Five to Watch: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- From Ford Mustang's dominance so far this weekend to unknowns ahead for drivers, here are the five biggest story lines ahead of Monday's FireKeepers Casino 400 (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Monster Energy Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

FIRST WIN WITHIN SIGHT: It's been a strong weekend for Daniel Suarez, who posted the fastest time in Friday's opening practice while also topping the 10-lap averages chart in the final session. With the speed the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang has shown, Suarez says this weekend at Michigan is one of the best shots he's had to earn that coveted first victory. It helps that he's at the site of his first Xfinity Series win, too. "We've been close, but not on a consistent basis," Suarez said. "We've been fast on Fridays for who knows how long -- three or four weeks now. We've had more raw speed out of the truck, which is great."

MICHIGAN MAYHEM: With the 2019 rules package set to hit the 2-mile Michigan oval for the first time, there's a buzz around the garage regarding the unknowns.

"I think you're going to be able to pass, actually, quite a bit during the race from what I felt there, so that's a positive for sure," Erik Jones said. "People will probably be aggressive at the start, making big moves and trying to pick up spots in the first lap. As the day goes, people are going to learn more and more and figure out what's going to be more advantageous."

Added Kurt Busch: "We still have to kind of get down to two-wide, but restarts will still be pretty wild. Going through the gears, guys can go four-wide, but you still have to get it narrowed back down."

PONY POWER PREVALENT:The Ford Performance armada has had a dominant weekend so far in the Mustang's first trip to Michigan for the Monster Energy Series. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Kevin Harvick led the way in a pair of Friday practice sessions, while Suarez and Aric Almirola headed 10-lap averages in final practice. Joey Logano added some icing to the Blue Oval cake by earning the Busch Pole for Sunday's race. With the Michigan Heritage Trophy for the winning manufacturer on the line, the competition better pony up if they want any kind of shot at the hardware.

KEEPING THE STREAKS ALIVE: In six career starts at Michigan, Chase Elliott has never finished outside the top 10 and holds an average finish of 5.3. The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver also has five consecutive top-five finishes in 2019, starting with his Talladega victory in May. Elliott and Co. appear to have found speed to build on at the Irish Hills this weekend, posting the ninth-fastest 10-lap average in final practice. He'll have his work cut out for him though with a 17th-place starting spot for Sunday.

YO-YO EFFECT: The last seven races have been about as up-and-down as you can get for Martin Truex Jr. Every strong result has been followed by a lackluster one with finishes of 17th, first, 20th, first, 19th, first and 35th. See? Roller coaster. After mechanical issues plagued the Joe Gibbs Racing team at Pocono last week, the trend shows Truex is due to finish at the front Sunday. That might be tougher, though, after the No. 19 Toyota failed pre-qualifying inspection twice Saturday, resulting in the ejection of a team engineer and a 15-minute loss of practice time at Sonoma.