Michigan 2 Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions

We’re back at Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the Pure Michigan 400. We last ran at this 2-mile race track back in June, and it was Joey Logano who started on the pole, led for most of the race, and got to victory lane. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were pretty much the only other drivers that potentially had anything for the #22 Ford that day, but they fell short and finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. It will be interesting to see if those two can back up their June performances this weekend, as Elliott hasn’t had a top 5 finish in Sprint Cup action since that very race, while Larson has had a lot of speed lately but not a lot of luck. As far as the aerodynamic package, the Sprint Cup drivers will be running the same one that they had here back in June, and I’m expecting a very similar race. Also, if you want some comparisons to look in to, Fontana is a 2-mile track as well, and we ran a somewhat-similar aero package at Kentucky last month.

Qualifying is important here at Michigan, as evidenced by five of the last six pole sitters finishing 1st or 2nd. Joey Logano is on the pole for this weekend’s Pure Michigan 400, and the full starting lineup can be found here. There were two post-qualifying practices (my favorite) on Saturday morning, and those results can be found here: Practice #2 — Happy Hour. Don’t forget to check out our notes for each as well: Practice #2 — Happy Hour.

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Final Top 15 Ranking For Michigan 2

1. Joey Logano – Starts 1st – DraftKings Price: $10,400 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

Joey Logano was mediocre at best here at Michigan in his first few years in NASCAR’s top series, but with the move to Penske Racing in 2013, he immediately established himself as a perennial contender here at MIS. In his seven races ran here in that #22 Ford, Joey has never finished worse than 9th and has collected two victories along the way, including a win from the pole here earlier this season. Now, can he do it again this weekend? Right now the #22 team is getting into Chase form as they have ended up 7th or better in seven of the last ten Sprint Cup races overall. You know you’re running well when a 10th-place finish at Bristol–which is where Logano ended up last week–is kind of a disappointment. Joey’s crew chief, Todd Gordon, is one of the best in the business when it comes to improving the race car during the actual race itself, so whenever that #22 Ford has a bunch of speed in the practices leading up to race day, the rest of the garage should be worried. In Practice #2 on Saturday morning, Logano was just 16th on the overall speed chart, but with those track conditions I’m willing to give him a pass. In the rain-shortened Happy Hour he ranked 7th-fastest on the speed chart. Joey’s going to be one of the most-picked drivers in Fantasy NASCAR this weekend, and for good reason: Logano is one of the most reliable racers here at Michigan International Speedway. Also, whenever he has speed off of the truck, Joey is very, very difficult to beat. Also, I think the limited Happy Hour practice time actually benefits him a bit.

2. Kevin Harvick – Starts 4th – DraftKings Price: $10,700 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**

Any time that Kevin Harvick qualifies near the front, the rest of the garage should be worried, although it’s kind of weird that his two wins this season have came when he started 18th and 24th. But anyway, Harvick starting up front means that he has the chance to dominate the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, and I really think it’s going to come down to either him or Joey Logano. Obviously Logano gets a small advantage heading into Sunday but you never know how these races are going to play out. I will say that the #22 Ford has an advantage in both pit stall selection, initial track position, and pit crew, though. As far as Harvick’s history here at Michigan, he went to victory lane here back in 2010 but that is his only win in thirty-one career starts at this track. With that being said, over the last seven MIS races, Kevin has posted six top 5 finishes, five of which were 2nd-place results. Unfortunately for Harvick, I think he adds another runner-up finish to his resume on Sunday. The #4 Chevrolet was 7th-fastest in Practice #2 on Friday and wound up 20th-best in the rain-shortened Happy Hour. As far as ten-lap average, he was 8th and in the first session on Saturday. I’m not worried about Harvick lacking on the speed chart in practice this weekend because the same thing happened last week at Bristol and we all know how that turned out.

3. Denny Hamlin – Starts 3rd – DraftKings Price: $8,900 – Yahoo! A Group
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**

I had Denny Hamlin pegged as a nice off-sequence pick heading into this race weekend and he has done nothing to disappoint. He was ranked 7th in my Pre-Practice Top 20 on Monday and I’m actually going to go ahead and move Denny up a few spots. Hamlin’s record here at Michigan International Speedway isn’t stellar (15.5 career average finish) but he did finish 5th in this race one year ago and has two victories here at MIS from back in 2011 and 2010. What I really like about this #11 team right now is their momentum: Denny is in mid-Chase form right now and now has five straight top 10 finishes in Sprint Cup action as well as three top 5s in the last four. Not only that, but the #11 Toyota has nice speed in the Irish Hills this weekend; not only did Hamlin qualify 3rd for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400, but he wound up at the top of the speed chart in Saturday’s rain-shortened Happy Hour practice. I don’t think this #11 team has anything for Joey Logano or Kevin Harvick on Sunday, but a top 5 finish is well within reach for them, and who knows, if Denny can catch a break and play the strategy game on race day, he just might be able to get his third victory of the 2016 season.