The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the Irish Hills of Michigan this Sunday to run the Helluva Good 400. Green flag is scheduled for approximately 1:15pm Eastern Time.
Michigan is a race track that has historically been dominated by the Ford drivers, but Ford has been shutout at Michigan for the last two years. The Fords have gained a lot more speed this year with their new FR9 engine, so look for them to run really well this Sunday.
With that said, here are my three picks to win this Sunday's race:
Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has 2 wins already this season at Texas and Dover, and sits 7th in points.Kenseth has always run well at Michigan and Auto Club Speedway in California, Michigan's sister track.Kenseth has 2 wins at Michigan and 3 wins at Auto Club. Combine Kenseth's skill at this track with the speed of the Ford FR9 engine and you have a winning mixture.
Kevin Harvick: Harvick leads the Sprint Cup Series with 3 wins this season, including a win at Auto Club Speedway. Harvick also won the last race held at Michigan last August. The Childress cars have a lot of speed, and Harvick has figured out how to make the highline work at Michigan and Auto Club. Expect Harvick to qualify poorly as usual, but to be up front when the race nears the end.
Dale Earnhardt Jr: Sunday marks 3 years since Dale's last win, which came here at Michigan on fuel mileage. Earnhardt has been on the short end of 2 fuel mileage races already this season, but as they say, the third time is the charm. Earnhardt sits 3rd in points right now and has 3 straight top 10 finishes. If his win streak is going to end anytime soon, Sunday could be the day.
Darkhorse Pick: David Ragan. David Ragan is my darkhorse pick for Sunday because he has been very strong all season long and also has that strong Ford FR9 engine under the hood. We have seen two first time winners this season with Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith, and David Ragan could become the third first time winner of the year.
Top Story Line: The top story line heading into Sunday's race is the ongoing feud between KevinHarvick and Kyle Busch. Last Sunday at Pocono was their last race and probation and Harvick made sure that Busch knew it. As Harvick said after last week's race "It's all a free game now. Probation's over."
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