Matt Kenseth wins Pure Michigan 400

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Here’s what you need to know from Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway:

WINNER: Matt Kenseth closed out a great weekend at Michigan International Speedway by dominating the Pure Michigan 400 and breezing to a relatively easy victory.The win was the fifth in the past six Sprint Cup races for Joe Gibbs Racing, which has picked up its game considerably in the weeks leading to the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kenseth won the pole Friday, and his teammates – Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin – also qualified in the top six. All four were factors near the front Sunday.

Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin followed Kenseth in the top five Sunday.

Team owner Joe Gibbs said: "It took us a long time -- we were down for about a year and a half -- to get back up on top. ... Things can turn; next week can twist and go the other way. Right now we're going to enjoy this."

Kenseth agreed: “My team gave me a ton a power today. My car took about five laps to get going, but once it did, it was pretty stout. ... (JRG) has had a great couple of months, and we're just going to try to keep it going. These guys gave me a rocket today.”

SIDESKIRT ISSUES: Some viewers may have noticed the right sideskirt on the No. 20 was flared out later in the race. This is against the rules; teams are not allowed to flare sideskirts. However, crew chief Jason Ratcliff said in victory lane that the damage to the right side occurred on a pit stop when the jackman missed his mark on a stop later in the race. NBC Sports Network's video replay showed that was when the damage occurred, with analyst and former crew chief Steve Letarte explaining that if the team really had wanted to gain an advantage, they would have flared the skirt much closer to the rear tire instead of in the middle of the skirt where the jack opening is. Since it was unintentional, there will be no penalty. As Ratcliff pointed out, Kenseth had dominated most of the race before the incident occurred, and he said he didn't think it gave them more of an advantage. "Matt rolled forward a little bit. The jack slid under it and they had to reset. It bent the sideskirt. ... I would say we were leading by a pretty good margin before that happened."

PHOTOS: Behind the wheel with Matt Kenseth

BOWYER BOUNCES: Clint Bowyer, running on the edge of Chase eligibility, had a tough day. With 75 laps to go, he wrecked in heavy traffic coming out of turn two. Bowyer’s car slapped the outside wall and skidded into the inside wall. He apparently made contact with Ryan Newman, another driver in Chase no-man’s-land.

BEING FUELISH: Kevin Harvick ran out of gas while leading with 87 laps left in the race. He limped to pit road, almost colliding with Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Danica Patrick coming toward his pit in the process.

CRUISE CONTROL: Hopes of competition being enhanced by the high-drag rules package looked grim at the race’s halfway point. Matt Kenseth led 76 of the first 100 laps and was rarely challenged.

HEATING UP: Speedway temperatures hovered in the mid-80s during the race, but temperatures inside the race cars were measured at 150 degrees. NASCAR mandated a pair of extra ducts and hoses to be installed in the right side window to aid drivers and teams who were debating whether to sacrifice performance in order to keep the cars cooler. The high-drag aero package comes with a tail extension on the bottom of the car which seals more of the air underneath. Less airflow results in hotter air, which heats up not only the drivers, but the parts and pieces of the car.

RESTART MANIA: Passing a car of equal strength was very difficult during the race, and that reality caused some frantic racing on restarts, which presented the best opportunity for gaining positions. Cars spread three-wide for the first couple of laps after a green flag.

PANNING OUT: The day’s second caution flew for an unusual reason. An oil catch pan, used to collect fluid during an oil change, flew from Timmy Hill’s car, a rare sort of incident that had crew chiefs on pit road shaking their heads. Hill parked and finished last.

SPLITTING: Team Penske crew members had some extra work pre-race as NASCAR said the splitters on the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski and No. 22 of Joey Logano didn’t meet specifications. The splitters were changed, and the originals will be checked at NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. Penalties are possible.

MIDNIGHT SUN: Keselowski’s car drew pre-race attention for another reason. The No. 2 carried a black paint scheme popularized when Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace drove the car. The car’s nickname was “Midnight.” Crew members also wore uniforms modeled after those from the Wallace years.

Follow Hembree on Twitter @mikehembree

PHOTOS: 2015 Sprint Cup race winners