The window of opportunity for Kenseth to bag his first win of the season is getting smaller each week, but optimism remains for No. 20 of Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s been flirting with success of late, having collected four top 10 finishes in his last four events. Kenseth has a 10.67 average finish in his last six races, which is fifth best among all current drivers in that same span. Moreover, he has an 8.60 average finish in five races at the Michigan International Speedway, the same track in which he won the 2015 edition of the Pure Michigan 400.
Those closely following the series know better than take their eyes off on Hamlin. Hamlin has been on a roll lately. He enters the weekend on the heels of back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International, respectively. Plus it wasn’t that long ago when he earned his first (and so far only) victory of the season, as topped the New Hampshire 301 back in July. In 23 races at Michigan International Speedway, Hamlin has gathered a pair of wins and seven top 5’s to go with a 14.7 average finish.
Keselowski’s three-race streak of top 10 finishes ended last week at Watkins Glen International, where he ended up 15th. But don’t cool it with Keselowski, as the Penske Racing driver is always a mean competitor in this particular track. Over his last 10 races at Michigan International Speedway, Keselowski has picked up seven top 10 finishes and a trio of top 3’s. That includes a runner-up finish way back in the 2012. More recently, Keselowski was third in last year’s Pure Michigan 400.
