Daily NASCAR DFS Picks: Michigan

“I got a good feeling in a bad city tonight
“I got a good feeling everything’s gonna be alright, some run, some fight. I got a good feeling in a bad city tonight.” — Detroit, Rancid

The Irish Hills are coming to life with the sound of racing once again, as the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 7.

Michigan is bigger than most intermediate tracks on the schedule at two miles long, but the ingredients for a successful day are similar. Horsepower, handling and the balance between the two are crucial.

Drivers like Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott will be just as crucial to your lineups and bet slips alike. There are some guys that could prove equally crucial to stay away from.

Connor Zilisch is at the top of that list. After DNFs in both of his last two starts. The young rookie is clearly struggling to adjust to this level.

Another I’d stay away from, surprisingly enough, is Kyle Larson. As good as he is at Michigan and most other intermediate tracks – remember when we called him Two-Mile Kyle? – his most recent of three wins at the track came all the way back in 2017. I also promised I wouldn’t pick him anymore until he wins again, and I meant it.

Now that we’ve discussed who you shouldn’t be rolling with this weekend, let’s get into this week’s forecast.

Fantasy Forecast

Christopher Bell $10,000

We can all agree that Christopher Bell is knocking on the door for his next Cup Series win.

Sure, the last two weeks have been heartbreaking for the No. 20 team. It’s pretty hard to lose to the rain one week and your teammate the next. But momentum is momentum. Toyota is clearly the dominant manufacturer in the sport right now, and its drivers will show it in Chevrolet and Ford’s backyard this week.

Bell converts for a huge first win in 2026.

Chase Elliott $9,300

Obviously, Toyota is the dominant manufacturer. But Elliott is the best weapon Chevrolet has in its arsenal right now.

The No. 9 team is always under the microscope because of Elliott’s last name and Alan Gustafson’s occasionally controversial calls, but they’ve answered the bell nicely this season.

Elliott still holds the second-best average finish among all drivers this season. Last week at Nashville Superspeedway, he and another driver on this list carried the banner for the bowties very well.

I see at least a top five coming for this group on what is historically one of Elliott’s best tracks.

Bubba Wallace $8,500

Bubba Wallace must be glad to see the Irish Hills.

Since the All-Star break, the driver of the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota has had a rough go of things. He’s been caught up in a whole lot of messes, mostly not of his own making. That has resulted in him tumbling from 10th in points to just above the cut line in 15th, just 32 points ahead of Austin Cindric in 16th.

Luckily, he’s a former winner here at Michigan and his Next Gen average finish is a paltry 7.3. Look for the win to go through both he and his teammate, Reddick, on Sunday.

Brad Keselowski $7,900

Speaking of drivers in need in some positive direction. Brad Keselowski has had his struggles as of late, too.

The 2012 Cup Series champion has just one top-15 finish in his last three points-paying starts, and those two other finishes were both in the 30s. But Keselowski is coming home, where no Michigan-born driver has ever won.

Most people feel like Carson Hocevar has the better shot, considering Ford’s struggles this season. But it’s the No. 6 that poses the bigger threat outside of Ryan Blaney. Don’t expect a win for Keselowski at MIS, but he needs a solid top 10 and he’ll get one.

Shane van Gisbergen $7,200

Uh oh.

Shane van Gisbergen is evolving, folks.

The road course racing ace has become an oval wizard of sorts after two straight incredible runs at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville.

Listen, he isn’t a serious contender to win on an oval yet. But the Kiwi’s come far closer to doing it than fellow road course standouts like Marcos Ambrose or Boris Said before him. That alone is impressive.

If he can get a good qualifying result this week, look for SVG to notch another sneaky top five on an oval.

Zane Smith $6,800

Zane Smith has had a breakthrough over the last two weeks. He’s earned back-to-back top-10 finishes and was also in contention to steal a win at Nashville.

But as always, there’s more to this pick than momentum. Smith won here in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series back in 2020, and his average finish here in the Cup Series is seventh after back-to-back finishes there in 2024 and 2025.

This is one of Smith’s best tracks. Look for the Front Row Motorsports ace to keep his momentum rolling with at least a top 15.

Top Bets of the Week

Christopher Bell +650

Bell has all the momentum in the world right now, despite lacking a win to show for it. Understandably, people would automatically think Reddick or Hamlin here, but the speed of this No. 20 Toyota has outclassed them both for most of the last two weeks, except when it mattered most. It’s Bell’s to lose this weekend, and it will be a surprise if it’s anyone else outside of the Toyota camp, truthfully.

Dark Horse of the Week: Shane Van Gisbergen +2500

SVG isn’t close to winning on an oval… but look at those odds. Dark horse bets should be fun, and there is nothing more fun on the sheet than this. Can you imagine if SVG plays a strategy card and wins with fuel mileage or something on Sunday? The whole sport may implode, but those of us who took this fun wager will look like complete prophets with profits on Monday.