BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Silly season has begun, and the big drama this weekend surrounds Kurt Busch, 2004 Cup champion, who is still finalizing his plans for the 2019 season. Here’s a look at the players involved, and my take on what it all really means.

Kurt Busch: You would think that a driver with an attached sponsor (Monster Energy) would be someone a team would want to hold onto … but apparently that’s not the case with Kurt Busch. His one-year renewal for 2018 went down to the wire, and it does not look like it’s going to happen again, according to published reports.

Kurt has not confirmed anything, but he did not deny it. He said he is talking to multiple teams, which to me is an admission he won’t be in the 41 next year.

So what’s SHR’s motivation here in not agreeing to terms with Busch? Of course money is probably a factor: It always is, and we’re never in the room to know details about how much of a factor it is.

But no doubt, the youth movement plays a role too. SHR has the most senior roster in the Cup level, with drivers that are ages 42 (Harvick), 39 (Bowyer) and 34 (Almirola); Kurt Busch is 40, also on that high end.

Meanwhile, other teams are going younger (see Gibbs, Hendrick) and SHR doesn’t want to miss opportunities to get the stars of the future in their cars today. They even have one in their own system that is likely a good fit (more on that later).

A total of 19 Team Chevy Camaro ZL1 drivers will start the FireKeepers 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Michigan International Speedway. The 200-lap/400-mile contest around the 2-mile venue is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., ET. Live coverage will be available on FOX, MRN Radio, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

CHEVROLET DRIVERS STARTING IN THE TOP-15:

• Ryan Newman, No. 31 Okuma Camaro ZL1, will start 11^th
• Chase Elliott, No. 24 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Camaro ZL1, will start 13^th
• William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1, will start 14^th 

TEAM CHEVY IN MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES COMPETITION:

• Chevrolet has won 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturer Championships

• Team Chevy drivers have scored 776 wins and 695 poles in MENCS competition
  
  

CHEVROLET ON THE TRACK—MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:

• Chevrolet drivers have won 26 of 97 races at Michigan International Speedway. Victories by current Team Chevy drivers are: 
  • Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Camaro ZL1, has made one trip to Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway (’14)
  • Kasey Kahne, No. 95 Camaro ZL1, has one victory at Michigan International Speedway (’06)
  • Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, earned his first career victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2016 and followed that up with a season sweep at the 2-mile venue in 2017 giving him three career victories at MIS
  • Ryan Newman, No. 31 Camaro ZL1, has two trophies from Michigan International Speedway (’03 & ’04)

• A Chevrolet driver has won five of the last eight races at Michigan International Speedway
• A Chevrolet driver has sat on the pole at Michigan International Speedway 27 times
• Team Chevy drivers have scored 177 top-five and 356 top-10 finishes at Michigan International Speedway
• A Chevrolet has led 7,122 laps (37.0% of possible 19,233 laps) at Michigan International Speedway
  
  -- Courtesy of Chevy Racing
  
  

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Brad Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, has never been shy about expressing his thoughts … no matter what the folks in charge may think.

When Goodyear announced the tire they were bringing to Michigan in the wake of a tire test Keselowski had participated in, he wasn’t happy with the choice, and asked for his name to be taken off the press release.

And when the topic comes to the package run at the All-Star race (which provided some great, tight racing) being expanded to other tracks this year and beyond, he definitely was not on board.

Speaking Friday at Michigan International Speedway, a track where Keselowski is still seeking his elusive first Cup win, the 2012 Cup champion didn’t hold back on his thoughts.

Regarding the tire controversy, Keselowski reiterated Friday what he had indicated in the tweet earlier this week: That he is not happy with the choice and doesn’t want to be seen as endorsing it.

“I like Greg Stucker and Goodyear a lot but I didn’t like my name on the press release because I felt it was an endorsement to something that I didn’t endorse. I didn’t endorse the decision to bring this tire here and I didn’t want my name attached to that,” he said.

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Michigan International Speedway has a full weekend of entertainment planned.

Fans can check out www.mispeedway.com/entertainment for all the entertainment options that are planned for the June race week at MIS. Guests will want to arrive extra early this season to take advantage of all the options that are available.

Before the drivers are introduced for the FireKeepers Casino 400, Mike Green will entertain the crowd. The comedian has toured the United States performing stand up and making people laugh at every stop. On June 10 he will be live on the pre-race stage at Michigan International Speedway.

Guests will want to be in their seat early to see the human cannon ball before the FireKeepers Casino 400. Don't miss David "The Bullet" Smith AGT, the World's Most Accomplished human cannonball, as he flies through the air above the tri-oval. Smith has been featured on America's Got Talent and is a Guinness World Record holder.

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Defending NASCAR champ Martin Truex Jr. hasn’t grabbed the headlines as much as Kyle Busch or Kevin Harvick, but he’s arguably on part with those two in terms of being the title favorite.

In my view he’s the most impressive driver of the year, considering his Furniture Row Racing team is down to one car this season -- the last time I can remember a one-car team running this well? Perhaps Alan Kulwicki.

By comparison, Harvick and Busch are part of powerhouse four-car teams.

It’s true that Truex has the support of Toyota and a close affiliation with mighty Joe Gibbs Racing, but I don’t think that diminishes what he is doing in 2018. If Truex can repeat as champion in 2018, it will be one of the most impressive runs in recent years.