The 2020 Firekeepers Casino 400 is the 21st race of the NASCAR Cup Series season and it will be held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The race covers a distance of 500 kilometers, shortened by 44 laps from the original race distance due to the modified NASCAR rules for doubleheader races. The race was originally scheduled for June 7, 2020, but was one of the races suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This race has been held every year since 1969 with Cale Yarborough winning the inaugural race for Wood Brothers Racing. Yarborough leads all drivers with a total of six wins in this race. David Pearson and Bill Elliott each have won this race four times while Rusty Wallace has three wins here. A total of eight drivers have won this race twice including current drivers Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin. Logano won last year’s race, finishing ahead of Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
In the last race of the Cup Series last weekend at New Hampshire, Brad Keselowski edged out Denny Hamlin in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301. The win was his third victory of the season and it moved him past Hamlin in the points standings. Hamlin entered the race with the best track record in New Hampshire and he raced well on Sunday but Keselowski was just a little better. After coming short in another duel with Hamlin a week ago at the Super Start Batteries 400 at Kansas last weekend, Keselowski got the win this time around.
Keselowski had his most dominant race of the season, leading 8 times for a total of 184 laps including the last 81 to take the checkered flag just when Harvick and Hamlin were about to turn the 2020 Cup Series into a two-man show by winning a total of 9 races this year. Keselowski finished 1.6 seconds ahead of Hamlin while Martin Truex Jr. came in third, 4.4 seconds off Hamlin. Truex’s teammate Joey Logano finished in fourth place while points leader Harvick rounded out the Top 5 in New Hampshire.
This is the current Drivers standings after the 2020 Foxwood Resort Casino 301 race last weekend:
| Rank | Name | Points | Wins | Top 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 803 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | 722 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 688 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 685 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 660 | 1 | 7 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 653 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | 648 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Aric Almirola | 614 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 581 | 0 | 4 |
| 10 | Kyle Busch | 563 | 0 | 8 |
Here are the favorites to win the 2020 FireKeepers Casino 400. These odds were taken from the online sportsbook MyBookie.ag as of 08/05/2020:
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kevin Harvick | +350 |
| Denny Hamlin | +450 |
| Joey Logano | +600 |
| Brad Keselowski | +700 |
| Chase Elliott | +750 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +800 |
| Ryan Blaney | +900 |
| Aric Almirola | +1200 |
| Kurt Busch | +2500 |
Kevin Harvick is the current points leader in the 2020 Cup Series standings. The 44-year old leads all drivers this year with a total of 13 Top 5 finishes this season. His four wins this season ranked second to Denny Hamlin who has won a total of five races this year. Harvick has recorded Top 5 finishes in the last seven races of the season with two wins during that period. He is coming off a 5th place finish at New Hampshire last weekend. Harvick has won two out of the last three races at the Michigan International Speedway. His average start of 6.8 is ranked third among current drivers and behind only Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. His average finish of 7.9 is second overall to Chase Elliott.
Denny Hamlin has dropped to third place in the points standings after last week’s race but leads all drivers in the 2020 Cup Series with a total of five race wins this year. Hamlin has been feast or famine this season as he has seven Top 5 finishes and 5 finishes of 12th or worse in the last 12 races of 2020. Hamlin won at Kansas the other week and was second to Keselowski last weekend. When it comes to Michigan, his average start of 6.6 is ranked second to Joey Logano among current drivers in the last 10 races at the track. Hamlin has placed in the Top 2 in three out of the last four races in Michigan with two wins. He won the 2019 Consumers Energy 400 which is the last race at this venue.
Joey Logano is sixth in the points standings with two race wins this year. Logano finished 4th in last week’s race at New Hampshire but has finished 15th or worse in six out of the last nine races of the season. He won the 2019 Firekeepers Casino 400 and has been the pole sitter in three out of the last 10 races in Michigan. He has two wins, four Top 5s, and eight Top 10 finishes in the last 10 races here. He ranks first among current drivers on average start at 5.5 and his average finish of 8.9 is fifth overall.
Brad Keselowski has moved into second place in the points standings and he heads to Michigan after winning last week’s race in New Hampshire. He has 13 Top 10 finishes in his last 15 races including three Top 4 finishes in the last five races of the season. He has finished outside the Top 10 only three times this season. Keselowski ranks third at the Michigan International Speedway with a total of 209 laps led in the last 10 races there while his average finish of 8.8 is 4th overall in this racetrack. He has started from pole last year but finished in 19th place. He has seven Top 10 finishes in the last 10 starts with five Top 6 finishes in the last eight races in Michigan.
Chase Elliott is 5th in the points standings with seven Top 5 finishes and one race win this season. The 2016 Cup Series Rookie of the Year is currently on a rough patch with only two Top 10 finishes in the last eight races. Elliott was 9th in last weekend’s race and he is looking to move up in the ladder this weekend as his average finish of 7.6 in Michigan is the best among current drivers. He has finished in the Top 10 in seven out of eight starts with three Top 5 finishes. He has placed 9th in three out of the four races at this race track.
Kevin Harvick is a solid favorite here as he has won two out of the last three races at the Michigan International Speedway and his average finish of 7.9 is second overall among current drivers. Harvick is the current points leader and is having a fantastic season. He is coming off a 5th place finish last weekend.
Chase Elliott also has good value with Top 10 finishes in all but one of his eight starts here. His average finish of 7.6 is the best among current drivers and should a Top 10 betting market emerges, Elliott would be a good pick there as well. Then there is defending race winner Joey Logano whose average start of 5.5 is tops among current drivers. Logano has two wins in Michigan and should be a second good pick to win the race. Prediction: I am torn between Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick but am betting on Harvick based on his consistency this year.
Prediction: Kevin Harvick
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