DRAFTKINGS Preview

AustYn

The NASCAR Cup Series rolls out of Richmond, VA into the great state of Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International. It was a disappointing day for every driver at Hendrick Motorsports last week, but I do believe the ship will be righted this week at the 2.0-mile speedway. Michigan is a track that has many racing grooves and now that the cars have been slowed down drastically over the years, cars tend to bunch up, especially on restarts. Christopher Bell will be the pole-sitter for the event. Conserving tires will be an integral part of the race strategy today and I can guarantee you that the winner will be able to conserve their equipment until the end. Teams will have 7 sets of tires and will complete 200 laps. The fastest laps will probably be from drivers who are racing mid-pack more so than the leader because of the drafting effect that has been created here. My bold prediction is that a driver who hasn’t won will come away victorious today, thus making the NASCAR Playoffs even more interesting as we wind the season down.

Top Pick: Ty Gibbs ($8,100) Starting 3rd

I decided to go bold this week…while Ty Gibbs is really warranted for a supporting cast role today due to his price, I have decided to make him my top pick, because he will win today. He came up short in the Xfinity race yesterday, but his speed in practice has convinced me that he will be up front a lot today. Michigan is a track that values raw horsepower more than others we go to and the fact that JGR was so strong in practice tells me that Toyota will finally break the Ford winning streak. Starting in 3rd, Gibbs offers immense value compared to those priced around him.

Supporting Cast: AJ Allmendinger ($6,800) Starting 24th & Corey LaJoie ($5,500) Starting 31st

This is not a track that you will see many select “The Dinger” at, but practice showed promise for the Kaulig Racing driver. Allmendinger was top-15 in virtually every practice statistic you can think of and even though they are headed to the back because of failing pre-race inspection twice, I look for Allmendinger to get a top-15 today. Corey LaJoie is my other bargain selection. His speed was top-20 in 5 lap averages and being that he is starting in 31st, I like his chances of getting close to a top-20 today. Another positive fact about LaJoie is that he has finished in 23rd or better in his last 6 races at Michigan.

FanDuel Preview

Yacs

There are only 4 races until the playoffs and there is a scramble to get to those final playoff spots. Chris Buescher secured his spot in the playoffs with a win last week. Those guys at RFK are looking really stout and it is good to see them building back their team. I was a Mark Martin/Roush fan growing up and I enjoy seeing them run towards the top in most races again. It feels like it has been a while since that has happened. The big news coming out of this week in NASCAR is the abrupt suspension of Noah Gragson. I don’t want to dive too deep into the situation, but it doesn’t look like he will be back for a while, if ever with Legacy Motor Club. Martin Truex Jr. announced he will be back next season after retirement rumors. He clearly isn't ready to give it up, nor should he. He is having a great season. Corey LaJoie announced a multi-year extension with Spire. A new crop of Hall of Fame inductees were also announced for 2024. Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus, Donnie Allison, Janet Guthrie will be inducted next year.

Back to Michigan. This track is unique, but in the sense that it is a 2-mile track and the only other one on the circuit is Auto Club (not after this season), but many compare this track to Kansas. Both are similar, but Kansas is a half-mile smaller. Having those two tracks in the back of your mind when picking your lineups can be beneficial. Also, Horsepower will be king. The better equipment will prevail, and I suggest you going with hot hands as well. If you can choose a mixture of good recent results and good previous track results, I think you will have a winning lineup this week. Let’s dive in and see what FanDuel has to offer this week.

First Picks: Kevin Harvick ($12,500) Starting 22nd; Chase Elliott ($9,000) Starting 10th

Kevin Harvick has won 5 of the last 7 Michigan races. That is insane. Will he be picked a lot? Yes, but I don’t care. If you win that much in a short span of time, then you are clearly doing something right. Harvick doesn’t have a win this season and that all could change this week. Spoiler alert, I will be picking a Ford-heavy lineup. They have won 8 straight at this track and you can't say that is coincidence. Look for some of the Fords to be fast today and expect to see the 4 car charging towards the front in the closing stages of the race.

As for Elliott. I will keep picking him as long as FanDuel keeps giving him away. $9,000??? What are they thinking? I’m not going to complain though. Chase Elliott doesn’t have a win at Michigan, but he is the best active driver at the track. All but 2 of his 12 efforts at this track have resulted in a Top 10 finish. If he can maintain his spot, his price is totally worth it. I wouldn’t say he has been driving like the normal Chase Elliott this season, but he still has been consistently good. In fact, he has been the 2nd best full-time driver as far as points on FanDuel are concerned. Bubba Wallace has a higher price tag than Elliott this week. I considered picking Bubba this week, but after I saw Chase Elliott was just a spot below, I immediately picked Elliott. Also, I have said this every week for like the last month, but I think I will pick him until he wins. He needs to win to get in.

The RFK Cars: Brad Keselowski ($7,800) Starting 12th; Chris Buescher ($6,800) Starting 4th

This will be the 3rd week in a row that I have picked Chase Elliott, but it is the 4th week that I have picked an RFK car in my lineup. Not only am I picking 1 RFK car, but this week I am going to double down. After all, it is a Casino sponsored race, right? RFK has been on a good run lately and I just want to capitalize on that momentum. Keselowski is in the club of running well at Michigan, but not having a win to show for it. The race to the playoffs is intense and I think Keselowski could compete for the win today.

Buescher is riding the momentum of his win last week in Richmond and I think he will run well today. Fords will be fast, and I think he will maintain that starting spot today. He was OK in practice, not great. He also doesn’t particularly have a great history at Michigan, but he does have a Top 10. He also has been pretty consistent in Roush equipment at the track. Speaking of consistency, he has been just that at Kansas throughout his career. With 3 Top 10s. I think he can get a Top 10 today and I wouldn't rule out Top 5 finishes for the RFK guys.

Final Pick: Martin Truex Jr. ($13,000) Starting 5th

Don’t expect Truex to fall out of the Top 5 today. Toyotas were fast in qualifying and practice. It wouldn't surprise me to see any of the Gibbs guys in victory lane today, but I think Truex has the best shot. It is kind of surprising to see that Truex doesn’t have a win at Michigan in his career. It is seemingly his kind of track. He does have a good track record here though. He has 6-straight Top 10s with 4 of those being Top 4’s. I expect him to be fast today and hopefully he can compete for the win.

NASCAR FireKeepers Casino 400 DFS Preview

DRAFTKINGS Preview

FanDuel Preview