There's no more right turns for the remainder of the season, unless those turns are by accident.  NASCAR's season of road course racing has concluded, and the focus now shifts to the Irish Hills of Michigan.

It's the second time that NASCAR makes the trip up north to the Michigan International Speedway.  Earlier this year, it was Denny Hamlin taking his first victory of the season, but at the same time that has been his only win of the season.

A year that has seen 15 different winners in 22 races has shown that the parity in the garage area is as big as ever.  Any driver can win on any given weekend.

The D-shaped track at Michigan has long been known about fuel mileage and strategy, and that could play a factor once again on Sunday.  But the strategy will be different for each driver, and the pressure on the gas men will be high once again.  It's also high on the engine builders since it's not uncommon to see a few motors blow in 200 laps of high-speed action.

But our writers are not predicting who's going to blow up first, they're predicting who is going to finish first.  Last week, four of those writers were happy to see the bump-and-run that Ambrose put on Keselowski to finally close the deal and get his first Sprint Cup victory.

So, how many writers will taste victory this weekend?  Here's a look at their picks for the Pure Michigan 400:

 

Misan Ayuka:  Matt Kenseth

I just feel a Ford is going to win again.

 

James Broomhead:  Carl Edwards

My apologies for the brevity.

 

Kelly Crandall:  Matt Kenseth

No reason given.

 

Billy Fellin:  Denny Hamlin

I'll go with the 11 car this week. It's really crunch time for this team and this is the place where he got his sole win of the year thus far. I think he'll come in first again to try and secure that Chase spot.

 

Michael Hirshbein:  Kyle Busch

No reason given.

 

Christopher Leone:  Dale Earnhardt Jr.

No reason given.

 

Kara Martin:  Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Been in bed sick all day, so I have no reason.

 

Ryan O'Hara:  Denny Hamlin

I've got no reason for the pick since my Internet has been spotty due to the storms out my way.

 

Dustin Parks:  Carl Edwards

He went from being in the lead to now technically being tied for the lead, yet is second in points.  The next four weeks are critical in his bid to dethrone Johnson as the champion.  What better place than to start than at Michigan.

Ford won last week and has been strong all year as a group, so I'm betting Edwards will be "Built Ford Tough" and take the victory.

 

Sal Sigala Jr:  Kyle Busch

No reason given.

 

Rob Tiongson:  Kyle Busch

He was very strong and dominant in the spring until some cautions did him in but I look for the man behind car 18 to come back and capture that lost victory on Sunday at Michigan.

 

Standings following Watkins Glen:

James Broomhead (761) Marcos Ambrose WON (2)

Sal Sigala Jr. (740) Jeff Gordon finished 13th (3)

Billy Fellin (738) Tony Stewart finished 27th (2)

Kelly Crandall (738) Kurt Busch finished 38th (3)

Christopher Leone (726) Marcos Ambrose WON (3)

Michael Hirshbein (725) Marcos Ambrose WON (4)

Ryan O'Hara (724) Marcos Ambrose WON (2)

Kara Martin (669) Jeff Gordon finished 13th (1)

Dustin Parks (681) Tony Stewart finished 27th (0)

Misan Ayuka (657) Tony Stewart finished 27th (3)

Rob Tiongson (651) Kurt Busch finished 38th (1)

 

Final Thoughts:  Momentum will be huge at this track, so if the last few weeks are any indication, look for the top drivers to rise to the top.  Judging by the picks, no one is going against that theory, and that either will mean some strong finishes, some tough losses, or possibly a little of both.

We'll see how it works out at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

 

Summary of Picks:

Kyle Busch-3

Dale Earnhardt Jr-2

Carl Edwards-2

Matt Kenseth-2

Denny Hamlin-2