The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the scenic Irish Hills of southeastern Michigan to visit the two-mile D-Shaped Michigan International Speedway. Known as one of motorsports’ premier facilities due to its wide racing surface, Michigan International Speedway is the fastest track in NASCAR. Qualifying speeds are in excess of 200 MPH, and corner entry is anywhere from 215-220 MPH.
Last week, Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Racing picked up his third career win. The second in as many years for the organization that added driver/owner Brad Keselowski at the start of the 2022 season. Buescher locks himself into the playoffs with just four races left in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
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NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway Odds and Best Bets
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Kyle Larson +600
Denny Hamlin +700
Kevin Harvick +700
Martin Truex Jr +750
Kyle Busch +800
William Byron +800
Christopher Bell +1200
Tyler Reddick +1200
Ryan Blaney +1200
Bubba Wallace +1400
Chase Elliott +1400
Joey Logano +1600
Ross Chastain +2000
Brad Keselowski +2500
Ty Gibbs +3500
Chris Buescher +4000
Daniel Suarez +4000
Alex Bowman +4000
Erik Jones +8000
Ryan Preece +8000
Austin Dillion +10000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +10000
Aric Almirola +10000
Chase Briscoe +12000
Noah Gragson +12000
Michael McDowell +15000
AJ Allmendinger +18000
Austin Cindric +18000
Corey Lajoie +28000
Justin Haley +28000
Harrison Burton +28000
Austin Hill +28000
Jj Yeley +50000
Todd Gilliland +50000
Josh Bilicki +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Ty Dillion +50000
Best Bets
Bubba Wallace Top 10 Finish (-120 Bet365)
Bubba Wallace was arguably the best car at Michigan last season. Running down Kevin Harvick late before the caution, Wallace had a bad restart and fell back before racing his way back to a second-place finish. Wallace has impressed on intermediate tracks lately, being the best car in Kansas for both races in 2022, winning the fall playoff race at the track.
At Pocono, Wallace came home 11th. At Charlotte and Las Vegas, he brought his 23XI Toyota home in fourth for both races. Not paying very much juice for just a top-10 finish from a car I expect to be in competition to win this race makes this one of my best bets on the weekend.
Ty Gibbs Over Alex Bowman (-130 Superbook Sportsbook)
Staying in the fast Toyota camp, this is a case of ‘what have you done for me lately.’ Bowman started the season strong before injuring his back in a sprint car accident that forced him to miss three races. Since coming back, It’s been anything but easy for Bowman. 12th in his first race at Charlotte is his best finish, and his average finish is 21st.
Gibbs has continued to impress in his rookie season. Last year in just his third start filling in for the injured Kurt Busch, Gibbs finished 10th. He won last year’s Xfinity race and will win this year again (go bet it +450 on DraftKings Sportsbook). He’s coming off a strong performance in Pocono, the most recent intermediate track where he scored his first career top-five finish.
Brad Keselowski Top 10 Finish (+130 Caesars Sportsbook)
The Michigan native heads back to his home track, coming off another disappointing race where he led the most laps only to see his teammate win the race. Brad’s winless streak is now up to a staggering 84 races. Keselowski has said winning at this track is as important to him as winning the Daytona 500.
Ford has also won an amazing eight races in a row here. In their backyard, this is a track that both Ford and Keselowski circle and want to perform well at. Keselowski has finished inside of the top 10 13 times at Michigan, and after this weekend, that number will be 14.
Kyle Busch to Win (+800 FanDuel Sportsbook)
Kyle Busch seems to be enjoying his new ride with Richard Childress Racing. The 63-time Cup Series winner has found victory lane three times already in his first season with the team. The first of those victories came at Auto Club Speedway, a track that was designed after and is the closest comparison to Michigan Speedway.
Busch finished 36th last year as he struggled at the end of his tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing. Before that, Busch finished inside the top seven in seven straight races at Michigan. He had a victory and nine career top-five finishes at the track. This could be the week “Rowdy” finds victory lane for a fourth time.
Bubba Wallace to Win (+1600 Superbook Sportsbook)
As mentioned above, Wallace came oh-so-close to winning this race last year and is looking for revenge this year. Wallace has been having a streak of good runs and has himself in a good position to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on points.
However, a win would ensure that for the driver of the Michael Jordan-owned 23XI racing. Toyota, as a whole, and 23XI have been on their game on intermediate tracks in this new-generation car, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see Wallace in victory lane Sunday.
