The Cup Series will travel to the Irish Hills of Michigan this weekend for the FireKeepers Casino 400. The One & Done picks have some momentum after a solid race in Music City. Zane Smith was the pick in the games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season. Smith finished 9th and that really helped the picks move up in the standings… Ryan Blaney was the pick in the games that reset at the end of the regular season. Blaney finished 8th. Not too bad, but I was hoping for more… Denny Hamlin was the pick in the games where we can use a driver more than once throughout the season. Hamlin got off to a horrible start, but rallied back to win the race. I will do my best to build upon this momentum and have another solid race in Michigan. Here are the picks for the race for the race Sunday at Michigan International Speedway…
ONE & DONE CONTESTS
This pick is for games where you can only use a driver once throughout the season.
CHRIS BUESCHER will be my pick in games where you can use a driver once throughout the season. Michigan is the best track on the schedule to take a chance with Buescher. He won the race at Michigan in 2023, finished 6th in 2024 and 2nd last year. He has the best average finishing position at Michigan since 2022. The No. 17 car has enough speed to run up front, score a lot of Stage points and finish in the top-five.
ONE & DONE (REGULAR SEASON/PLAYOFF GAMES)
The picks for the Regular Season / Playoff Games are rest this week. There are some One & Done Contests that reset when the playoffs start. That means you only need to use 26 Drivers for the regular season and then 10 drivers for the playoffs. We can be more aggressive in these types of One & Done Contests.
CHASE ELLIOTT will be my pick in games that reset at the end of the regular season. Elliott has had a lot of speed and no luck at Michigan. That finishing positions for the No. 9 car at Michigan at not very good, but Elliott pops off the screen if you watch the race. Elliott led 19 laps and finished 15th at Michigan because he was saving fuel at the end of the race. The No. 9 car looked fast in practice and Elliott starts 6TH Sunday. I am not sure Elliott will win, but he should be a safe pick for a top-10 finish.
ONE & DONE (USE A DRIVER MORE THAN ONCE)
There are some One & Done games that are not really “One & Done.” I play in a league where you can use a driver twice and another league where you can use a driver three times during the season. The picks posted below are for these types of contests (I am going to base these picks on being able to use a driver twice during the 2025 season).
CARSON HOCEVAR will be my pick in games where you can use a driver more than once during the 2025 season. This is a home race for Hocevar. The secret to running up front at Michigan is to keep your foot on the gas pedal and do not lift. Once a driver loses his momentum, he falls back in the pack. Hocevar is not lifting for anyone. He had the car to beat in this race last year, but he got a flat tire with 19 laps to go. He also finished 10th at his home track in 2024. Hocevar is a real threat to win the FireKeepers Casino 400 Sunday.
NASCAR.COM 36 FOR 36 PICK
Good luck Sunday!
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