NASCAR Ambetter Health 400 betting odds, prediction, picks

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23 February 2024

NASCAR Ambetter Health 400 betting odds, prediction, picks

We’ve made it to the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, which will take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway this year.

Last year’s Atlanta spring race saw Joey Logano reach victory lane, and he’s the current favorite slightly on the odds chart over former Atlanta winners William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney.

37 drivers will take the green flag on Sunday afternoon, and I went through the odds to find the best bets to finish top 10, top five and top three along with a pick to win and a longshot play.

AMBETTER HEALTH 400 BEST BETS

Best bets to finish top 10- Noah Gragson, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford (+240); Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford (+380)

Gragson got off to solid start in his first race with Stewart-Hass Racing, as he finished top 10 in last week’s Daytona 500. Gragson ran well and finished 12th in this race last year, so I’ll bank on him breaking through into the top 10 this time around.

As for Burton, the young driver got taken out in an early wreck last week, but he appeared to have speed and has run well at drafting tracks before. I feel like +380 is a great value play considering Burton recorded a top 10 at Atlanta as a rookie in 2022.

Best bets to finish top five- Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet; Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing (+285)

Chastain nearly pulled off a race-winning move at the Daytona 500, and while he didn’t get the finish he wanted, the important thing is that he had the speed to run up front. Chastain’s finished second here at Atlanta before and feels like a solid bet to crack the top five.

Wallace snuck into the top five last week and is a proven winner at drafting tracks, and this could be the week he breaks his year-long winless streak. I’ll take Wallace to finish top five considering he’s got a strong track record of finishing up front at drafting tracks even if he doesn’t win.

Best bet to finish top three- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Penske Racing Ford (+300)

Blaney’s been through the ringer lately as far as getting caught up in wrecks that aren’t his fault, but Atlanta tends to be slightly more forgiving than Daytona to where he should bounce back this week. While Blaney could easily get the win, I feel like him finishing top three is a slightly better value since his price to win is now among the favorites at 10-to-1.

Pick to win- Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (+1200)

Picking the winner here at Atlanta isn’t quite as much of a crapshoot as it was last week, and while I correctly picked William Byron to win, I'll admit that I was sleeping on Kyle Busch. Busch had one of the fastest cars last week and consistently made his way to the front despite multiple issues, so I’ll take him to win the second race of the Cup Series season for the second year in a row to avenge his Daytona 500 heartbreak.

Longshot pick to win- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota (+6500)

There aren’t too many longshots I like this week considering the past four Atlanta races have been won by either a Hendrick or a Penske driver, but the Toyotas have speed, and Nemechek held his own last week with a top 10. Nemechek won last year’s summer Xfinity race at Atlanta, and there’s a chance he could carry that magic over into the Cup Series considering he should have a fast car.