Michigan 2 Post Practice Fantasy NASCAR Predictions
We’re at the fastest track in NASCAR this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series calls Michigan International Speedway “home” for a scheduled 400 miles in the Consumers Energy 400 on Sunday. Michigan is a huge, 2-mile oval that really tests the horsepower of these cars. Track position is very important here, as are restarts, and we typically see the guys that qualify up front also finish there. Of course, the last time we were here, weather came into play and shortened the day, with Clint Bowyer ending up in victory lane. There’s about a 30% chance of rain during the race this weekend but we should be able to get the full 200 laps in on Sunday.
We had a “normal” schedule at Michigan this weekend with a practice session and qualifying on Friday followed by two more practice sessions on Saturday. Denny Hamlin won the pole for the second week in a row, and the full starting lineup for the second Michigan race can be found by clicking here. As far as Saturday’s practice speeds go, you can find them here: Practice #2 – Happy Hour. Our in-depth notes for those practices can be found here: Practice #2 – Happy Hour.
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Final Top 25 Rankings for Michigan 2
1. Kevin Harvick – Starts 3rd – DraftKings Price: $12,200 – FanDuel Price: $12,700
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Kevin Harvick’s #4 Ford is the car to beat heading into Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400, but I don’t think he’ll absolutely dominate this race, if that makes sense. He has a fast car on the short and long runs, but I don’t see Harvick leading 120+ laps. I’ve been wrong before, though, and the fact of the matter is that Michigan is a great track for “The Closer” and the Fords definitely have an advantage at this 2-mile oval. As far as Harvick’s record here at Michigan International Speedway, he has just one victory here (back in 2010) but has finished 2nd in six of the last eleven races here and has eight top 5s total over that same time period. Harvick will roll off the grid from 3rd when this weekend’s race goes green, and he looked good on the speed charts Saturday, posting the 10th-fastest lap in Practice #2 before winding up 4th-fastest in Happy Hour with the 6th-best ten-lap average. For what it’s worth, Harvick has the best average running position (6.7) over the last three Michigan races.
2. Kyle Busch – Starts 2nd – DraftKings Price: $11,900 – FanDuel Price: $12,200
**Risk Factor: Low Risk**
Despite having a plowing issue during Happy Hour on Saturday, Kyle Busch’s #18 Toyota should be plenty fast for the race on Sunday. Michigan is a track that Rowdy has historically struggled at, but he’s run really well over the last three events here and is poised for another strong showing on Sunday. Kyle finished 4th in the rain-shortened race here in June, which is his only top 5 finish in the last ten Michigan races, but he should be able to make it two in a row this weekend. In addition to starting on the outside pole, Busch was 2nd-fastest in the Happy Hour practice session on Saturday and ranked 12th-best in terms of ten-lap average. Don’t let that low ranking fool you, though: Rowdy made his longer run near the end of the session, so that definitely played a part in the slower speed. Kyle Busch has one finish outside of the top 5 in the last ten Cup Series races overall, and it’s going to be one out of the next eleven after this weekend.
3. Erik Jones – Starts 4th – DraftKings Price: $8,000 – FanDuel Price: $9,400
**Risk Factor: Medium Risk**
Erik Jones and the #20 team continued their hot streak at Watkins Glen last weekend with a 5th-place finish, giving them six results of 7th or better in the last seven races overall. Now we’re at Michigan, where Erik has a career average finish of 10.3, including a 3rd-place finish in this event last season. As far as this weekend goes, the #20 Toyota showed speed off the truck and qualified 4th, and then followed that up with the fastest lap in Practice #2 and the 9th-fastest lap in Happy Hour. In terms of ten-lap average, Jones ranked P1 in both of those sessions, which is very promising. Erik came home 7th at Fontana earlier this year and there’s no reason to think he can’t contend for a finish in the 5th-7th range here at Michigan on Sunday…or possibly even something better. We have seen him get to the front and lead here at MIS before….
