Whit's Picks: Michigan Results

Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400.
Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

All eyes were on the Ford drivers on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, but in the end, it was a Toyota driver who took the checkered flag in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400. There were 21 lead changes in the race that lasted just over 2.5 hours. It was the shortest race so far this year, but that didn't mean it was short on excitement.

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick were finally off probation following the incident between them at Darlington Raceway. While nearly everyone expected something to happen between those two, nothing did. Could Harvick be biding his time? After all, he did say Busch has one coming. Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who hadn't won a race since the race at Michigan on Father's Day in 2008 had a run-in with teammate Mark Martin late in the race, ruining his chances of a good finish. Young Landon Cassill, in the No. 51 Security Benefit / Thank A Teacher Today Chevrolet finished 12th, earning his career-best finish. Trevor Bayne, who returned to Sprint Cup Series action for Wood Brothers Racing after being out for over a month due to illness, finished 16th in the No. 21 Motorcraft / Quick Lane Ford.

Of course, the race might not have seemed that exciting to those who watched the race on television. The TNT broadcast lacked any enthusiasm from the commentators, and the network went to commercial more times than I can recall. But I digress.

On Friday, I shared with you my top 5 picks to win on Sunday plus 3 other drivers to keep an eye on. How did my picks do? Read on to find out!

1. Carl Edwards -- No. 99 Aflac Now Hiring Ford

Carl Edwards started 23rd on Sunday. He led a total of 30 laps and looked like he was in prime position to win the race after he stretched his lead to 1.3 seconds over second place. At least, he looked like the driver to beat until the caution came out late in the race for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hitting the wall. Edwards pitted under that caution for right-side tires and fuel, but came off pit road third. In the end, Edwards finished 5th and stretched his points lead from 6 points to 20 over the new second place driver Kevin Harvick.

2. Matt Kenseth -- No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

Matt Kenseth qualified 3rd and finished 2nd. He led three different times for a total of 17 laps, and in the closing laps, gave it his all to run down Denny Hamlin for the win. Coming off turn four on the final lap, Kenseth's No. 17 Ford was completely sideways as he tried to catch Hamlin, but he managed to keep it under control. In the end, Kenseth had to settle for finishing as the runner-up, and is now 6th in the standings.

3. David Ragan -- No. 6 UPS Ford

David Ragan had been the fastest in the first practice session on Friday, meaning he was the last driver out for qualifying on Saturday. While being one of the last drivers out in qualifying is usually a good thing, it didn't make much difference for Ragan as he qualified 20th. Eight laps into the race, a caution came out for Jimmie Johnson spinning off turn four. The field pitted under that caution, and it was during his pit stop that Ragan's chances of a good finish went out the window. After an incident on pit road with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Ragan had to pit again so his team could assess any possible damage. It was an uphill battle from there. With just a handful of laps remaining, Ragan was forced to pit for fuel. He finished 20th, dropping to 18th in the standings.

4. Greg Biffle -- No. 16 Red Cross Ford

Greg Biffle started 7th on Sunday, and on lap 13, he took the lead from Kurt Busch. Biffle led for a total of 68 laps on Sunday, but an untimely caution cost him. During a round of green-flag stops on lap 154, Biffle pitted for four tires and fuel. Just a few laps later, the caution came out before the stops had cycled through. Biffle got trapped a lap down, but was in the Lucky Dog position when the caution came out again 4 laps after the restart. He restarted 16th, and eventually worked his way back inside the top 10 until the caution came out with 10 laps left for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. hitting the wall. Biffle pitted for four tires and fuel while many of the front-runners made two-tire stops. He restarted 13th, but ultimately finished 15th. He is now 13th in the standings.

5. Denny Hamlin -- No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota

For the most part, Denny Hamlin didn’t make much noise on Sunday…until it actually mattered. Hamlin started the race from the 10th position, and from the drop of the green flag, the No. 11 Toyota’s handling wasn’t to the driver’s liking. Each pit stop saw the team making adjustments, and when then final caution came out, Hamlin was running second. The leaders pitted, and Hamlin’s crew definitely made their last stop count. Taking two tires and fuel, Hamlin was first off pit road and was in the lead for the restart. In the closing laps, he held off a hard charging Matt Kenseth to earn his first victory in the 2011 season. The win moved him up to 9th in the standings.

My notable drivers to watch at Michigan finished: Brian Vickers (10th), Joey Logano (18th), and Mark Martin (9th).