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For the first time since 1973 -- and just second time since NASCAR first visited -- Michigan International Speedway will host just one NASCAR Cup Series race this season. And in the backyard of Motor City, which is synonymous with the auto industry, manufactures always bring their A-game to the famed, tw0-mile racetrack.
Because of that, there's a lot of pride, especially from Chevrolet and Ford in bringing home the manufacture's trophy. Toyota, however, wouldn't mind upsetting the other two manufactures, at any means necessary.
Ford has won the last six races at Michigan, with Kevin Harvick securing four checkered flags in the process (more on him in a bit). Can Ford get their mojo turned around with the playoffs looming? We might know more come Sunday.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Be sure to also check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles, rankings and and analysis to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. Just a reminder, qualifying isn't until Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m. ET, just four hours before the scheduled green flag.
Kyle Larson
(DraftKings $11,500 | FanDuel $14,500 | DK SportsBook +260)
Anything Kyle Larson straps into these days, he's automatically the favorite to win. Such is the case on Sunday at MIS.
Over the course of his NASCAR career, Michigan has been kind to Larson, picking up his first Cup triumph at the track in 2016. He went on to win the next two races at the track as well. But since then, the five-time winner from 2021 has just one top-10 finish (third, 2019) in the last four starts at the racetrack.
Doesn't matter. Larson is hitting on all eight cylinders, no matter what he's driving. Having won two of the premier sprint car races over the last five weeks, in addition to his Cup win at Watkins Glen International two weeks ago, there's no question why Larson costs as much as he does on DraftKings and FanDuel. Oh yeah, he starts on the pole as well, meaning he'll likely to give you a plethora of bonus points off the bat.
Denny Hamlin
(DraftKings $10,400 | FanDuel $11,500 | DK SportsBook +900)
With the way the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course race ended last Sunday, Denny Hamlin is going to went revenge this weekend. Watch out, Chase Briscoe!
All kidding aside, with Hamlin's 23rd-place finish at Indy dropped him to second in the championship standings for the first time since the season opening Daytona 500. For a team that has yet to win in 2021, seeing the possibility of five playoff points slip away (regular season champion is awarded 15 playoffs points; second place gets 10) is a big deal with the playoffs looming.
In recent races at MIS, Hamlin has been sporty, coming up just short of winning the second race of the doubleheader weekend last year. In fact, he's finished runner-up in two of the last three races at Michigan. The No 11 car will start from ninth; so he's a reasonable price this weekend across the board.
Kevin Harvick
(DraftKings $10,000 | FanDuel $12,000 | DK SportsBook +700)
The Michigan doubleheader last year probably feels like an eternity for Kevin Harvick's No. 4 team. Since then, yes, he's won two races, but none in 2021. And there is a small chance he could miss the playoffs, should the Cup Series see two new winners in the next two races that are below him in points.
While the No. 4 team is having a down year compared to seasons past, it's not a bad season at all. With 16 top-10 finishes, Harvick is tied for second in top-10 finishes. He's just one behind Larson for the top spot. Granted, only six of those are results inside the top five and he's led just 105 laps through 24 races.
When it comes to Michigan, though, Harvick's numbers have been otherworldly in recent years. Not only did the No. 4 car sweep the weekend last year, but since 2013, he's earned 10 top-two finishes in 16 starts. Just three of those 16 races he's had results outside the top five.
This could be the weekend Harvick gets his first win of the season. The No. 4 car starts eighth.
Joey Logano
(DraftKings $9,600 | FanDuel $10,500 | DK SportsBook +1600)
If Harvick has been the best driver at MIS for the majority of the past decade, Joey Logano isn't far behind. Since joining Team Penske in 2013, the 2018 Cup champion has three wins in the Irish Hills, with the last coming just two years ago in dominating fashion.
However, track position is king at Michigan, especially when running the 550 horsepower package. In addition, most races don't see a lot of yellow flags, meaning there are limited opportunities to hone in on the respective car. In all three of Logano's wins at the track, he started from the pole.
Of active drivers, Logano ranks second in laps led at Michigan (590). The No. 22 Ford will take the green flag from 19th, which could bode well for you.
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Ryan Blaney
(DraftKings $9,000 | FanDuel $9,500| DK SportsBook +1800)
Though he hasn't visited victory lane at Michigan, Ryan Blaney isn't too shabby at the racetrack, either. In the first race at MIS last August, the No. 12 car finished second, only to get wrecked by Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski while battling for the lead on Sunday.
Sure, Blaney has just five top-10 finishes in 12 Michigan starts, but he's led in five races, including the past four. Also, the No. 12 team has scored three top-five finishes in the last four races of the 2021 season, whereas it had just three in the opening 20 races.
I think Blaney could be the sleeper for the victory on Sunday, should everything fall his way. With 18-1 odds of winning the race, that might call for putting a few bucks down.
Christopher Bell
(DraftKings $8,100 | FanDuel $9,200 | DK SportsBook +2200)
Here's where it starts to get interesting. You need drivers to fill out the back half of your lineup, and still looking for quality choices. Well, depending on how much money you've got left to spend, Christopher Bell could be the right fit.
Granted, Bell isn't that cheap -- on FanDuel, he's actually probably overpriced. But the No. 20 Toyota does start 28th, meaning there's a lot of ground to be made up.
In two Michigan starts -- both coming last year -- Bell has an average finish of 15th. Of late, though, the No. 20 team has started to turn a corner, posting runner-up finishes in two of the last five races. He also has recent top 10s at both Watkins Glen and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Austin Dillon
(DraftKings $8,000 | FanDuel $7,500 | DK SportsBook +4500)
Statistically, Michigan is one of Austin Dillon's best tracks on the Cup circuit. In 17 starts at the track, he's earned a pair of top-five finishes, the last of which came in 2018.
With both Richard Childress Racing drivers (Dillon and Tyler Reddick) battling for their playoff lives, the team is going all out over the final two races of the regular season. But Daytona is a crapshoot; Michigan typically isn't.
This weekend, I'd fully expect both RCR cars to be hovering around the top 10, points racing. Ah, yes, points racing. When it comes to filling out a fantasy lineup, that's not what you want to hear, as it could cost you in the final stage.
Chase Briscoe
(DraftKings $6,700 | FanDuel $5,500 | DK SportsBook +15000)
Chase Briscoe was, oh so close to punching his ticket to the NASCAR playoffs last weekend. Until he got ran off the track by Hamlin, and ultimately cut the course. No less than eight corners later, around goes the No. 11 Toyota off the front bumper of the No. 14 car.
Yes, Briscoe wrecked the leader -- though not intentional -- while he was penalized. Not an ideal look for a rookie driver. After the race, Hamlin calmly spoke to the 26-year-old about the incident. Lesson learned.
None of that matters for this weekend, though. And while there's no hiding Stewart-Haas Racing has particularly struggled on 550 hp tracks this season, Briscoe has started to become more of a top-10 threat of late. Personally, I don't project the No. 14 car ending Michigan inside the top 10, but an improvement on his 21st-place starting position could help you. Plus, he's relatively cheep across DraftKings and FanDuel.
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