NASCAR At MIS Results: Greg Biffle Wins Pure Michigan 400

After a close race that saw a number of drivers shoot to the front of the pack during the day, it was Greg Biffle who took the 2012 Pure Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday with an impressive victory.

Biffle led for 24 of the race's 200 laps, and edged Michigan's own Brad Keselowski, who finished in second place, down the stretch to bring home a key victory to close out the NASCAR season. Keselowski, a Dodge driver, finished a full 10 spots ahead of his next-closest teammate, Sam Hornish Jr.

Pole-sitter Mark Martin fell short of his goal to take the checkered flag after an unfortunate crash into the pit wall at the 65-lap mark, a situation that ended his day prematurely. Martin finished in 35th place overall, but was lucky to escape serious injury after the freak crash.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more Pure Michigan 400 coverage, and head over to SB Nation's NASCAR hub for more racing coverage.

NASCAR At Michigan: Kid Rock Will Be Grand Marshall For Today's Pure Michigan 400

Multi-platinum musician Kid Rock has been named Grand Marshall of today's Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The Detroit Free Press reported the news:

The Grammy nominated, multiplatinum-selling rocker will serve as the Pure Michigan 400 Grand Marshal today at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. His duties will include saying "Gentlemen, start your engines" for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. State and race officials cited Kid Rock's support of Michigan through his music and philanthropic efforts.

Kid Rock is a native Michigander and has been a regular fixture at Detroit sporting events during his career in music. He currently has a home outside of Detroit. The city of Detroit and Michigan are mainstays of his music, with his ties to the state mentioned in a number of his songs. He's also filmed some of his music videos in Michigan.

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NASCAR AT Michigan: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson Will Start Pure Michigan 400 In Back

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit a wall in turn two of his practice lap Friday at Michigan International Speedway in preparation for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 and will start in back.

Jimmie Johnson, the current series points leader, changed engines Friday and will also start in back.

George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press has the details:

“The guys saw something in warm up this morning and we were trying to sort through it before practice started," Johnson said. "They took a deeper look at things right before practice started and decided to change it. We probably could have run some of this practice, but I think we had to change the engine regardless, but we didn’t want to oil the track or create an issue and crash our car."

Earnhardt has tested his backup car at MIS, back in June.

Sipple also talked to Earnhardt Jr. about how winning at Michigan International in June helped give him confidence for Sunday's race.

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NASCAR At Michigan Lineup: Mark Martin Wins Pole For Sunday's Race

Mark Martin will lead the field to the green flag after earning the pole on Friday with an averaged speed of 199.706 miles per hour around the track. Martin, No. 26 in the Spring Cup standings, is well out of contention for a place in the Chase for the Cup that begins after four more races; however, Carl Edwards is not and needs a win on Sunday to bolster his chance at a continued season.

Edwards earned the second spot during Friday's qualifying session with a lap just two-tenths of a second slower than Martin's. Rounding out the top five were Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne, respectively, who each have spots in the Chase for now, although Kahne's isn't quite locked in yet.

Here's the full lineup for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway,

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

DNQ: Stephen Leicht, JJ Yeley.

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NASCAR At Michigan: Racing Returns To MIS For Pure Michigan 400

NASCAR is back at Michigan International Speedway for a full weekend of events capped by the running of Sunday's Pure Michigan 400.