FireKeepers Casino 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 8/6/2023
Michigan International Speedway
Brooklyn, MI
Behind us are the fender bumping and wild restarts of the short tracks and we look ahead to the weekend NASCAR Cup Series race in Brooklyn, MI for the FireKeepers Casino 400. This is the only time that NASCAR will be visiting Brooklyn this season. In the past, there have been two races a year at this track, but a shakeup in the schedule has left Michiganders just one race to watch in the season. This track has recorded some of the fastest NASCAR speeds of all time and has impressed all that have watched. Jeff Gordon set the record here by setting the pole on a qualifying lap going 206.558 in 2014. That record still stands today. That said, speeds have started to wain in recent years and changes to the performance and aerodynamic nature of these cars have taken place and we should see qualifying laps being around 190 mph. We still have Fontana to look at when trying to find a fair comparison to this track. It is a two-mile track that is similar to Michigan International Speedway and was most recently dominated by Chevrolet back in February. We'll find out this weekend if Chevrolet still has a handle on the race.
As previously stated, Auto club Speedway in Fontana is similar to the oval in Michigan. Because of the weather, there was no pole qualifying that race, but the speeds averaged between 170 and 180 mph, and this was because of the NextGen cars and the weather conditions. Even though speeds were down, this was an exciting race with 28 lead changes which was almost double what we had seen in Fontana in previous seasons. NASCAR will hope for a similar result in Michigan even though last season there were only 15 lead changes. Everyone is hoping for more excitement this season.
Cook Out 400 Recap
With the win in Richmond, Chris Buescher was able to lock up his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. It was his team's first win of the year, and he was able to hold off the competition after a restart and just three laps remaining. Buescher and Brad Keselowski, who is a part owner of RFK Racing, combined for the most laps led on the day with 190 out of 400. Buescher led 88 laps and it was the second most that he has led in his career. It was a big win for the team and now Buescher can take a deep breath as we inch closer and closer to the end of the season.
NASCAR Playoff Standings
Chris Buescher launched himself into Cup contention with the win and put him in the 11th spot heading into the final races of the season. William Byron still leads the pack with four wins and 701 points while Martin Truex Jr. has 744 points and three wins. Sitting in the third spot is Kyle Busch with 648 points and three wins while Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson round out the top five. Both drivers have two wins each with Hamlin earning 705 points and Larson earning 619.
FireKeepers Casino 400 Odds
Denny Hamlin - +700
Kyle Larson - +700
Kyle Busch - +750
Martin Truex Jr. - +800
Kevin Harvick - +800
William Byron - +800
Christopher Bell - +1,000
Ryan Blaney - +1,100
Tyler Reddick - +1,200
Bubba Wallace - +1,400
Chase Elliott - +1,500
Joey Logano - +1,500
Ross Chastain - +1,800
Ty Gibbs - +2,200
Brad Keselowski - +2,500
Alex Bowman - +4,000
Chris Buescher - +5,000
Daniel Suarez - +6,000
Aric Almirola - +10,000
A.J. Allmendinger - +15,000
I like an underdog story and while Kevin Harvick isn't at the bottom of the odds list, he isn't at the top either. That said, Harvick has won eight times in Michigan and five of those wins came in his last seven starts there. He's had 16 top five finishes; 22 top 10 finishes and he's led for over 700 laps. A truly impressive resume for a driver at one track and that's why he's my choice this weekend.
Tony's Pick: Take Kevin Harvick (+800)
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