When you sign-up through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more >

Image for Reid Spencer Reid Spencer - Updated October 14, 2022

Firekeepers Casino 400: You Can Ignore Chevrolets and Toyotas in This Cup Race

  • You can ignore Chevrolets and Toyotas in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Michigan
  • Defending winner Ryan Blaney returns to Michigan seeking his first victory of 2022
  • It’s high time for Kyle Larson to get his Cup program headed in the right direction

Firekeepers Casino 400 Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Driver Odds
Chase Elliott +600
BET HERE
Kyle Busch +650
BET HERE
Kyle Larson +700
BET HERE
Denny Hamlin +750
BET HERE
Ross Chastain +900
BET HERE
William Byron +1200
BET HERE
Tyler Reddick +1200
BET HERE
Ryan Blaney +1200
BET HERE
Martin Truex Jr. +1500
BET HERE
Christopher Bell +1500
BET HERE
Joey Logano +2000
BET HERE
Alex Bowman +2500
BET HERE
Kevin Harvick +2500
BET HERE
Daniel Suarez +2500
BET HERE

Firekeepers Casino 400 Picks

Kevin Harvick to win the race at +2500

Ryan Blaney to finish in the top three at +350

Ryan Blaney to beat Martin Truex Jr. head-to-head at -110

Pick made on 08/04/2022 at 11:20 PM EST

Firekeepers Casino 400 Kevin Harvick

Firekeepers Casino 400 Predictions

Forget Chevrolets and Toyotas; Fords Have a Lock on Michigan

In recent years, two-mile Michigan International Speedway has been the exclusive real estate of Ford drivers—when it comes to NASCAR Cup racing, at least.

Drivers from the Blue Oval camp have won the last seven races at the facility, led by 2014 series champion Kevin Harvick with four of those victories.

That being the case, it doesn’t make much sense to us that Chevrolet and Toyota drivers are the oddsmakers’ top seven choices to win Sunday Firekeepers Casino 400.

The Chevys might have a chance, but only one Toyota has taken the checkered flag since Kyle Busch won 11 years ago.

Of the Ford drivers, we like Kevin Harvick to win this Sunday. Yes, Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers have had trouble getting up to speed with the Next Gen car, but Harvick’s recent history at the track can’t be discounted.

It’s an extreme long shot at +2500 via DraftKings Sportsbook, but we’re ready to roll the dice.

Ryan Blaney Returns to Michigan Hoping for First Win of the Season

Ryan Blaney is the defending NASCAR Cup Series winner at Michigan International Speedway—in a Ford, naturally enough.

But Blaney has yet to find Victory Lane this season, and the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Mustang still has to sweat making the Playoff, with four races left in the regular season.

Though we don’t like Blaney to win on Sunday, we do think he’ll finish in the top three and recommend a bet to that effect at +350.

With Playoff Approaching, It’s Time for a Kyle Larson Turnaround

Kyle Larson was responsible for a highlight he’d rather forget in last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

In the waning laps, Larson hurtled toward Turn 1 at a speed far too fast to make the corner, lost control and wiped out the Chevrolet of Ty Dillon in the process.

That’s the way things have been going lately for the reigning series champion, who has recorded finishes of 13th, 14th, fifth and 35th in his last four races.

You could argue that Larson won his only race of the season so far at two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., the track most similar to Michigan.

But that was in February, and Larson, like Blaney, hasn’t been able to close out a race with a fast car since then.

So our advice is to avoid Larson. Instead, our third recommendation is to back Blaney at -110 in a head-to-head matchup against Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr.

How to Watch Firekeepers Casino 400

Race FireKeepers Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race
Location Michigan International Speedway
Time Sunday, August 7, 3 p.m. ET
How to Watch USA
Image for Reid Spencer

AUTHOR

Reid Spencer

198 Articles

Award-winning motorsports writer Reid Spencer has served as lead writer for the NASCAR Wire Service for 16 years, having also spent a four-year stint as NASCAR columnist and beat writer for Sporting News. He is currently serving as president of the National Motorsports Press Association. Email: [email protected]

More info on Reid Spencer
We've been featured on:
espn logo
reuters logo
cbs-news logo
forbes logo
entrepreneur logo
entrepreneur logo
We only list licensed sportsbooks
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork
WorldSportsNetwork

© Rebel Penguin ApS 2023 (a subsidiary of Gaming Innovation Group Inc.)

We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-522-4700 (NV), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI).

WSN.com is registered with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) under affiliate vendor ID 89744, with the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) under certificate of registration number SWR-000148, approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board as a gaming service provider, under certificate registration number 117656-1, possesses a Vendor Minor sports betting license from the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission (account number 94414163), granted a vendor registration number VR007603-20-001 by the Michigan Gaming Control Board, an interim Sports Wagering Supplier license, under license number SWS 066, issued by the West Virginia Lottery Commission, a sports betting vendor registration, under registration number #100400, issued by the Director of Gaming Licensing and Investigations of the Virginia Lottery to operate in the State of Virginia, and a Vendor Registration issued by the Sports Wagering Committee of the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.

Advertising disclosure: WSN contains links to online retailers on its website. When people click on our affiliate links and make purchases, WSN earns a commission from our partners, including ESPN and various sportsbooks.