Ally 400 Betting Preview
23 June 2023
With ten races to go before the NASCAR playoff field is set, every stage win, bonus point, and finishing position carries more weight for each driver in the mix.
After an impressive weekend in Sonoma, drivers like Martin Truex Jr. (268.036), Ryan Blaney (270.170), and Joey Logano (267.5) look to maintain and capitalize on their recent upswings in performance while the likes of Ross Chastain (269.532), Brad Keselowski, and Tyler Reddick need better performances to solidify their spots.
With Truex Jr. atop the NASCAR standings, the Cup Series heads to Nashville for the third time, with Sunday’s race being under the lights and on a major broadcast network in America. The Dunkel Index has your NASCAR betting needs covered with our Ally 400 betting preview.
A Three-peat for Hendrick Motorsports?
There have only been two NASCAR Cup Series races at the Nashville Superspeedway, both being won by a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Kyle Larson (266.396) won the inaugural race in 2021, while Chase Elliott (267.812) won the race in 2022.
Elliott’s injury-compromised season hasn’t produced a Cup Series race win yet. However, Elliott has been successful when in his ride, scoring five top-ten finishes in five of the nine races he’s competed in.
Larson has two race wins this season and seven top-ten finishes, including three top-ten and two top-five finishes in his last five races.
However, it’s William Byron (265.665) taking the Hendricks Motorsports spotlight, currently second in the Drivers’ standings with three race wins, seven stage wins, and nine top-ten finishes this season. Byron has landed in the top five in six of the last seven races.
With three drivers always in the mix to win on any given weekend, you always have to factor all three drivers into your picks to win the race or your picks to finish in the top ten.
Team Penske Rebounding and Rounding into Form
After a rough stretch, two of Team Penske-Ford’s drivers are rounding into form at the right time.
Ryan Blaney (270.170) had an unremarkable start to the season, despite being a preseason betting favorite to win the Drivers’ Championship. Blaney vaulted to third in the Drivers’ Standings with one race win and six top-ten finishes in his last eight races, bringing his total to nine top-ten finishes this season.
Logano is currently ninth in the Drivers’ Standings and is coming off back-to-back third-place finishes, bringing his season totals to one race win and eight top-ten finishes.
Other Contenders
Ford might have the longest odds to win the Ally 400, but alongside Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick (266.753) is among the Fords in contention to win. Harvick is fifth in the Drivers’ Standings, has two top-ten finishes in his last five races, and seven top-ten finishes on the season.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. (268.036) and Christopher Bell (269.004) are two of the three Toyota drivers we think have a chance to win in Nashville. Truex Jr. has two race wins and five top-ten finishes in his last six races and nine total top-ten finishes this season, while Bell has one race win and nine top-ten finishes this season he has only scored one top-ten finish in his last five races.
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace (267.802) is 15th in the Drivers’ Standings and needs consistent solid performance to remain in the playoff mix. Wallace will be a long shot to win the Ally 400, having only five top-ten finishes this season, three of which have come within the last five races, and a best-finishing position of fourth.
The Dunkel Index’s Pick to Win the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400
We’ve been impressed with a few drivers at different points of the NASCAR season, but we’ve been very impressed with William Byron’s (265.665) consistently great drives all season long.
This consistency makes Byron the Dunkel Index’s pick to win the Ally 400.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
