Quicken Loans 400 Begins After Rain Delay

Just as many had predicted, a series of brief storms interrupted the NASCAR Quicken Loans 400 at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday before it could even begin.

Originally scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. ET, the drizzly weather forced more than a two-hour delay as workers tirelessly worked to jet dry the track to keep conditions manageable. Marcos Ambrose will open the 200-lap, 400-mile race in the pole after posting the fastest qualifying lap in 25 years at 203.241 miles per hour.

Behind the pole-sitter Ambrose is Kevin Harvick in the No. 2 spot, Greg Biffle at No. 3, Kasey Kahne at No. 4 and Ryan Newman to round out the top five. With record speeds expected for the race, the slightly-adjusted tires introduced on Sunday are expected to help keep things as safe as possible on a track that has already seen blistering trial run speeds.

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR At Michigan: New Tires To Be Introduced For Sunday

With record speeds dominating the early runs at the Michigan International Speedway this weekend in anticipation of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event on Sunday, NASCAR and Goodyear have decided to introduce a new tire with the hopes of creating a safer environment for drivers. With the newly paved track allowing for drivers to reach faster speeds than they ever have before, the tires have been "blistering," which increases the chances of a blowout.

Goodyear has shipped out a new left-side tire for Sunday's race, which all drivers will be able to test out in an extended practice session on Saturday night. The new tire is more reliable and was used in 2006 and 2007 at Charlotte when that track was repaved.

Via SBNation.com:

"Safety is always our No. 1 concern, and by bringing this tire here this weekend, we will accomplish that goal," Goodyear's Greg Stucker said.

Each team will have 10 sets of tires for the race, which is the same amount as originally planned. They will also have extra sets to use in tonight's practice session.

For more information on the tire change, read Jeff Gluck's comprehensive article on the issue.

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR Lineup For Michigan Speedway: Marcos Ambrose Wins Pole Position

On Saturday afternoon, Marcos Ambrose used the fastest NASCAR qualifying lap in 25 years to win the pole position for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan, posting an average speed of 203.241 miles per hour. This is the first time in Ambrose's career that he has won the pole and it comes in a weekend where record speeds have been the norm.

The rest of the top 10 will be rounded out by Matt Kenseth, Trevor Bayne, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson.

Here is the starting lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan via SBNation.com:

1. Marcos Ambrose
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kasey Kahne
5. Ryan Newman
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Trevor Bayne
8. Tony Stewart
9. Joey Logano
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Regan Smith
13. Clint Bowyer
14. Mark Martin
15. Aric Almirola
16. Martin Truex Jr.
17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
18. Paul Menard
19. Jamie McMurray
20. AJ Allmendinger
21. Juan Pablo Montoya
22. Austin Dillon
23. Scott Riggs
24. Casey Mears
25. Brad Keselowski
26. Kurt Busch
27. Michael McDowell
28. Jeff Gordon
29. Mike Bliss
30. Josh Wise
31. Bobby Labonte
32. Landon Cassill
33. Jeff Burton
34. Kyle Busch
35. David Gilliland
36. Dave Blaney
37. Joe Nemechek
38. David Ragan
39. Travis Kvapil
40. Ken Schrader
41. Tony Raines
42. Carl Edwards
43. JJ Yeley

NASCAR At Michigan Weather Forecast And Schedule: Chance Of Storms Threatens Race Day

On Sunday afternoon, the Quicken Loans 400 is scheduled to take place at Michigan International Speedway as part of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. However, the event may be threatened due to a cold front, which is expected to bring scattered showers and storms.

Despite the threat of uncooperative weather, it appears as though the showers will clear out prior to the start of the race on Sunday. Saturday is expected to be a hot and sunny day for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide qualifying as well as the Nationwide race. The issue will come late Saturday night when the aforementioned cold front ushers in a narrow band of showers and storms, which is expected to hit Sunday morning and clear out by the afternoon just in time for race time.

Here are the projected weather forecasts for each of this weekend's events:

Conditions in Brooklyn, MI: Click here for Current Weather Conditions - Look at Doppler Radar | Mobile Friendly Site | Mobile Radar

SATURDAY:
11:05 a.m. EDT
Nationwide Series qualifying - Mostly sunny skies - temp: 82
1:10 p.m. EDT
Sprint Cup Series qualifying - Mostly sunny skies - temp: 85
3:45 p.m. EDT
Nationwide Series Race - Mostly sunny skies - temp: 89

SUNDAY:
12 p.m. EDT
Sprint Cup Series Pre-race - Mostly cloudy, chance of shower or storm - temp: 78
1 p.m. EDT
Sprint Cup Series Race - Mostly cloudy, chance of shower or storm - temp: 81
2 p.m. EDT
Sprint Cup Series Race - Mostly cloudy, chance of shower or storm - temp: 82
4 p.m. EDT
Sprint Cup Series Race - Mostly cloudy, chance of shower or storm - temp: 83

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR At Michigan: No Restrictor Plates Despite High Speeds

Despite the record speeds registered at the newly repaved Michigan International Speedway during Thursday's Sprint Cup Series test, NASCAR will not be doing anything to try and slow down the cars.

Via SB Nation motorsports editor Jeff Gluck:

"We're not looking at [restrictor] plates here," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition. "... In general, the speeds will continue to go down [throughout the weekend]."

NASCAR believes that the record speeds can be attributed to the repaved track and the cool weather conditions that were present on Thursday morning. In addition, officials believe speeds will decline due to more rubber on the racetrack as well as warmer temperatures forecasted for this weekend.

Gluck notes that even if officials wanted to slow down the cars there isn't much they could do.

Turning a 2-mile downforce track into a restrictor-plate race could come with unforeseen consequences, since there's never been a race quite like that before.

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR At Michigan: New Track Producing Record Speeds

On Thursday morning, the speed record at Michigan International Speedway was broken 39 times prior to the driver's taking a break for lunch as the competitors prepared for the Quicken Loans 400 set to take place at the speedway on Sunday.

Breaking in the newly repaved two-mile track in the Irish Hills, Mark Martin was the fastest driver in the morning sessions, topping out at 201.089 miles per hour, while Tony Stewart reached the highest speed of the day at 201.896 miles per hour in the afternoon sessions.

Prior to Thursday, the record was set at 194.232 miles per hour when Ryan Newman registered the speed in 2005. By the end of Thursday, 43 drivers had surpassed Newman's record.

The increased speeds have raised questions about safety by some of the drivers. Via the Detroit Free Press:

"I think we are approaching some safety concerns at the speeds we are going," said Biffle, who is third in Sprint Cup points after leading the standings most of the season. "I don't know that we are there yet though.

"The thing you worry is if a piece breaks on the car, an engine breaks at an inopportune time coming off the corner or getting into a corner. ... We are certainly pushing the envelope and with the extra speed, the wall still isn't going to move when you get there."

For more on NASCAR at Michigan, check out SB Nation's NASCAR hub.

NASCAR At Michigan: Schedule Of Events For This Weekend

NASCAR is at MIS this weekend. The main event for the weekend is the Quicken Loans 400, which is set for noon ET on Sunday.

Dominic Raiola, Jimmy Howard To Be Grand Marshal And Honorary Starter At Quicken Loans 400