June 9, 2025
Alex Bowman's chances of making the playoffs have become increasingly doubtful after he crashed and finished last in Sunday's Michigan race. Although Bowman had typically been running well before bad luck struck earlier this season, he didn't even run well as he started 16th and had faded to 26th before crashing on Lap 67. Although Bowman still sits 13 points above the playoff cut line, it's likely that Carson Hocevar and a road-course specialist will win and knock him out of the playoffs. If Bowman runs as well as he did earlier this season, he certainly still could overtake drivers like Chris Buescher and Chase Briscoe to give himself a better chance, but the way he ran in Sunday's race (a race where his teammates all fought for the lead), it now seems he is more likely to miss the playoffs than make them.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 8, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start third for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This marks the second time this season that Hamlin scored back-to-back top-5 starting positions during the 2025 season. In 34 Cup races at Michigan, Hamlin has two wins, 19 top-10 finishes, which is the most of active drivers, and an average finish of 12.2. With 14 races completed this season, Hamlin has two wins, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.4. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin ranked 24th in overall lap averages and sixth in 10 consecutive lap averages. Michigan is one of Hamlin's top tracks in the past couple of years and should once again be a top contender for the win.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will start fifth for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This marks the first time in Larson's Cup career that he scored back-to-back top-5 starting positions in Michigan Cup races. In 16 races at the site, Larson has three wins, nine top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.4. After 14 races completed this season, Larson has a series-leading eight top-5 finishes, a series-leading 851 laps led, and an average finish of 11.6. In practice, Larson ranked 29th in overall lap averages and 15th in five consecutive lap averages. Despite his practice speeds being underwhelming, Larson has top-notch equipment and regularly has been one of the best on oval tracks in terms of overall speed. Expect him to compete for the win as one of the top favorites of the week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott qualified 17th for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Elliott is the lowest-qualifying driver out of Hendrick's four racers for Sunday's race at Michigan. In 14 races at the site, Elliott has 10 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 10.5. Through 14 races completed in the 2025 season, Elliott remains the only driver in the field to place in the top 20 at the end of every Cup event and he has an average finish of 11.5. In practice for Sunday's race, Elliott ranked seventh in overall lap averages, 11th in five consecutive lap averages, and 10th in 10 consecutive lap averages. With solid upside, practice speeds indicative of a top-10 finish, and favorable track history, Elliott is a driver worth rostering in all DFS formats this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start fourth for this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Byron qualified the highest of all four Hendrick drivers that have entered this week's race. In 10 races at Michigan, Byron has three top-10 finishes, including a career-best finish of second in last year's race at the site, and an average finish of 15.2. After 14 races completed this season, Byron is the season points leader with one win, nine top-10 finishes, and a series-leading average finish of 9.2. In practice, Byron ranked 17th in overall lap averages, but displayed top-10 speeds in all other categories. Based on his equipment, recent Michigan history, and his overall 2025 performance, Byron is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch qualified on the front row at Michigan International Speedway for the fourth time in his Cup career and will start second in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400. In 36 races at Michigan, Busch has one win, 16 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 17.2. He also led 24 laps and finished fourth in last year's Michigan Cup race. In 14 races completed so far in 2025, Busch has four top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.4. In practice, Busch ranked 25th in overall lap averages and 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Busch's high starting position leaves no upside, and considering how Michigan has been a track filled with mixed results for him as well as his inconsistent performance this season, he is difficult to recommend for DFS, only being playable in a tournament setting.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace qualified in the ninth position for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Wallace is the only driver from 23XI to qualify inside the top 10 for this week's race at Michigan. In 11 races at the site, Wallace has two top-10 finishes, an average finish of 19.2, and he led multiple laps in the last three Cup events. Through 14 races so far this season, Wallace has five top-10 finishes, including last week's race at Nashville where he placed sixth. In practice, Wallace ranked fifth in overall lap averages and 12th in five consecutive lap averages. Expect Wallace to compete for a top-10 finish based on his equipment, practice speeds, and the speed he displayed in recent Michigan Cup events.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports will start this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway from the 16th position. This is Bowman's best starting position at Michigan since 2022, when the Next-Gen car was introduced. In 15 previous races at MIS, Bowman has six top-20 finishes and an average finish of 24.3. With 14 races completed this season, Bowman has seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 19.1. In practice, Bowman ranked 18th in overall lap averages but displayed top-10 speeds through almost all other categories. With top-notch equipment and some upside from his starting position, Bowman is a driver worth consideration for all formats, especially as his practice speeds and overall 2025 speed indicate that he should compete for a top-10 finish.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Team Penske's Austin Cindric will start this week's race at Michigan International Speedway, the FireKeepers Casino 400, from the 11th position after qualifying. Cindric has the highest starting position of the three Penske drivers for this week's race. In three starts at Michigan, Cindric's best finish is 12th, which he scored in the 2023 Cup event at the site. Through 14 races so far this season, Cindric has one win, five top-15 finishes, and an average finish of 18.3. In practice for this week's Cup race, Cindric ranked 11th in overall lap averages, eighth in five consecutive lap averages, and third in 10 consecutive lap averages. Cindric does not have much upside based on his salary range of $7,200, but he has shown some quality finishes, especially at races with the intermediate rules package similarly used at Michigan this week. He is recommended mainly for tournament lineups, but otherwise should be avoided for DFS due to his shaky Michigan history.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
Shane Van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing acquired a starting position of 26th for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. This is Van Gisbergen's first start in the Cup Series at the site and he placed 17th in his only start in the Xfinity Series there in 2024. After completing 14 races in the Cup Series this season, Van Gisbergen has four top-20 finishes and placed 25th or better in each of the last four Cup events. In practice, Van Gisbergen ranked 37th in overall lap averages and 27th in 10 consecutive lap averages. The New Zealand rookie has solid upside with equipment capable of placing in the top 25 for this week's Cup race. For those looking for cap flexibility options, SVG is one of the more favorable options when considering his salary of $5,500 or below on DraftKings.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
John Hunter Nemechek of Legacy Motor Club will start 21st for this week's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway after qualifying. Nemechek's starting position is a new career-best at the site in the Cup Series. In three starts at Michigan, Nemechek's best finish is 23rd, which he scored from the August 2020 Cup event, and he did collect positive place differential twice. With 14 races completed this year, Nemechek has six top-20 finishes and an average finish of 19.4. In practice, Nemechek ranked 10th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in almost all categories. With solid upside, favorable long run practice speeds, and plenty of cap flexibility, Nemechek is one of the better value options to consider for this week's race at Michigan.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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June 8, 2025
Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports will start 33rd for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Gilliland's starting position marks the third time in his Cup career where he will start from a position outside of the top 30 at Michigan. In three previous races at the site, the No. 34 Ford driver's best finish is 27th, and he collected positive place differential twice. Through 14 races so far this season, Gilliland has nine top-20 finishes and an average finish of 19.0. In practice, Gilliland ranked 19th in overall lap averages and 17th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Gilliland's Michigan history is unfavorable, but overall, his practice speeds and overall 2025 season-wide performance are decent for the salary. Although he is not the top recommendation for a value option since he does not offer as much speed as some, Gilliland is not a bad option for those looking for cap flexibility in DFS for all formats at $5,700 on DraftKings.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
June 8, 2025
After a comical string of bad luck this year, Ryan Blaney finally broke through to victory at Nashville, becoming the last of the four Penske-affiliated drivers to do so even though he has as usual been running better than his teammates. Although recent history suggested Team Penske was neglecting non-playoff tracks to focus exclusively on Phoenix, they seem to have stopped doing so this year, which makes it more likely that they will bring the same speed they had at Nashville to other tracks. Blaney qualified 13th in an inside-line sandwich between his teammates Austin Cindric and Joey Logano. Blaney has led eight of the last ten races here, although he rarely leads a lot. Over that time span, he has also collected seven top tens including a win in 2021, so he consistently runs well. He's definitely a top contender for DFS play today and the only issue may be that at $10,500, he might be a little overpriced.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
June 8, 2025
Although Ross Chastain is one of the most valuable DFS drivers most weeks because he tends to qualify poorly and finish well, Michigan may not be one of the best tracks to start him. Although he's generally known for his intermediate prowess, he tends to do better on the 1.3-1.5 mile intermediates than the 2-milers. Although he has led the last three Michigan races, he crashed in 2022 and spun in overtime last year. However, he has never driven more cleanly than he has this year so he might be more likely to get a good finish even though his cars seem slower than they were in previous years. The main reason he might not be the best choice this week is because he qualified 20th, much better than he usually does, meaning he is less likely to earn Place Differential points. He's still a top choice for this race and well worth considering, but others seem to be better options for this race.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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