The Cup Series travels to Michigan this weekend for the FireKeepers Casino 400. The Best Bets nearly won again last week with Joey Logano at 12-1 odds and Denny Hamlin at 6-1 odds. I feel like the Betting Gods owe us one after the agony of defeat last week. The race in Michigan should be easier to handicap than the wild race, with the “option tire” at Richmond. The FireKeepers Casino 400 can be seen Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS MICHIGAN
* The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. The odds could change between the time of this article and the time you place your bet.
BETTING STRATEGY FOR MICHIGAN
I typically do not like to bet the favorite, but I will this week. I really like the No. 5 car at Michigan. I also like the drivers on the bubble of making the playoffs. We saw last week that desperate drivers will do desperate things to make it to Victory Lane. The drivers battling for a playoff spot will be very aggressive with their pit strategy Sunday in order to steal some track position and earn a spot to race for the championship.
BETTING CARD FOR MICHIGAN
KYLE LARSON (+550): Larson is no stranger to Victory Lane at Michigan. He has three wins in the Irish Hills of Michigan. He has a great chance to get another one Sunday. Larson has been a beast on the large intermediate tracks this year. He just won at Indianapolis and Larson has wins at Las Vegas and Kansas too. I was hoping that he wasn’t going to be the favorite to win, but he is. I will still bet “Yung Money” to win at one of his best tracks.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (+1000): One of the drivers I was excited to see the odds with was Bell. I figured Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. would have shorter odds to win than Bell, but that could be a mistake. He has been just as good as Hamlin this summer and Bell won the last race on an intermediate tracks (Coca-Cola 600). Bell is a good bet a double-digit odds Sunday.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (+1100): This is a home game for Keselowski. I thought about betting his teammate (Chris Buescher), since the No. 17 car went to Victory Lane at Michigan last year, but I will put my money behind Keselowski. He won using the aero-package that will be used Sunday at Darlington and he finished 2nd at Texas and 2nd at Charlotte. Keselowski will be extra motivated to win at his home track. I would not be surprised to see him get the job done Sunday.
CHASE ELLIOTT (+1500): Elliott is +1500? What am I missing? He has the best average finishing position on the tracks similar to Michigan this year and he won using this aero package at Texas. It is hard to pass up the chance to bet a Hendrick Motorsports car (other than Alex Bowman) at +1500. I doubt his odds will be this high after practice and qualifying Saturday.
BUBBA WALLACE (+2000): Wallace sits right at the cut-line for making the playoffs. He really needs a win, since anything can happen next week at Daytona. It is not that tough to imagine Wallace winning Sunday. He won the pole, led 22 laps and finished 2nd in the Gen-7 car at Michigan in 2022. I trust his crew chief (Bootie Barker) to give Wallace a fast car this week and to use pit strategy to get Wallace to the front. I just need a little luck and this pick could pay off nicely Sunday.
TY GIBBS (+2000): I will take a chance with Gibbs at +2000 Sunday. Gibbs is only 18 points above the cut line to make the playoffs. He really needs a win to take the pressure off the No. 54 team in the final two races. I expect Joe Gibbs Racing to give Gibbs their best car this weekend to get to Victory Lane. We saw drivers like Kyle Larson win their first race at Michigan. I will bet that it will happen for Gibbs this week.
** I will not be posting updated Best Bets this weekend, but you can ask me on Twitter or in the Member’s Forum s there are any other drivers I like after qualifying.
Good luck Sunday!
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