Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
The 2026 Cup Series season has belonged to Toyota through 14 races, as 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have combined to win eight times. Chevrolet and Ford will put added emphasis on strong performances this weekend at Michigan International Speedway, with both OEMs’ headquarters nearby. It’s an opportune race for Ford, which has won nine of the past 11 Michigan races, though five of those were delivered by the retired Kevin Harvick.
Also returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: Past the halfway point of the regular season, it’s time to get creative with lineups. I’ll have to bite the bullet here with Hamlin, who has eight straight top-10 finishes at Michigan — the longest active streak. He has an average finish of 4.0 in four Next Gen starts — the best among active drivers.
Driver: Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Gibbs excels at venues where the throttle is hammered down, and that sums up Michigan precisely. The No. 54 team has consecutive third-place finishes here, and Gibbs has never placed worse than 11th in four starts. His 6.8 average finish ranks as his best at any track.
Driver: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Larson won three consecutive Michigan races during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He has also cracked the top 10 in five of his last six MIS starts, with two of those being third-place efforts. Maybe this is the week the two-time Cup champion snaps his 38-race winless drought.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Winner of five events already in 2026, Reddick has been the class of the field and has yet to finish outside the top 15. Sure, he won at Michigan in 2024, but that’s his lone result better than 13th in seven starts. Reddick has an average finish of 20.6 at Michigan, his worst among active non-drafting circuits.
Driver: Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Coming off the heartbreak of losing to Hamlin on the final lap at Nashville Superspeedway, Bell probably isn’t thrilled that a visit to Michigan is on the horizon. It’s his only active track without a top 10, as he has a best effort of 13th three times in seven starts. Like Reddick, his 19.0 average finish is his worst among active non-drafting tracks.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 7
Comment: Since winning at Michigan in 2023, Buescher has remained red-hot in Ford’s backyard. He has three consecutive finishes of sixth or better here, with two of those being in the top two positions.
Driver: Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: Smith continues to impress in 2026, earning top 10s in the last two races. Michigan happens to be his best track on the schedule through two starts, as he has taken the checkered flag in seventh both times.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Denny Hamlin vs. Tyler Reddick
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: Owner and driver have ruled the series in 2026, separating themselves from third-place Ryan Blaney in the championship standings. Hamlin gets the leg up in this duel, as his recent Michigan track record is unmatched, and he enters as the defending race winner. Unlike his 2026 numbers, Reddick has been inconsistent in the Great Lakes State.
Chris Buescher vs. Ty Gibbs
Pick: Gibbs
Comment: With a pair of third-place finishes in the last two Michigan events, Gibbs has made that Toyota horsepower sing in enemy territory. Buescher finished runner-up last year and led Ford in two of the last three Michigan events. Gibbs still gets my vote.
Brad Keselowski vs. Ross Chastain
Pick: Keselowski
Comment: Chastain’s spring slump has been one to forget for the No. 1 bunch, as he has just two finishes better than 16th all season and has fallen to 26th in points. Hometown favorite Keselowski has long excelled at MIS and hopes to replicate the Wolverines’ March Madness title run.
Carson Hocevar vs. Bubba Wallace
Pick: Hocevar
Comment: Wallace has slid to 15th in the standings, losing 258 points to the championship lead over the last nine events with five finishes of 29th or worse. Michigan has been kind to the No. 23 team recently, with a pair of top fives in the last four races. Hocevar has plenty of speed, however, and is another local favorite looking to earn a signature victory.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace.
Garage pick: Carson Hocevar.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Comment: Smith and the No. 38 team are warming up, banking a pair of top 10s in the last two races. Between the Coca-Cola 600 and Nashville, Smith has paced the field for 49 laps after leading 41 laps total in his prior 91 Cup attempts. His 7.0 average finish at Michigan is his best among all tracks.