By Pat Decola | Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
See full screen
NASCAR.com Pat Dicola ranks 20 consecutive drivers ahead of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Course and the Michigan International Speedway.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2 Of 21
See full screen
20. Arik Almirola (-3)
Season-High-16th
Season-low-out
Commentary: Almirola’s victory now looks like an outsider rather than a sign of a resurgence as they remain the only 10th in Nashville in June. He has had some good Michigan races in recent years, but he remains a strong tracker for the team as a whole.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3 Of 21
See full screen
19. Michael McDowell (-)
Season-Top-10th
Season-low-out
Comment: McDowell hasn’t seen the top 20 in Pocono’s starting line-up, and it looks like the magic moment is about to end. He didn’t finish better than the 22nd in Michigan, so don’t expect that stream to end this weekend.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4 Of 21
See full screen
18. Chris Busher (+2)
Season High-13th
Season-low-out
Comment: Bushcher is close to capitalizing for the first time since Coca-Cola 600 that Indy is ranked 12th. Michigan may have an average weekend of 20 straight or five straight finals, but he wants to win at that point.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5 Of 21
See full screen
17. Ross Chastane (-1)
Season-High-16th
Season-low-out
Comment: Chastin has been in turmoil over the past several seasons, with Sunday’s result worse than Pokémon. He still doesn’t just have bright skies ahead of him and he can still find his way to victory in this year’s final, and he can make post-season noise after he does.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6 Of 21
See full screen
16. Matt Dibettoto (+2)
Season-High-14th
Season-low-out
Commentary: Dibenito continued his recent tears, finishing fifth in the ID, scoring an average of 9.2 points in the last five matches. Although he did not enter the race to win, and he finished in 26.0 in Michigan.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7 Of 21
See full screen
15. Austin Dilon (-)
Season High-11th
Season Low-16th
Comment: Dylon’s 31st finish: Second worst of the season Winning helps a lot, however, and with the last 10 in Michigan, this is not impossible.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8 Of 21
See full screen
14. Brad Keselovsky (-1)
Season-High-2nd
Season Low-14th
Comment: Selovsky’s two-race road-course development is now a mercy for him, and he can now focus on what would be a good gift for his boss: the victory in Michigan. With 2018 runners out there, this could be the case.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
9 Of 21
See full screen
13. Kurt Bush (+1)
Season-High-6th
Season-low-out
Comment: Bush extended his average of the last nine races to a staggering 8.89 and pitched a two-race non-racing 10 in India. A.D. He won in Michigan in 2015 and was generally strong there, and since that day (12 contests) there have been only two worse scenes than the 12th.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
10 Of 21
See full screen
12. Christopher Bell (-1)
Season-Top-8th
Season Low-16th
Comment: Bell’s latest results put him in 36th place and he suddenly stopped at Indie, just as he did in the race. He is still a growing driver, finishing last year in Michigan with an average of 15.0 in less trips.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
11 Of 21
See full screen
11. Alex Bowman (-1)
Season-5th
Season Low-17th
Comment: It is hard to believe that Hendrik driver enjoyed watching the courses on the ship for some time, but after three straight 17th or worse in Bowman’s case. A.D. He had one of Michigan’s top 10 in 2019, but last year he was out of the top 20 in each race with two leaders.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
12 Of 21
See full screen
10. Tyler Reddic (+2)
Season-Top-10th
Season-low-out
Comment: Things are going well for you when you finish 21st, but you still get the fifth most points in the race because of the winners. Michigan was not a special weekend for him (18th / 24th) last year, but he still seems to feel the pinch.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
13 Of 21
See full screen
9. Kevin Harvik (-)
Top-1 of the season
Season Low-12th
Comment: Harvik seems to be one of the best road runners in the sport during his career, but he has had a difficult time with them this year after the fourth of the last five road courses was not in the top 10. Obviously, it was easy to pick him up this weekend, having won four of the last five in Michigan last year. Although it may be an uphill battle for him.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
14 Of 21
See full screen
8. Joy Logano (-1)
Season-High-2nd
Season Low-8th
Comment: Suddenly Logano has only one of the top 10 since the end of June, which seems to be less than two weeks away. He has been a star in Pinksk in Michigan for some time, but winning this weekend will go a long way.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
15 Of 21
See full screen
7. William Byron (-1)
Season-Top-3rd
Season Low-18th
Comment: Baron was one of the lucky ones in a late-night crash that asked for more cars, which was especially unfortunate for him after he started the pole. It has had four bad points of the season and is unlikely to have a big recovery this weekend, with only one of the top 10 starts in Michigan.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
16 Of 21
See full screen
6. Ryan Blaine (+2)
Season-5th
Season Low-15th
Comment: Blaine feels that his second win of the season is expected shortly after the end of his Indie run: five top-six in the last seven races. He led the walks in both Michigan competitions last year and finished fourth in the opening.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
17 Of 21
See full screen
5. Martin Trumps Junior (-)
Season-High-2nd
Season Low-10th
Comment: Trux looks strong with a Toyota number 19, but is ranked 15th in a dispute at the end of the race. In recent years, Michigan has come a long way in five quarters or more since 2017.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
18 Of 21
See full screen
4. Kyle Bush (-1)
Season-High-2nd
Season Low-14th
Comment: Bush has been a bit cold since early summer, but he didn’t do it himself. Gibbs’ cars have been at the top of the Irish Hills in recent years, and Bush is no different – he has continued straight in eight straight 10s and six in six.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
19 Of 21
See full screen
3. Denny Hamlin (+1)
Top-1 of the season
Season Low-6th
Comment: Say whatever you want, but Indy was a Hamlin race and he didn’t lose by any means. The playground is still his and the risk of losing the post-season may be harder than you think. In the last three races, he has not wiped out Hamlin’s upcoming tears, starting with two runners from Michigan.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
20 Of 21
See full screen
2. Chase Eliot (-)
Season High-1st
Season Low-10th
Comment: Eliot’s race was broken after a well-stocked error, but he still managed to win the race in fourth place on the ID. He is now in danger of winning every weekend, and this will be the case in Michigan, where he eliminated three straight runners in his first three attempts.

Saved to “My Favorite Photos”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
21 Of 21
See full screen
1. Kyle Larson (-)
Top-1 of the season
Season Low-14th
Comment: Larson: The way he is running now, it will take a long time to get out of this high place, and this will not happen much after the weekend. He continues to come out of this world and is sure to be a favorite by winning three straight Michigan titles on Sunday 2016-17.