Home Track Advantage – Fantasy Insight Michigan 1

Over the years Michigan International Speedway has been one of the best tracks for the Ford brand. Roush Racing and the Wood Brothers have each won 11 times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Two of Roush Racing’s drivers, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, are the only active drivers to average better than a top 10 finish in their careers. This is like a home track for Roush with his racing museum and office in nearby Livonia. But another driver with two built-in home track advantages will be the winner this weekend.

Located in the beautiful Irish Hills of Michigan, the track was built in 1967 by Lawrence LoPatin. It was purchased by Roger Penske in 1972 and he eventually sold the track in 1999 to International Speedway Corporation. Penske’s open wheel teams had a great deal of success at this D-shaped oval over the years. NASCAR teams will hit unbelievable speeds this weekend after the track was repaved. This makes handicapping a tough chore this week.

Roush-Fenway’s drivers have to be at the top of the list this week but a few other drivers deserve some consideration for your Fantasy Race Team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has gone winless since his victory at MIS back in 2008. “June Bug” has been super consistent and should have another strong run this weekend.

Mark Martin is another driver who is always strong here and has to be considered to have a great shot at getting the first win of the year for Michael Waltrip Racing. His teammate, Clint Bowyer, should also be strong this week at great odds.

But my pick to win is also a bit of a surprise – but he had his first career top-five at MIS last year. Brad Keselowski will thrill the home state fans with a win for his dad, a Michigan racing legend, on Fathers’ Day this Sunday.

Good luck with your fantasy racing picks this week and don’t forget to send in your pick for “Whiteboard Fantasy Racing” this week for the big race at Michigan.

Send in your pick to win this week’s Cup race to dennis@racetalkradio.com for a chance to win a copy of the National Speedway Directory from SpeedwaysOnline.com.

Whiteboard Fantasy Racing Winner Last Week

Gertie had the top pick

Whiteboard Fantasy Racing Top Ten After 14 Weeks

Rank	Player	Pts
1	RA	31
2	Carbon	26
3	LAM	23
4	Gertie	22
5	Grainger	20
6	DMIC	19
7	Rick	18
8	Chris U	16
9	Aaron C	15
10	Jim R	14

Weather Report

Partly sunny and warm with a green flag temperature of 83F and a high temp of 87F

If you have a question about Fantasy Racing send it to dennis@racetalkradio.com and get it answered next week.

NASCAR by the Numbers- Lubricated by TheOilMedics.com

Using a proprietary race analysis technique we take the fans inside the numbers every week. DMIC’s rating system has been in use since 2002 and has proven to pick the contenders from the pretenders!

Consistency is King (Last Five Races)

Driver	Last 5
M Kenseth	94
C Bowyer	92
D Earnhardt Jr	91
J Johnson	91
D Hamlin	90
B Keselowski	90
K Kahne	90
G Biffle	89
K Harvick	87
Ky Busch	86

 Horses for Courses (Track Rating)

Driver	Course
D Hamlin	91
T Stewart	91
M Kenseth	91
C Edwards	89
J Gordon	89
C Bowyer	88
K Kahne	88
D Earnhardt Jr	87
Ky Busch	87
J Logano	87

 Type Casting (Track Type Factor)

Driver	Type
T Stewart	94
J Johnson	92
R Newman	92
M Martin	91
Ky Busch	91
B Keselowski	90
D Earnhardt Jr	90
M Kenseth	89
C Bowyer	88
J Gordon	88

Power Rating (240 Minimum to Qualify as Contender)

Driver	Power
M Kenseth	274
T Stewart	269
D Earnhardt Jr	268
C Bowyer	268
J Johnson	267
Ky Busch	264
D Hamlin	264
G Biffle	262
K Harvick	260
C Edwards	259
M Martin	259
B Keselowski	258
K Kahne	258
R Newman	257
J Gordon	257
J Logano	254
M Truex	251
P Menard	251
J Burton	245
AJ Allmendinger	242
R Smith	241
J McMurray	241
M Ambrose	241
JP Montoya	234
D Ragan	232
A Almirola	232
D Reutimann	231
B Labonte	229
C Mears	223
T Kvapil	220
D Gilliland	220
L Cassill	219
D Blaney	213

 

DMIC’s Fantasy Picks

Each week we will take you beyond the numbers to handicap the field from top to bottom to help your Fantasy Racing team succeed. You are also invited to join Lori Munro and I on “White Board Fantasy Racing” every Monday night on “Doin’ Donuts” at 8pm ET on RaceTalkRadio.com. Win fun prizes by picking just the race winners in our unique format. Send your picks to info@racetalkradio.com to enter.

Top Pick (Last Week 4^th)

Brad Keselowski- Home state favorite is primed for a win

(14 to 1 Odds) 

Best Long Shot (Odds of 20-1 or More) (Last Week 6^th)   

Clint Bowyer- The faster the track the better he drives

(25 to 1 Odds)

Top Dogs (Group A in Yahoo) (Last Week 7^th)    

Matt Kenseth- Second best finish among active drivers includes two wins here

(10 to 1 Odds) 

Second Class (Group B in Yahoo) (Last Week 29^th)  

Dale Earnhardt Jr- Only Cup driver to finish in the lead lap in every race this year

(14 to 1 Odds)

Middle Packer (Group C in Yahoo) (Last Week 28^th)    

Aric Almirola- Best of the group but probably not top ten material this week

Crazy 8s for Michigan

Each week Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen battle in the most unique racing game around! We pick one driver each from each 8 driver group using the current points’ standings. Our picks can help you round out your fantasy racing lineup!

Last Race at Pocono: Lori won the matchup 4-1

Season Record: Lori leads Dennis at 9-5

Group 1: Lori picks Matt Kenseth and Dennis picks Dale Earnhardt Jr

Group 2: Dennis picks Brad Keselowski and Lori picks Kasey Kahne

Group 3: Lori picks Mark Martin and Dennis picks Jeff Gordon

Group 4: Dennis picks David Ragan and Lori picks AJ Allmendinger

Group 5: Lori picks Trevor Bayne and Dennis picks Austin Dillon

Do you have what it takes to handicap the races? Join Lori and Dennis every week and play in the Whiteboard Fantasy Racing Series! Send your pick for the Cup race to info@racetalkradio.com to enter. 

Weekly prize given away!