Five successes from the Pure Michigan 400

Michigan International Speedway, the fastest oval in all of America and home to some of the greatest racing in the NASCAR season. This year's Pure Michigan 400 was a very successful one for the rookies with two rookie of the year candidates inside the top four. Several other drivers found success as well and here are the five biggest success from the 2016 Pure Michigan 400.

Kyle Larson: This is a bit of an obvious one but it's still justified. Since debuting in the championship in 2014, Larson has come incredibly close to winning races on numerous occasions and he finally managed to achieve this at Michigan. Not only did Larson spend most of the day running in the top five on pace, there were no mistakes from him or his pit crew so as others lost time, Larson gained positions. He managed to stay calm on a late race restart allowing him to take his first career victory in his ninety-ninth start. This win also secures Larson a place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and with the pace he's been showing this season and the added confidence from the win, Larson has the potential to be a real challenger.

Chase Elliott: Yes he made a mistake on the final restart, yes he could of won but didn't and yes he could of earned a place in the Chase but second place is still an amazing result. Just like Larson, Elliott spent most of the day inside the top five and out-paced teammate Jimmie Johnson for most the race. This was an impressive drive from Elliott who is still in his first season of the championship. Had it not been for the mistake on the final restart, Elliott could of taken his first win but he's getting very close to doing so and should be proud of his finishing position. He's currently set to make it into the Chase on points so if he can keep this up, he'll have nothing to worry about.

Ryan Blaney: Matching your career best result and earning valuable points in the championship is a definite success. And that is exactly what Ryan Blaney managed, fourth place meant thirty seven championship points which made for a great result for Blaney. With an ever increasing points gap to the cars in front, Blaney needed to perform well at Michigan and just like Larson and Elliott he spent most of the race at the front on pace and was able to capitalise on the mistakes of others. With only two races remaining before the Chase begins, Blaney really needs to win if he wants to make it in and at Michigan he came very close and proved he can run with the best, a bit more pace and consistency in the next two races and Blaney could make the Chase.

Jamie McMurray: The Pure Michigan 400 was a great race for the Chip Ganassi Racing cars, Kyle Larson won and teammate Jamie McMurray wasn't much further behind. While he couldn't quite match the pace of the front runners, McMurray was consistent and this was ultimately rewarded with his third eighth place finish in a row. Currently sitting thirteenth in points, performances like this is exactly what McMurray needs to make the Chase and at Michigan, he proved that he can pull strong results even when not matching the front runners pace. If he can keep this up McMurray could go far in this year's Chase.

Greg Biffle: Michigan is one of Biffle's best tracks with four of his nineteen wins coming at the circuit. Roush Fenway Racing have struggled in recent years but things have been going better in 2016 and Biffle proved this with an eleventh place finish in this year's race. With teammates Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finishing twenty fourth and twenty seventh respectively, Biffle's performance seems even more impressive and while it was a relatively quite race, he proved that consistency and staying out of trouble do pay off in the end. This is Biffle's fourth best result this year and while he can't make the Chase without a win anymore, this has got to give the team a confidence boost going forwards.

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