7 days agoErik Jones will start in 10th place as he looks to sneak into the playoffs on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Jones will need a win to make the playoffs, but if Michigan is run like Atlanta, Jones could be a dark horse to win. Jones is also 175 points out of a playoff spot, showing how badly he needs a win. Jones has zero wins, two top-fives and seven top-10 finishes this year, putting him in 19th place in the standings. Jones will look to shock the world, especially since he has not run that well at Michigan. With stats of only one top-five and one top-10 finish at the track, Jones will be a risky play.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoDenny Hamlin will be starting in ninth place at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. Hamlin has been having a down year by his standards, and it hit a low point at Pocono when he was disqualified for a race he thought he won. However, Hamlin is still locked into the playoffs and needs to start getting better finishes to show he still has talent in the tank. Hamlin has stats of two wins, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes this year, which puts him in sixth place in the standings. Hamlin does have two wins at Michigan, with his last win coming way back in 2011. It has been a while since his last win, but he can easily turn back the clock. Hamlin should be worth a look, but do it at your own risk.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoKyle Larson will look to dominate at one of his favorite tracks and will start in eighth place at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. We think it's safe to say Larson won't have another season like he did in 2021, and he still only has one win on the year. However, Larson has been one of the best drivers this year. Larson has stats of one win, nine top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes, which puts him in seventh place in the standings. Larson is very good at Michigan and has three wins, six top-fives and seven top-10 finishes at the track, which shows how good he has been here. Larson should be one of the favorites to win.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoMartin Truex Jr. will be looking to secure his playoff spot when he starts in seventh place at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. Truex might be one of the most talked about drivers as he holds the last playoff spot in 16th place. To make matters worse for Truex, two drivers who have not won a race will start inside the top 10 -- the pole-sitter Bubba Wallace and Erik Jones. If Truex wins, he won't need to sweat, because he will be locked into the playoffs. He has stats of zero wins, three top-fives and nine top-10 finishes this year. Truex should be worth a look in fantasy on Sunday.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoLast week's winner, Tyler Reddick, will be looking to go back-to-back when he starts in sixth place on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Reddick was surging up the NASCAR standings a couple of weeks ago when he had zero wins. Reddick now has two wins and is looking for his third win of the season. Reddick has two wins, seven top-fives and nine top-10 finishes this year, putting him in fifth place in the standings. Reddick can be a real problem during the playoffs if he can continue his road-course success. Reddick finished in 29th place last year at Michigan, which is not good, but he is looking to get a win. Reddick should be worth a look.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoAustin Cindric has been on a roll recently. He will be starting in fifth place at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday. It looked like Cindric was dead in the water during the middle of the season. But in the last seven races, he has turned a corner and has had three top-fives and five top-10 finishes, which shows that he is getting more and more comfortable this season. Cindric has stats of one win, four top-fives and seven top-10 finishes on the year, which puts him in 12th place in the standings. Cindric should be worth a look in fantasy on Sunday.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoJoey Logano will be starting in fourth place on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Logano is on a mission to earn his second career championship. He already has two wins on the season and sits in third place in the standings. He has five top-fives and nine top-10 finishes in 2022, which is a down year for Logano's standards. Logano has three wins at Michigan, with his last win coming in 2019, which means he could be due for a win at Michigan. Logano will be worth the look on Sunday in fantasy as he tries to take home the checkered flag.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoKyle Busch will be looking to finally score a top-10 finish while starting in third place on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. Busch hasn't had a top-10 finish in over two months, but he is going to be in a great position to snap that streak. He could have snapped the streak at Pocono if he did not get disqualified. However, that is behind Busch, and he will be looking to add one more win before the start of the playoffs. Busch could have an early exit in the playoffs if he doesn't get his stuff together. Busch still has stats of one win, six top-fives and 11 top-10 finishes this year, which puts him in ninth in the standings. Busch should be worth a look, even with his recent struggles.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoOn Sunday, Christopher Bell will be starting on the front row in second place at Michigan International Speedway. Bell has already clinched his spot in the playoffs, but he will be looking to strike fear into the rest of the field. Bell has been putting together some good runs of late with a win at New Hampshire and win in Stage 2 of last week's race at the Indy road course. Bell has stats of one win, six top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes this year, putting him in eighth place in the standings. Bell will also be looking to make a deep run into the postseason after he was eliminated in the round of 12 last year. Bell should be worth a look on Sunday.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoBubba Wallace dominated qualifying at Michigan International Speedway and will start on the pole on Sunday. This will be Wallace's first-ever pole, and he is on one of the best stretches in his young career. In his last three races, Wallace has two top-fives and three top-10 finishes, which shows he is finally starting to get some consistent runs. Despite Wallace's recent success, he will need to win a race to have a chance to make the playoffs, as he sits over 200 points out of the last spot in the playoffs. Wallace has stats of zero wins, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes this year. Wallace should have a great chance to get his second career win and he should be worth a look.
--Maison MaerzSource: NASCAR
7 days agoThe 2022 season has been a lost one for Brad Keselowski. Keselowski has been behind from the beginning even with the 100 point deduction early on. The RFK Racing driver even starts way back in 33rd for Sunday's race at Michigan. This is a driver who does have three top-tens in his last five races on the 2.0-mile track. Being so low, the No. 6 Ford can only go up from here. Again, being near the rock bottom might help a little from a DFS and place differential standpoint.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
7 days agoRyan Blaney won the race last year at Michigan. The Ford driver tested rather well and then proceeded to qualify 24th for Sunday's race even behind Justin Haley. Yes, he was not the only one but it was a surprise. Blaney has not won in 2022 yet and the pressure does seem to be getting to him. The No.12 from Team Penske has run well the past several years aside from pit issues and mechanicals. In his past three appearances, Blaney has finished inside the top ten in both stages. Again, Blaney has finished outside the top ten in four of his past five races. That is troubling.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
7 days agoCan Ross Chastain climb from 22nd on Sunday? That is the question. Michigan is different compared to other tracks for the TrackHouse Racing driver. There is quite a bit of unknown but for two previous teams, Chastain has never finished higher than 26th in four appearances. That likely will change on Sunday. How high does the No. 1 go though? That remains unknown. With the strength of Ford and especially Toyota this week, can Chastain muscle his way up the field? Anything is possible and having Daniel Suarez as a teammate could help.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
7 days agoWilliam Byron charged up the field last year at Michigan. He started 18th and wound up second when all was said and done. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver even led 18 laps and finished in the top-nine during both stages. His car was fast. This year looks familiar as Byron qualified only in 20th. Byron is perennially around the top ten on intermediate tracks (11.3 average finish). The two near top tens in New Hampshire and Pocono are possible signs the No. 24 is beginning to snap out of his funk which has lasted since his Martinsville triumph in early April.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
7 days agoCole Custer starts 17th on Sunday at Michigan and though he has shown flashes of speed, Custer may struggle again. In three races, the Ford driver has finished no higher than 23rd. To be fair, his qualifying has left a bit to be desired. Even his fourth effort produced another start outside the top-15. He did show some positive place differential the past two outings but that was more attrition based advancement than anything else (+4 and +9 in 2020 and 2021). Custer could at least hold on to a top-20 spot if he has any late speed at the end.
--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
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