NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 Predictions, Odds & Picks
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Published: Sat Aug 05, 2023, 7:02 am ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
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In recent years, the annual August NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway has been dominated by Kevin Harvick. Will the former series champion end his winless run there in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 (2:30 pm ET, USA)?
Harvick hasn't won since recording back-to-back wins at Michigan and Richmond last August. A win in the FireKeepers Casino 400 will not only end his winless run, but it would also be a record sixth in this race, breaking his tie with David Pearson.
Four of his five wins are in the five previous seasons, with an 18th-place finish in 2021 the only blemish.
Ahead of FireKeepers Casino 400 qualifying, Harvick is one of the leading favorites to win the race, with only two drivers, both former winners at Michigan, given shorter odds.
FireKeepers Casino 400 Odds
Odds are via Bovada as of Saturday, August 5, 2023, at 7:00 am ET.
- Kyle Larson +650
- Denny Hamlin +700
- Kevin Harvick +800
- William Byron +800
- Kyle Busch +900
- Martin Truex Jr. +900
- Ryan Blaney +1000
- Chase Elliott +1200
- Christopher Bell +1200
- Bubba Wallace +1400
- Joey Logano +1400
- Tyler Reddick +1400
- Ross Chastain +2000
- Brad Keselowski +2500
- Ty Gibbs +2800
- Alex Bowman +4000
- Chris Buescher +6000
- Daniel Suarez +6000
- Austin Dillon +8000
- Noah Gragson +8000
FireKeepers Casino 400 Predictions and Picks
In last week's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, Chris Buescher held off Denny Hamlin to pick up his first win of the season and the third of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
With the win, Buescher is now certain of a spot in the Cup Series championship playoffs. He was in a solid position to be in the field of 16 even without a victory, but now he doesn't have to sweat out the final few races of the regular season.
Current NASCAR Cup Series Points Standings (Through 22 Races)
- Martin Truex Jr. – 744 points
- Denny Hamlin – 705
- William Byron – 701
- Christopher Bell – 653
- Kyle Busch – 648
- Kevin Harvick – 634
- Ross Chastain – 626
- Kyle Larson – 619
- Ryan Blaney – 614
- Joey Logano – 609
- Brad Keselowski – 603
- Tyler Reddick – 602
- Chris Buescher – 598
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 514
- Bubba Wallace – 506
- Michael McDowell – 470
- Ty Gibbs – 452
- A.J. Allmendinger – 448
- Daniel Suarez – 436
- Chase Elliott – 430
Drivers in bold have won at least one race this season and clinched a spot in the Cup Series championship playoffs.
Hamlin was denied a second straight win following his controversial HighPoint.com 400 win at Pocono, which may have been to the thrill of many. On the positive side–for him, at least–he finished in the top five for the seventh time this season.
Hamlin has finished in the top five in the August Michigan race (the Consumers Energy 400/FireKeepers Casino 400) four straight times. He is +120 to make it five in a row.
In addition to Hamlin and Harvick, another frequent high finisher in this race in recent years is Martin Truex Jr.
Truex has yet to win a Cup Series race at Michigan, but he finished in the top five in this race in 2017 (second), 2019 (fourth), 2020 (third), and 2022 (fifth). The Cup Series points leader is +140 for another top-five finish.
Another former Cup Series champion is a good pick to finish in the top five. Last year, Kyle Busch's race ended early due to a crash on the 25th lap. However, in the five years prior, he finished seventh, fourth, sixth, third, and tenth in this race.
Busch finished third last week and has five top-five finishes in his last eight races. Odds of +150 for him to snag another top five is solid value even before qualifying.
Recent FireKeepers Casino/NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan August Race Winners
- 2022: Kevin Harvick
- 2021: Ryan Blaney
- 2020: Kevin Harvick
- 2019: Kevin Harvick
- 2018: Kevin Harvick
- 2017: Kyle Larson
- 2016: Kyle Larson
- 2015: Matt Kenseth
- 2014: Jeff Gordon
- 2013: Joey Logano
- 2012: Greg Biffle
- 2011: Kyle Busch
- 2010: Kevin Harvick
- 2009: Brian Vickers
- 2008: Carl Edwards
- 2007: Kurt Busch
- 2006: Matt Kenseth
- 2005: Jeremy Mayfield
- 2004: Greg Biffle
- 2003: Ryan Newman
Last week, one of the recommendations was a top-ten finish for Austin Dillon at +650 odds. Lo and behold, Dillon finished ninth, his second top ten in three races to go with a ninth-place finish in the Crayon 301 at New Hampshire.
Ahead of FireKeepers Casino 400 qualifying, Dillon is +325 (at BetUS) for a top-ten finish. It's not as nice as last week's +650, but it is still well worth the play.
Who will take the checkered flag at this year's FireKeepers Casino 400? As with the Xfinity Series Cabo Wabo 250, the defending winner is the pick here.
Harvick has made Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway an extra summer home over the last several seasons, and he'll have one more memorable visit before he closes out his Cup Series career in November.
Where to Bet on the NASCAR Cup Series
Many of the top sports betting sites offer a variety of NASCAR betting odds. Throughout the season, you can bet on races like the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and others.
Along with being able to bet on the winner of each Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and/or Truck Series race, sportsbooks like Bovada and BetUS offer finishing position odds (top 3, top 5, and/or top 10).
Also, odds on who will finish at the top of the championship standings are available at many reputable sportsbooks.
In addition to Bovada and BetUS, here are some of the sites that we recommend if you are interested in NASCAR betting:
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