Stock car racing’s premiere series makes its way to the Irish hills of Michigan. Make the most of the Firekeepers Casino 400 with our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers.
We reveal our “Tire Tiers” and betting cards live every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST on our YouTube series, “The Backroad.” Be sure to tune in, enjoy the race, and reach out if you have any questions.
(DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings)
NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Firekeepers Casino 400
Driver As | The Elites
Michigan International Speedway’s three best drivers include two from the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) stable and one from Hendrick Motorsports. Denny Hamlin ($10,500) is coming off being wrecked by Austin Dillion for the win at Richmond and going to another track he is good at. Hamlin has the best NASCAR DFS point average, total speed ranking (courtesy of Ifantasyrace.com) and average finish among the two races run at Michigan in the Next-Gen era. This year, on similar tracks, Hamlin has been the fastest and has gotten similar results, minus a wreck at Texas.
Martin Truex Jr. ($10,000) and Kyle Larson ($10,700) are the only two cars that could rival Hamlin. Both scored over 40 DraftKings points in the past two Next-Gen races bere and are in the top five in the total speed rankings and average finish.ย Both cars are well-set in the long run, ranking in the top 10 in late-run speed.
Driver Bs | Point-Getters
Michigan is the home of Ford, so naturally, some Fords are in the mix for the win. Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing and Ryan Blaney are the top Fords that come to mind. Brad Keselowski ($9,000) and Chris Buescher ($8,600) feel like a steal at their price tag. After a disappointing finish at Richmond, RFK looks to rebound at a track they finished in the top 10 at in last year’s race. In 2022, they weren’t too hot, but both finished top 20 after qualifying poorly.ย RFK’s speed may not entirely be there this year, but they have shown flashes of speed at Pocono, Texas, Charlotte and Kansas, which are tracks similar to Michigan.
Ryan Blaney ($10,300) and Bubba Wallace ($8,300), real-life best friends, are also top drivers in the B-Tier. Blaney’s average among the two races is 48.0, with a seventh-place average finish. Blaney’s speed wasn’t as great, but it kept him in the top 20 most of the day. This year, he has shown speed here and there, but recently, he has been a five-car at the bigger ovals like Indianapolis and Pocono. Wallace’s price tag is very intriguing, as he is a bit more expensive than last week, but it seems underpriced for a projected top-10 car like his is. His speed and results have improved recently, as he has finished better than where he qualified in the last four out of five races. At Michigan, his total speed ranking in both races has been in the top 10, and his NASCAR DFS point total hovers around 39 points per race.
Driver Cs | In the Mix
Trackhouse Racing is coming off its best result on a short track, with both cars finishing inside the top 10. This week, they head to a track where they improved mightily from 2022. They had fast cars two years ago, but pit road mistakes left them hungry for more. In 2023, they would finish sixth and seventh and score more than 37 points.
Ross Chastain ($8,100) is probably the favorite among the two, as he is tied right now to make the playoffs heading into Michigan and is looking for a near-perfect run to secure a spot. Chastain had been in the top 10 of the total speed rankings in the past Michigan races, as his 24th-place finish in 2022 is deceiving after having a 12th-place average running position. Chastain has shown speed on the intermediate but has not finished inside the top 20 on bigger intermediate ovals. Meanwhile, teammate Daniel Suarez ($7,500) has recently shown speed on the bigger intermediate tracks, with aย 16th-place finish at Pocono and eighth at Indianapolis.ย Suarez also showed promise last year with a 52.2-NASCAR DFS point total after finishing sixth and starting 14th.
Ty Gibbs ($8,400), William Byron ($9,100)ย and Alex Bowman ($7,800) are others who could have fast cars but need to avoid mistakes. Gibbs has had engine issues in the past few races, while Byron and Bowman have not had the long run speed or have wrecked/received pit road penalties. All three have shown top-15 speed in Michigan races but have stayed around ninth to 12th. This race could be the one where they break out and have the top six-speed and maybe race-winning speed.
Driver Ds | Could Do Worse
Christopher Bell ($9,800), Tyler Reddick ($9,600) and Joey Logano ($8,800) are drivers who could do better in Michigan but are potentially overpriced. Bell and Reddick have shown speed but have had some incidents derail their race, whether a crash or a pit road mistake. At their price tag, more drivers could finish better than those who are cheaper.
With Logano, he has one top-five finish and a 14th-place finish at Michigan in the Next-Gen era. The 34-year-old’s speed on intermediates concerns me the most. Although there is a good chance they can bounce back at a track Ford is strong at, he has not shown the most competitive speed, and you can use other cheaper drivers instead.
Corey Lajoie ($5,300) is the most intriguing D-Tier option because he is cheaper than the other six drivers listed. What makes him so good is he qualified around 31st last year, yet somehow finished in the top 20. This year at Pocono and Indianapolis, he has also moved up by at least five positions from his starting position. If you need a cheap NASCAR DFS option as a place differential play, go with Lajoie.
Driver Fs | The Junk Drawer
Chase Briscoe ($6,400), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,200) and Austin Dillion ($6,300) are all the top cheap options I would pay down for. All three have the potential to run inside the top 20 and could qualify poorly, which makes them excellent cheap place differential plays. All three have had at least one Next-Gen race at Michigan, where they scored at least 25 points.
The bottom-of-the-barrell cheap options include Ryan Preece ($5,700) and the two Rick Ware Racing (RWR) Fords of Justin Haley ($5,800) and Cody Ware ($5,000). These three can be considered deep-place differential plays as they may also not have the speed and will have to rely on some strategy or others’ misfortunes. Haley has the most potential out of these three, as he has shown speed on the intermediates and has been a driver who makes up positions in just about every race.
Check out all of our content for the 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400:
- PropKings: 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400
- Between Bets: 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400 Outrights
- NASCAR DFS Picks, Tiers & Rankings: 2024 Firekeepers Casino 400
Thanks for reading our NASCAR DFS picks and tiers for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Check out more of our racing content and other written work here at In-Between Media, or head over to ourย YouTube channel to get your fix via video.
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*Photo Credit: Eric Canha โ USA TODAY Sports*
