NASCAR Cup Series star, Denny Hamlin, has had a few frustrating weeks. However, today presents an opportunity for him to leave all that behind as he kicks off on pole at the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (3:30 pm ET, NBC).
Over the past few weeks, Hamlin’s regular season championship hopes took a big hit. After finishing in the top five in five consecutive races, he finished 38th in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, 34th in the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, and 24th in last week’s USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Consequently, he is entering this week’s race with a 40-point deficit behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. They currently hold the first and second positions in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
Current NASCAR Cup Series Points Standings (Through 18 Races)
Drivers in bold have won at least one race this season.
- Kyle Larson – 620
- Chase Elliott – 620
- Denny Hamlin – 580
- Martin Truex Jr. – 572
- Tyler Reddick – 560
- Christopher Bell – 555
- William Byron – 548
- Ryan Blaney – 526
- Ross Chastain – 510
- Brad Keselowski – 507
- Ty Gibbs – 499
- Alex Bowman – 476
- Chris Buescher – 467
- Joey Logano – 430
- Bubba Wallace – 417
- Chase Briscoe – 405
- Kyle Busch – 385
- Daniel Suarez – 369
- Josh Berry – 357
- Todd Gilliland – 347
- Austin Cindric – 345
- Michael McDowell – 331
There is potential for high drama in the remaining eight regular season races, although most of the 16 playoff spots are already locked down. However, the regular season championship and its associated benefits are still up for grabs, with competitors such as Briscoe, Busch, and Berry vying for inclusion in the Round of 16. Hence, each race leading up to the regular season finale at Darlington (August 24, 7:30 pm ET, NBC) takes on added significance.
Who might be the one to gain significant points and possibly a crucial win today? Even though Hamlin is the one to start the race, both he and Larson are considered top contenders for the win according to Ally 400 odds at BetOnline.
Odds to Win the 2024 Ally 400
- Kyle Larson +400
- Denny Hamlin +400
- Martin Truex Jr. +650
- Christopher Bell +900
- Ryan Blaney +900
- Ty Gibbs +1100
- Brad Keselowski +1200
- Josh Berry +1400
- Ross Chastain +1600
- Tyler Reddick +1600
- William Byron +1800
- Chase Elliott +2000
- Joey Logano +2000
- Chris Buescher +2800
- Kyle Busch +2800
- Alex Bowman +4000
- Bubba Wallace +5000
- Corey Heim +6600
- Austin Cindric +8000
- Daniel Suarez +10000
- Noah Gragson +10000
- Chase Briscoe +10000
- Michael McDowell +10000
- J. Allmendinger +10000
Check out the rest of the Ally 400 odds at BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites.
Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then snag some extra cash (100% welcome bonus if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on today’s Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway.
Ally 400 Predictions & Picks
In last season’s Ally 400, Chastain held off Truex and Hamlin to pick up the first of his two 2023 wins.
Chastain, who also won the season-ending race at Phoenix, has yet to win this season and has only two top-five finishes. But thanks to avoiding disaster for the most part, he is in a comfortable position in the playoff race. Only twice thus far has he finished outside of the top 20, coming in 21st at the Daytona 500 and 32nd in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Chastain will start 20th today, but he is someone I have my eye on for a top-10 finish. I’d love to see his odds a bit shorter than -125 (at Bovada), but I’m locking him in anyway.
William Byron has had a bit of an odd season, despite Chastain consistently ranking in the top 20.
Byron is tied for the series lead with three wins and has ten top-10 finishes. But he has also finished outside of the top 20 five times, including a 26th-place finish last week.
Will car #24 recover at the Ally 400? It is set to start in seventh place, with odds of +240 to finish among the top five and -150 to make the top ten. The latter option might not seem attractive due to the risk involved, but I am inclined towards it as Byron rarely experiences two bad weeks consecutively. It may seem illogical to have doubts about Chastain while favoring Byron with lesser odds, but I feel more confident about Byron’s chances at -150 than Chastain’s at -125.
Ally 400 Race Winners
- 2023: Ross Chastain
- 2022: Chase Elliott
- 2021: Kyle Larson
This afternoon, Berry is joining Hamlin on the front row, aiming for his fifth top-ten finish in seven races. At Bovada, his odds are set at -115 to achieve this.
Berry’s future is currently in doubt due to the upcoming shutdown of Stewart-Haas Racing. However, his recent performances as a rookie have made him a promising prospect. He matched his season’s best with a third-place finish in Loudon last week, and I anticipate he will continue this successful streak in the coming week.
However, my top pick for the Ally 400 is Buescher (+115) to secure a top-ten finish. Despite placing in the top ten only thrice in the last 11 races, he had five top-ten finishes in the first seven races of the season. He managed a fifth-place finish last week, is set to start at ninth in today’s race, and is known to unexpectedly land a high finish. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if he cements his playoff position with a win today.
Speaking of the victory, with four finishing position picks this week, I’m not overly invested in making an Ally 400 winner pick. With that in mind, I’m going to roll with a few low-risk, high-reward picks with Bowman (who will start 12th), Buescher, and Byron.
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Other NASCAR Betting Information
Where Can You Bet on NASCAR This Season?
Odds for NASCAR are easily accessible, with numerous sports betting sites providing race winner odds for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Additionally, sportsbooks like BetOnline, BetUS, and Bovada offer finishing position odds for each of NASCAR’s top national series. For example, you can bet on top 3 and top 5 finishing position odds for the Ally 400 at Bovada.
Unfamiliar with any of these? Delve into our sportsbook reviews for a better understanding of each book. Our analysis covers betting options, deposit and withdrawal methods, mobile and live betting, as well as the variety of sign-up bonuses and promotions each book offers. We also touch on other aspects such as customer support.
- BetOnline Sportsbook Review
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- Bovada Sportsbook Review
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