BROOKLYN, Mich. -- It's easily lost when you look at the overall record books (i.e. Jimmie Johnson's six championships), but the overall trend in NASCAR lately is youth.

The top three finishers Sunday at MIS -- Joey Logano (age 26), Chase Elliott (age 20) and Kyle Larson (age 23) -- are part of an exceptional crop of young drivers who will be dominating headlines in the years to come.

Correct that, they're already doing it ... This was the youngest top 3 ever ... an average age of 23 (Note: 24.7 was previous average age of top 3; and those numbers go back to NASCAR's early days -- happening three times in 1951, 1950 and 1950).
Larson took note of this in his post-race press conference, saying: "It's exciting to see. I'm happy I got here in the first small wave of seats opening up. ... The youngest top three the Cup series has ever had. It's pretty special."

Daniel Suárez earned his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, becoming the first Mexican-born driver to capture a NASCAR national series victory.

With the victory, Suárez clinches a spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase.

Suárez, a graduate of both the NASCAR Drive for Diversity and NASCAR Next programs, has a accomplished a long list of accolades since joining NASCAR in 2011. Last season, he became the first Mexican driver to win the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, finishing fifth in the championship standings. This season, Suárez became the first foreign-born driver to lead the points in any of the three NASCAR national Series, topping the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings for six consecutive weeks. He is the current points leader in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

BROOKLYN, MIch. -- As is the case every time he heads to Brooklyn, Brad Keselowski of Rochester Hills hopes to be in Victory Lane at MIS on Sunday. The Michigan native, who has never won at his home track in the Cup series, attempts to become the eighth active driver to do so.

The seven active drivers with wins in their home states are: Jimmie Johnson (7 victories), Denny Hamlin (7), Tony Stewart (2), Aric Almirola (1), Kyle Busch (1), Kevin Harvick (1) and Ryan Newman (1).

Keselowski's best finish at the two-mile track was a runner-up showing in August of 2012. Overall, he has three top fives, six top 10s and a 16.5 average finish in 13 Michigan starts. He does have two NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at Michigan, in 2009 and 2010.

"I get really mad when we don’t win this race and we haven’t won it yet," he said Friday at MIS. "Maybe that means the day I win it, if we win it, I will be ecstatic. It is really a key race for me personally and for the sport. I am glad we get to come here twice a year.”

Also on Friday, Keselowski touched on the recent controversy over his comments about NASCAR announcer and former driver Jeff Gordon.

"My big thing is that I don’t want somebody that is invested in another team talking about my race car in a derogatory form or a perceived derogatory form. I don’t think that is right and I am going to defend my team in those situations no matter who it is," Keselowski said Friday.

… Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth were the winners of last year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup races at MIS. Busch won the Quicken Loans 400 in June, while Kenseth recorded his third Sprint Cup Series victory at MIS in August.

… Jeff Gordon had a track qualifying record of 206.558 mph for the 2014 Pure Michigan 400, the seventh-fastest pole winning speed in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history and the fastest in NASCAR history on a non-restrictor plate track.

… The FireKeepers Casino 400 features seven drivers who have won multiple times at MIS. Greg Biffle has four wins, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch each have three wins, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman each have two victories.

“Keloorah” is a post-race concert festival unlike anything in sports. “Keloorah” is the phonetic pronunciation of Ceiliúradh, the Celtic word for “celebration.” Keloorah is open with activities from 5-11 p.m. Friday and 4-11 p.m. Saturday, June 10-11. The party gets started with Third Eye Blind, The Neighbourhood as well as Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers on Friday. The action continues on Saturday night with GROUPLOVE, Fitz and The Tantrums, Andy Grammer and Elle King. It’s a music, party and entertainment festival inside the bigger NASCAR weekend festival. Keloorah will have live concerts, DJ’s, paint ball, cornhole tournaments, a go-kart experience, a mobile video game arcade, an outdoor sports bar, tailgate games, foam parties and paint parties – all within the NASCAR event weekends and on MIS property.