Sunday, February 27, 2022 Who will Win the Wise Power 400

2022 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with Wise Power 400, slated for Sunday, February 27, at the world-renowned Auto Club Speedway. In this article, we take a look at the main favorites to win the upcoming racing spectacle, the underdogs that can impress, and provide you with our free NASCAR betting predictions for the 2022 Wise Power 400.

2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson heads to Wise Power 400 as the betting favorite to claim his first win of the season, priced as low as +400 on sports betting sites. But Larson was one of the top favorites to win at Daytona, yet he ended up with a DNF to kick off the new season after he got caught in a crash.

Nevertheless, he has had success on this track, winning it in 2017, so it makes sense that he heads into the next race with the shortest odds out of all the drivers. But can Larson live up to the expectations and continue where he left off last year, or will Wise Power 400 produce another surprise winner? We should be in for a close and exciting race!

Larson Leads The Group Of Four Strong Contenders To Win Wise Power 400

Sportsbooks have made it very clear who they expect to win the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race. Kyle Larson leads the way as a +400 favorite, followed by Chase Elliot (+800), Kyle Busch (+800), and Denny Hamlin (+850), as the only four drivers who are priced at below +1000 and are expected to shine.

Seeing Larson priced as the favorite makes a lot of sense. As, he is the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and the most dominant driver of 2021. He won 10 races last season, and let’s not forget that Larson has driven well on this track before.

He won the Auto Club 400 in 2017 and has two second-place finishes in 2014 and 2018. But while his track record is solid, Larson kicked off the season with a 32nd place finish in Daytona, which could make you question his chances to deliver next weekend. Granted, he was caught in a crash, so it’s not like he didn’t have a chance for a strong finish.

Larson Poor Start to 2022

Even his poor start to the 2022 season doesn’t take away from performances in 2021. He has finished inside the top-3 in 18 of 36 races across the entire season which is exceptional, to say the least, granted we have yet to see him carry over that form into the new season.

At +400, Laron is deservingly priced as the top dog to win the next race, and there will be very few people who will doubt him. He is the main favorite to win the championship, and until proven otherwise, Larson is the best driver in NASCAR.

Will he be able to show that next weekend; however, is anyone’s guess. Although he had a phenomenal season in 2021 and has a couple of solid showings on this track behind him, Larson has finished outside of the top-10 in four of the seven races at Fontana, suggesting that he can have very high highs or very low lows on this track.

Busch Brothers Might Be Underestimated Ahead Of Fontana Race

Busch brother number 1, Kyle Busch heads into the next race priced as high as +800, suggesting that his chances of winning are much slimmer than Larson’s. That might sound fair on paper, but we would argue that Kyle Busch deserves to be the favorite.

Average finish at Fontana for Kyle Busch, over the last nine races is 5.1, with only one finish outside of the top-10. Over that stretch, he has won three races, collected seven top-5s, and eight top-10s, That is phenomenal, but it doesn’t stop there.

Kyle Busch has finished inside the top-10 across the last 13 Michigan and Fontana races, further proving that he absolutely loves to race on this track and that he is extremely efficient on it as well.

Admittedly, his results in 2021 were not nearly as impressive as Larson’s, granted that holds true for every driver. Still, Kyle Busch finished last season in ninth place with two wins and 14 top-5s which is nothing to sneeze at. Across his last three starts in California, Kyle Busch finished second (2020), first (2019), third (2018), and eighth (2017).

The Second Busch Brother Kurt Busch

It’s also worth noting that Kyle Busch managed to rebound from a nasty crash in Daytona 500 last weekend to finish sixth, which was quite an impressive performance from him. Now it’s in his hands to keep the momentum going and solidify his spot at the top of the standings. So winning on the track where he has consistently done well in the past should be on top of his priority list.

The second Busch brother, Kurt Busch, has found himself priced as high as +2000, which seems a bit too high given his past results on this track. Kurt has finished sixth and third in his last two Fontana races and has landed in the top-10 in six of the last nine races.

Priced at much higher odds than his brother, Kurt Busch might be worth a smaller wager as a solid outsider pick. He has yet to win in California, but Kurt has never disappointed with his driving at Fontana.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.