The FireKeepers Casino 400 comes rolling into the hills of southeastern Michigan this week at Michigan International Speedway. It is a 2-mile long D-shaped oval that is known to be the fastest track on the schedule. The wide racing surface and the nearly consistent banking around the track allow drivers to hold speeds in excess of 200 mph completely around the track. It is also the sister track to Texas World Speedway and a model for Auto Club Speedway in California. Two drivers consider Michigan to be their home tracks on the schedule with Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones both hailing from Michigan originally.

Track Data

 Avg.Avg.     Laps  HighLow Avg.DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Joey Logano5.85.754124416921100112.90.0542.2510.56
Matt Kenseth11.384122415711140106.83.339.259.81
Kyle Larson17.38.5412244901170105.28.812.253.06
Kurt Busch1910.754112460120089.18.251.50.38
Kevin Harvick10.510.2540333111022901130.2527.756.94
Brad Keselowski12.55.540244300390105.177.51.88
Martin Truex Jr.11.89.5402241703200103.62.34.251.06
Chase Elliott7.5220222660220125.25.516.58.25
Austin Dillon91240124200420090.3-351.25
Denny Hamlin5.514.54012300533194.4-900.00
Dale Earnhardt Jr.16.7173012210239182.6-0.30.250.08
Ryan Blaney917.254011200424084.6-8.2500.00
Jamie McMurray16.31040034007160816.300.00
Ryan Newman1413.54001420818084.60.50.50.13
Paul Menard23.3144001410818079.69.30.250.06
Jimmie Johnson8.52040013410639087.6-11.510.252.56
Trevor Bayne20.517.54001200924065.8300.00
Clint Bowyer26.328.540011101041066.5-2.20.250.06
Kasey Kahne11.514.2540004111315084.4-2.750.250.06
Kyle Busch10.328.25400021001143272.3-17.952.50.63
Danica Patrick22.521.2540001201625059.11.250.50.13
Ty Dillon21.51920001001424073.72.500.00
A.J. Allmendinger25.52640001001538157.3-0.500.00
David Ragan24.52640001001835051.3-1.500.00
Chris Buescher21.527.520001002035045.8-600.00
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.25.326.7540000002529056.1-1.4500.00
Cole Whitt373040000002734040.8700.00
Michael McDowell353110000003131039.5400.00
Landon Cassill30.332.7540000002539142.6-2.4500.00
Reed Sorenson39.533.520000003136029600.00
Matt DiBenedetto3533.7540000003039136.81.2500.00
Jeffrey Earnhardt393720000003737127.6200.00
Timmy Hill434310000004343123.2000.00
Daniel Suarez0000000000000000.00
Erik Jones0000000000000000.00
Darrell Wallace Jr.0000000000000000.00
Ryan Sieg0000000000000000.00
Corey LaJoie0000000000000000.00

Top-15 Drivers at Michigan Historically

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFPts.Pts.Pts./race
Matt Kenseth17.110.3735314203344311421106.8110.753.16
Kurt Busch12.819.97323511184452143872.3111.253.48
Dale Earnhardt Jr.14.715.76342814223552139490.388.752.61
Denny Hamlin13.415.182226101614601393103.636.51.66
Ryan Newman13.316.683125822113114228128.250.91
Joey Logano11.912.63162411123563135189.1895.56
Kevin Harvick16.312.663211015263371141111384.252.63
Kasey Kahne11.915.62261810186731403125.216.750.64
Jimmie Johnson9.516.43301512216740140394.4168.55.62
Kyle Busch14.120.4224146151820143359.145.51.90
Kyle Larson15.714.17612355101431105.112.752.13
Brad Keselowski16.512.3315058117302340105.218.251.22
Martin Truex Jr.14.416.452205716830237182.620.750.94
Paul Menard21.717.572104613160439187.640.19
Chase Elliott7.5220222660220112.916.58.25

Top-15 Drivers at 2-mile Tracks

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow  DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5'sTop 10'sTop 20'sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Kyle Larson15.314.29723351591139196.81.0139.755.68
Joey Logano11.45.577147717321100109.75.8343.256.18
Brad Keselowski10.94.8671477310190101.46.047.751.11
Kurt Busch16.914.29712357111300832.6117.752.54
Matt Kenseth10.616.86712252021136197.5-6.2650.57.21
Jimmie Johnson14.915.8671135660139092.7-0.9616.52.36
Kevin Harvick7.68.297055628702290112.4-0.6971.7510.25
Martin Truex Jr.11.411.717034611603320105.7-0.31294.14
Chase Elliott95402447102100117.1417.754.44
Denny Hamlin4.714.7170235620333196.4-10.0115.52.21
Dale Earnhardt Jr.18.7146013510239184.44.70.250.04
Ryan Newman10.612.577012720518082.7-1.970.50.07
Austin Dillon9.914.1470126201424085.8-4.2450.71
Paul Menard2014.717012630428077.45.290.750.11
Clint Bowyer2323.577012310341071.8-0.570.250.04

Drivers to watch this week:

Kyle Larson: Is the most expensive driver this week at $10,200 in Draft Kings as he’s coming to a place that saw him get his first win a year ago. He has two top-fives, two top-10s and 49 laps led to go along with that win, in addition to having the second-best positional differential in the field at +8.8 over the last four races here. Larson has been arguably the best driver in the field at 2-mile races the last two and half seasons and could very well be again on Sunday.

Brad Keselowski: As mentioned earlier, this is Brad’s home track and he always has a big contingent of friends and family in the stands when they come back to the track. He doesn’t have a win here in 15 races but he does have the second-best average finish in that span of 12.33 and has the best average finish over the last four races as well at 5.5. Keselowski, and another driver on this list, are the only two to have four straight top-10s here as well. The consistency he shows combined with wanting to show what his Ford number-2 car can do in Ford’s home state make him a cash game play.

Chase Elliott: Chase has just one season of races under his fire suit here, but he did remarkably well at Michigan last year. The youngster had two runner-up finishes while leading a combined 66 laps and moving up 5.5 spots on average. That isn’t a great sample size but when you also factor in the races at Auto Club, the only other 2-mile track on the schedule, he didn’t finish worse than 10th in four total races between the two tracks. This year he hasn’t quite had that speed thus far, so qualifying and practice will determine how to play him.

Joey Logano: Logano is the other driver to have four straight top-10s at Michigan, in addition to winning and leading 169 laps in that span. He has the second-best average finish of 5.75 over the last two years here and is in the running for best 2-mile racer in the field. With a driver rating of 112.9, he ranks third (barely) in the field in that too.  Logano has won the pole twice so that shouldn’t stop you from playing him even in cash game formats.

Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has a win, two top-fives, two top-10s, and the second most laps led with 157 over the last four races at Michigan. He also is a three-time winner in 35 races with 14 top-fives, 20 top-10s, and an astonishing 33 top-20s. That being said, there has been a run of tracks that Kenseth has been good at previously in which he has disappointed with just one 50+ point race in the last five. So if you are playing him this week, keep that in mind.