NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
FireKeepers Casino 400

Odds to Win Race

Kurt Busch will be looking to win his second consecutive FireKeepers Casino 400 when the Sprint Cup drivers race in Michigan on Sunday. Last year’s race was, however, a bit obscure, as it was shortened to 138 laps due to bad weather. Hopefully it’s a bit nicer this weekend and the drivers will be able to go the distance. Busch emerged as the winner in the shortened race last year, finishing in 2:21:5. He has about as good of a chance as any to win again on Sunday. It wasn’t his first time winning here either, as he was victorious in 2003 as well. Other guys to watch out for are Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Earnhardt Jr. won this race in 2008 and 2012 and Hamlin won in 2010 and 2011. Greg Biffle is also a driver to keep an eye on here. He won this race in both 2005 and 2013 and all of these guys will be hungry to win their third on Sunday. With that out of the way let’s now take a look at who are some of the better picks to be entering victory lane this weekend:

Kurt Busch (12-to-1) - As previously mentioned, Kurt Busch is coming off of a victory in this race and he also happened to have won it back in 2003 as well. He is extremely comfortable at Michigan International Speedway and that makes it very hard to pass him up at 12-to-1 on Sunday. A lot of drivers tend to have their tracks and this is just one of them for Busch. He also happens to be having a solid season and is coming into this race after winning last week’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400. That victory was Busch’s first of the season, but he does have four other top-five finishes and 12 top-10 finishes as well. He’s a very good value play for this race.

Denny Hamlin (15-to-1) - Hamlin has not had the type of season that he would have hoped for, but he is now going to get a chance to race at one of his best tracks. Like Busch, Hamlin has won this race twice in his career and he can really use another victory on Sunday. His past few trips to Michigan haven’t been kind to him, but there’s always a good chance that he can find his groove this weekend. He’s receiving some favorable odds at 15-to-1 and also has two top-10 finishes over his past three races. It’d be wise to not look too far into Hamlin’s most recent appearances on this track, as he could really end up paying off big on Sunday.

Chase Elliott (15-to-1) - Elliott has not yet won a race this year, but he has been incredibly impressive for a rookie. Elliott came in fourth place in last week’s Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 and that was his fifth straight top-10 finish. He also has five top-five finishes in his past eight outings, which shows that he truly knows how to find his way to the front of the pack. Elliott is not too far away from winning his first race and this could just be the week for him. While a few drivers have won this race twice, none of them have truly dominated the track and that will mean this thing is going to be wide open on Sunday. He’s getting some good value at 15-to-1 and is worth putting a unit or two on.

Danica Patrick (300-to-1) - When looking for a dark horse to win this race, one person that stands out is Danica Patrick. Patrick has never won a Sprint Cup race in her career, but she has been pretty good at Michigan over the years. Patrick has never finished worse than 17th on this track and she is getting some absurd odds at 300-to-1. With her ability to avoid major mistakes in Michigan, she may be worth a half-unit this weekend. It’d certainly make for a huge payday and crazier things have happened.