Edwards off crutches

Carl Edwards is off his crutches—at least for the moment—according to multiple tweets from the track (see @BobPockrass and @DustinLong).

Our View This comes at a great time since Edwards is typically one of the favorites on either two-mile track. A victory might still be a little stretch, but a solid finish on either side of fifth will make him great value at Auto Club Speedway.

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Official tweets from the track

Ky Busch wins Bristol

Kyle Busch held off a hungry Mark Martin and won the Sharpie 500. It was his third victory on this track in his last six starts and completes a sweep of the season.

Our View Busch was our favorite to win in both the Yahoo! preview and on the cheat sheets at NASCAR.com/Rotowire. We also predicted Brian Vickers would win last week at Michigan and that Tony Stewart would take the checkers at Watkins Glen International.

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Vickers wins Michigan

Brian Vickers won Michigan by running hard in the closing laps, which caused Jimmie Johnson to run short of fuel for the second time in two races there.

Our View Vickers was our dark horse to win, and he proved us correct.

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Michigan pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections.

Our View As expected, pole winner Brian Vickers has chosen the final pit stall before the end of pit road. Other drivers with openings in front of them are Mark Martin, Juan Montoya, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson.

For the complete list, visit Jayski.

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Martin fastest in Michigan HH

Mark Martin posted the fastest single lap in Michigan's Happy Hour with a speed of 181.717 mph. Pole sitter Brian Vickers was second fastest with a speed of 181.621.

Our View This is significant because Martin is on the outside of the front row. Vickers and Martin underscored their Friday speed and should be considered threats on Sunday.

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Update: Allmendinger not going to backup

The No. 44 team has decided not to roll out a backup car for the Carfax 400. A.J. Allmendinger likes this car and does not want to give up his 13th-place spot on the grid.

Our View That's the good news, but Allmendinger is not going to get very much track time, which will hamper him during the opening segments of the race.

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Mears quickest in Michigan Practice 2

Casey Mears posted the quickest average speed in Michigan's first Saturday session with a speed of 179.764 during five laps.

Our View Don't get overly excited about that position, however. Since he only ran five laps, there was not much opportunity for his speed to fall off.

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Vickers fastest in Michigan practice 2

After sweeping the poles in Cup and Nationwide competition, Brian Vickers posted the fastest single lap in Michigan's first practice session on Saturday. His top speed was 184.909.

Our View He will need some good luck to go along with his speed, but Vickers is certainly positioning himself to be one of the top dark horses this week.

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Allmendinger scrapes wall in Michigan practice 2

A.J. Allmendinger scraped the wall at the 20 minute mark of the first practice session on Saturday.

Our View The damage might be enough to cause him to roll out a backup car and drop to the back of the pack. The right rear quarter panel was pushed back deeper than the tire, which suggests he may have suspension damage.

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NASCAR Raines going home from Michigan

When two cars withdrew from the entry list earlier this week, that meant only one driver would head to the house early. That driver is Tony Raines, with a speed of 181.484 mph.

Our View This is a start and park operation, however, so it has no impact on fantasy players whatsoever.

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Vickers wins Michigan pole

Brian Vickers picked up his sixth pole of the season with a speed of 187.242 mph.

Our View He also won the pole in Michigan's first race and at Auto Club Speedway—giving him a sweep of the two-mile tracks so far.

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Logano notably fast in Michigan practice 1

Joey Logano was notably fast in the first practice session at Michigan – posting the second fastest time of 187.169.

Our View That is good news for the rookie, who needs a strong qualification effort in order to run strong start to finish, but it is even better news for Ryan Newman. The No. 39 has a margin of nearly two miles per hour over the rest of the field.

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Newman fastest in Michigan practice 1

Ryan Newman posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session for the Carfax 400 with a speed of 189.155 mph.

Our View Newman is in a little bit of a slump with an average finish of 18.0 in his last eight attempts. He needs a boost to get his rhythm back and a pole would fit that criteria.

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Kahne blows at Michigan

Kasey Kahne blew an engine early in the first practice session. He will need to change the powerplant and go to the back of the pack for the start of the Carfax 400.

Our View Qualification is important at Michigan, but considering how wide this track is, a fast car can get to the front.

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Yahoo! Michigan Preview

The road course race at Watkins Glen is in the rear view mirror and it's time to make a run to the Chase. Who will get off to a good start this week? Check out this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).