NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Michigan

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Aug 28, 2016; Brooklyn, MI, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) leads Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (48) as the race begins during the Pure Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Winner: Restarting From The Bottom

Restarts at Michigan are crazy. We know that. Another thing we know is that if you win the restart there, it’s probably going to take a while before anyone challenges for the lead.

However, there was one thing that was different from today’s race and the Michigan race earlier in the season: where to restart at.

Back in June, there were a lot of restarts between Joey Logano and Chase Elliott. Since Logano led 138 of 200 laps, he was in first and picked the high side for each and every restart. That worked well for him as he beat Chase Elliott in all but one of the restarts they battled on.

Today, on the other hand, was a different story.

Late in the race, it was Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson out front. With Elliott in the lead, he opted for the top line, but got beat by Larson both times.

Larson out to P1! #NASCARonNBCSN https://t.co/VS8PpmTCbW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 28, 2016

Before the last restart of the race–which came with about 10 laps to go–Elliott radioed in to his team and offered some thoughts on how the outside might not work well because Larson would be able to see if he was waving for a push before the restart.

In the end, it didn’t matter, because Elliott got a little loose, which allowed Larson to jump out ahead. But looking back, it’s obvious that the inside line was the line to be in late in the race.

Next: A Late Mistake

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