En route to Michigan, NASCAR drivers took a few detours this week. But all roads will lead to Friday's qualifying and Sunday's Sprint Cup race.
As has become the norm, 40 cars are entered for the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. A noon ET Friday practice will be followed by qualifying that begins about 5:15 p.m. ET. Sunday's race begins after 2 p.m. ET.
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By the way, weather forecasts say there won't be a rain problem this weekend.
There was a flurry of activities as drivers made promotional visits. Those included stops at manufacturer's facilities in Detroit, Kurt Busch throwing a ceremonial pitch at a Marlins game in Miami and Kasey Kahne putting the hammer down at a Habitat for Humanity site in Virginia.
Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went back to work toward recovery from concussion-like symptoms. Junior fans were disappointed at Wednesday's news that Earnhardt will not drive this week or next at Darlington. This week's driver in Junior's No. 88 car will be Alex Bowman.
The Truck Series also runs this week at Michigan, while the Xfinity Series runs Saturday at Road America in Wisconsin.Michigan will provide the third and final test of proposed aerodynamics changes for 2017. The package was used in June's Michigan race and at Kentucky a month later. June's impact included higher speeds on straightaways and more challenges in the corners of Michigan's D-shaped track.
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Joey Logano won the June race. Matt Kenseth won the 2015 Pure Michigan 400.
Here are the entries for Sunday's Sprint Cup race.
| No. | Driver | Hometown | Brand | Sponsor | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Joplin, Mo. | Chevy | Cessna Chevrolet | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Rochester Hills, Mich. | Ford | Miller Lite | Team Penske |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Welcome, N.C. | Chevy | Cheerios | Richard Childress Racing |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy | Jimmy John's Chevrolet SS | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Enumclaw, Wash. | Chevy | Farmers Insurance | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Knoxville, Tenn. | Ford | Advocare Ford Fusion | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 7 | Regan Smith | Cato, N.Y. | Chevy | APC Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Roscoe, Ill. | Chevy | Aspen Dental Chevrolet SS | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Chesterfield, Va. | Toyota | FedEx Office | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy | GEICO | Germain Racing |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Columbus, Ind. | Chevy | Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Emporia, Kans. | Chevy | 5-Hour Energy | HScott Motorsports |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Vancouver, Wash. | Ford | Roush Performance Ford Fusion | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Olive Branch, Miss. | Ford | Zest Ford Fusion | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Las Vegas, Nev. | Toyota | Interstate Batteries | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 19 | Carl Edwards | Columbia, Mo. | Toyota | ARRIS Surfboard | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Cambridge, Wisconsin | Toyota | Dollar General | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney | High Point, N.C. | Ford | Motorcraft/ Quick Lane Tire + Auto Center | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Middletown, Conn. | Ford | Shell Pennzoil | Team Penske |
| 23 | David Ragan | Unadilla, Ga. | Toyota | Dr Pepper | BK Racing |
| 24 | Chase Elliott | Dawsonville, Ga. | Chevy | NAPA Auto Parts | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Eau Claire, Wisc. | Chevy | Sylvania/ Menards | Richard Childress Racing |
| 30 | Josh Wise | Riverside, Calif. | Chevy | Curtis Key Plumbing | The Motorsports Group |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | South Bend, Ind. | Chevy | Freightliner | Richard Childress Racing |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Mooresville, N.C. | Ford | CorvetteParts.net | GO FAS Racing |
| 34 | Chris Buescher | Prosper, Texas | Ford | Dockside Logistics | Front Row Motorsports |
| 38 | Landon Cassill | Fairfax, Iowa | Ford | MDS Transport | Front Row Motorsports |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Las Vegas, Nev. | Chevy | Monster Energy/ Haas Automation Chevrolet SS | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Elk Grove, Calif. | Chevy | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Tampa, Fla. | Ford | Smithfield | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 44 | Brian Scott | Boise, Idaho | Ford | Medallion Financial | Richard Petty Motorsports |
| 46 | Michael Annett | Des Moines, Iowa | Chevy | Pilot Flying J | HScott Motorsports |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger | Los Gatos, Calif. | Chevy | Kroger/ Scott Products | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | El Cajon, Calif. | Chevy | Lowe's | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson | Peachtree City, Ga. | Chevy | VYDOX Plus | Premium Motorsports |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Mayetta, N.J. | Toyota | Furniture Row/ Denver Mattress | Furniture Row Racing |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto | Grass Valley, Calif. | Toyota | Vector Security | BK Racing |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Tucson, Arizona | Chevy | Axalta/University of Michigan | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Glendale, Ariz. | Chevy | Thrivent Financial | Circle Sport- Leavine Family |
| 98 | Cole Whitt | Alpine, Calif. | Chevy | TBD | Premium Motorsports |
After Michigan, two races remain before the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The 16-driver championship field will be set after Sept. 10's race at Richmond.