Dodge chassis notes Michigan II

STERLING MARLIN (No. 40 Coors Light Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Marlin will drive the same chassis that finished third earlier this season at Michigan and second in the Brickyard 400. Marlin led three times for 28 laps in the Kmart 400 in June at Michigan International Speedway. The 44-year-old driver from Columbia, Tenn., led laps 175-193 of the 200-lap race until a caution flag robbed him of a shot at his first win at Michigan and Dodge's first victory of the season. Marlin ended up third behind Jeff Gordon and Ricky Rudd. Marlin came close again with the same Dodge Intrepid R/T on Aug. 5 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Marlin led laps 132-135 before another caution flag flew and allowed Gordon to once again pass for the win. Marlin is coming off a disappointing 25th-place finish at Watkins Glen and will take a fourth-place ranking in the season-long standings into Sunday's 400-miler at Michigan. Marlin trails the leader by 415 points, and he's 150 points behind third-place Dale Jarrett. Marlin has led the way for Dodge all season. He has six top fives and 11 top 10s with only two DNFs. He's the only driver who's been ranked in the top 10 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Standings all season. In his first season behind the wheel of the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Dodge, Marlin will make career start No. 526 on Sunday at MIS.

BILL ELLIOTT (No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Elliott will drive the same chassis that finished ninth at Michigan in June. The 45-year-old 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion from Dawsonville, Ga., has won seven races and six poles at Michigan International Speedway. In 47 starts at the two-mile oval in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Elliott has 16 top fives and 28 top 10s. He swept both events at Michigan in '85 and '86 and won six of eight from 1984-87. Elliott started sixth and finished ninth at Michigan in June in his first start at the two-mile track behind the wheel of the Evernham Motorsports No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge Intrepid R/T. He's scored top-10 finishes in three of the last five races and ranks 16th in the series standings after a 24th-place finish at Watkins Glen. Elliott will make career start No. 646 on Sunday.

WARD BURTON (No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Burton will drive the same chassis that finished 38th earlier this season at Michigan. Engine problems forced Burton to park his Intrepid after 184 of 200 laps in that event. Burton finished 41st at Watkins Glen. Burton ranks 18th in the NASCAR Winston Cup Standings (NWCS). Burton has five top-10 finishes in 15 starts at Michigan. The 39-year-old driver from South Boston, Va., will make career start No. 237 on Sunday.

DAVE BLANEY (No. 93 Amoco Ultimate Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Blaney will race the same chassis that qualified fourth and finished eighth earlier this season at Michigan. The 36-year-old driver from Hartford, Ohio, will be making his fifth career start at Michigan on Sunday and his 62nd NASCAR Winston Cup career start. He finished 28th last week at Watkins Glen and ranks 26th in the NWCS.

JOHN ANDRETTI (No. 43 Cheerios Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Andretti will race the same chassis at Michigan that finished 14th earlier this season at Indianapolis. Involved in an accident on lap 186 in June at Michigan, Andretti finished 37th in that race. He finished 14th last week at Watkins Glen and ranks 30th in the NWCS. The 38-year-old driver from Indianapolis will make career start No. 249 on Sunday.

CASEY ATWOOD (No. 19 Dodge Dealers Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Atwood will race the same chassis that qualified third for the Brickyard 400. Atwood finished 41st in that race, completing just 38 laps because of overheating problems. Atwood, a 20-year-old Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender from Nashville, Tenn., finished 30th in June at Michigan. He's fresh off a 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen and ranks 32nd in the NWCS. Atwood is third in the six-driver rookie race.

STACY COMPTON (No. 92 Kodiak Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Compton will race the same chassis his Mark Melling team had in June at Michigan. Compton failed to qualify for that event, but he's qualified for each race since then and finished 20th last week at Watkins Glen, his best finish since Martinsville in April. The 34-year-old driver from Grit, Va., ranks 33rd in the NWCS and will make career start No. 54 on Sunday.

JASON LEFFLER (No. 01 Cingular Wireless Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Leffler will drive chassis No. 104 at Michigan. It finished 19th in June at Michigan and 26th at Indy. Leffler didn't compete at Watkins Glen. The 25-year-old Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender from Long Beach, Calif., ranks 37th in the NWCS and four in the rookie race.

BUCKSHOT JONES (No. 44 Georgia Pacific Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Jones will drive his Pocono chassis at Michigan. He finished 39th at Pocono. The 31-year-old driver from Tucker, Ga., finished 36th in June at Michigan. He did not compete at Watkins Glen. Ranked 39th in the NWCS, Jones will make career start No. 36 at MIS.

KYLE PETTY (No. 45 Sprint Dodge Intrepid R/T)
Petty will drive the same chassis at Michigan that finished 27th here in June. Petty, a 41-year-old driver from Randleman, N.C., will make career start No. 600 on Sunday. Forty of those starts have been at MIS. He has 10 top-10 finishes at MIS. Petty finished 39th at Watkins Glen and ranks 42nd in the NWCS.

-Dodge Motorsports