NASCAR at Michigan 2018: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More | Bleacher Report

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series got some much-needed new blood infused into the leaderboard last time out, leading to big expectations for Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

At Watkins Glen, Chase Elliott stormed to his first checkered flag of the season, somewhat breaking the stranglehold Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have on the series. Granted, Elliott only has one victory and Busch and Harvick have combined for a whopping 12, but it’s a start.

Sunday’s race offers plenty in the way of intrigue thanks to the newcomer visiting Victory Lane, especially with one driver looking to make it three victories in a row at this particular event.

At the least, the 400-mile trek feels fresh and capable of producing anything as some aggressive drivers look to create some favorable playoff positioning.

Viewing Details

Where: Michigan International Speedway

When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBCSN

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live

Tickets: StubHub

Consumers Energy 400

1. Denny Hamlin (35.504)

2. Kyle Busch (35.515)

3. Kevin Harvick (35.626)

4. Erik Jones (35.678)

5. Austin Dillon (35.688)

Note: Full qualifying results available at NASCAR.com.

                

2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings

Drivers to Watch

Chase Elliott

This felt like a long time coming for Elliott.

After stringing together a pair of top-seven performances and a few near-misses earlier in the year, Elliott finally found himself a winner after leading 52 laps at The Glen.

A road course meant it could have gone either way for such a young driver, but Elliott remained focused to make some history:

Elliott isn’t changing anything about his approach despite the triumph.

“I feel like I deal with things the way I think is right, so whether that is good or bad that is not for y’all to decide—that is for me to decide, and I think I have dealt with things fine,” Elliott said, according to Matt Weaver of Autoweek. “You have to believe in what you do and how you go about things. I feel like I’ve approached things well.”

The rest of the series has to start worrying, though. As Daniel McFadin of NBC Sports pointed out, MIS is Elliott’s best track, where he has an average finish of 4.6—the all-time best number.

It doesn’t feel like Elliott’s win will go down as a flash in the pan before other drivers get back to stealing the spotlight.

Martin Truex Jr.

Most years, Martin Truex Jr. would be on the receiving end of nearly endless praise thanks to his four victories.

He’s still two off the mark behind a pair of drivers. 

Like Truex himself said in an interview with the Elmira Star-Gazette‘s Andrew Legare before the race at The Glen, chasing the two names atop the leaderboard isn’t something he can take lightly.

“It’s not something that stops,” Truex said (h/t USA Today). “You don’t ever say, ‘Well, I’m the best there is and I don’t have anything else to learn.’ It’s an evolving process. Things are constantly changing and you have to be open-minded enough to be willing to change.”

Truex isn’t far off the mark, especially when considering he’s raced similar to his epic 2017, as journalist Nick Bromberg noted:

True to form, Truex finished second at The Glen, leading only four laps but otherwise turning in another strong performance.

For those in the know, Truex is still racing at a championship level—he just isn’t receiving the headlines for it.

Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson is the relative unknown referenced in the intro who enters looking for his third consecutive win at this event.

Larson kept it entertaining in 2017, leading only two laps before winning his second consecutive checkered flag here. He started it all off in 2016 by looking dominant, commanding 41 laps led before hitting Victory Lane.

But Larson has yet to rediscover the same energy in 2018, sporadically posting finishes of 16th or worse and well into the 20s throughout the course of the season. Still, MIS awaits:

Larson, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, started building some positive momentum at The Glen, finishing sixth to break a streak of two 12th-or-worse finishes.

If anyone feels due a win Sunday, it’s Larson, the owner of four runner-up finishes this year. If he’s going to get over the proverbial hump, it will probably come at MIS.