The NASCAR Cup Series season continues on this weekend as we stop at Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday afternoon. This is points-paying race #25 of the year, which means we have just two races left to finalize the 16-driver pool for the Playoffs. That also means that there are just two races left in this Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest before the “Playoffs” Segment starts. This season is flying, isn’t it!?
Kyle Larson is on the pole for Sunday’s race at Michigan, and his teammate, Chase Elliott, will be starting 2nd. You can click here to see the full starting lineup for this weekend’s race. Now let’s get to the picks!
*Please note: the picks and suggestions below are my opinions and strategy for the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest. These are not meant to sway your thinking in any way, but rather give you insight into the drivers I am most likely to pick on race day.*
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Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest Picks for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan
The Safe
Kyle Busch ($12,000) – A lot of people are (rightfully) talking about Kyle Larson this season, but looking at the races in the 550hp package, Kyle Busch is right there with him. Rowdy has finished inside the top 3 in six of the eight races with this package in 2021, and the two exceptions were the first Atlanta race (he ended up 5th) and the Homestead race (finished 10th). Busch will start from 7th here on Sunday for the FireKeepers Casino 400 and should move up early and be at or near the front all day. Over the last six Michigan races, Kyle Busch has no finish worse than 6th, and he hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 here since the 2016 season.
Brad Keselowski ($11,100) – After two bad races in a row, I’m sure Brad Keselowski will be glad to be at his home track of Michigan International Speedway this weekend to get his season back on track before the Playoffs start. Somehow BK has never won here at MIS, but among active drivers he has the 5th-best career average finish here (12.7), has led the 6th-most laps (252), and has finished inside the top 10 more often than not (12 times in 23 starts). Keselowski will roll off the grid from 20th here for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 so there’s place differential potential there in addition to the likely top 10 finish. In this 550hp package in 2021, Keselowski has the 7th-best average finish (10.4) and ranks 7th-best in average running position as well (10.7).
Austin Dillon ($8,800) – Austin Dillon burned me at the Indy Road Course last weekend on the betting side, but I’m more than willing to go back to the well here on the fantasy side. Due to his wreck last weekend, Austin will be starting from back in 26th here at Michigan on Sunday, which means one thing for the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest: place differential potential. AD has finished inside the top 10 in five of the last eleven Michigan races and has just three results worse than 16th over that same five-and-a-half year time span. In the 550hp package this year, Austin has the 11th-best average running position (12.6) and the 10th-best average finish (11.5).
The Risky
Kyle Larson ($12,500) – The pole sitter is always a pretty risky pick in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest, just because one mistake can wipe out your day entirely due to the negative place differential points…but this is Kyle Larson we’re talking about. “Yung Money” won three straight races here at Michigan from 2016 to 2017, and in his last eight starts at this track he’s finished 3rd or better five times. And it’s going to sound like a broken record, but Larson is now in the best equipment of his life. Looking at races in the 550hp package this year, Larson has two wins, two 2nd-place finishes, and a ridiculous average running position of 4.6 (second-best is William Byron at 7.0). Larson could easily win both Stages and the race here on Sunday, and lead the most laps as well, which would be a huge points day in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest.
Martin Truex, Jr. ($11,500) – My algorithm likes Martin Truex, Jr. a lot this weekend, and who am I to go against that thing? MTJ has never went to victory lane here at Michigan International Speedway, but he’s come close several times; in 30 career starts at this track, Truex has three 2nd-place finish (most recently in 2017) and six 3rd-place finishes (most recently in both races last season). The #19 Toyota will roll off the grid from 5th on Sunday, so that makes Truex a risky Slingshot pick with limited place differential potential, but if he can pull off another top 3 finish and grab some Stage points, the risk may be worth the reward.
Corey LaJoie Josh Berry ($6,200) – NOTE: Corey LaJoie isn’t racing this week due to COVID protocols. He will be replaced by Josh Berry. My mindset for Josh Berry is the same as it was with LaJoie. Here are my original notes on LaJoie: We don’t get to talk about Corey LaJoie too often, but him and this #7 team deserve some recognition. Over the last eleven Cup Series races, LaJoie has finished 24th or better in ten of the eleven, with the only exception being the first Pocono race when he got damage. Other than that, LaJoie constantly flirts with the top 20 week in and week out, and recently came home 22nd at Atlanta (the most recent intermediate track). Here at Michigan, LaJoie has actually been solid, with four straight finishes of 23rd or better. With so much place differential potential among the higher-priced Slingshot drivers this week, you’re probably going to have to dip down in this mid-to-low-$6,000 range to cap off your lineup. LaJoie is a risky pick but he has potential.
The Winner
“Race Winner” Pick = Kyle Larson – Because why would you bet against him?
where is lajoie or is berry driving the #7
Berry is driving the #7 this week.