Pala Casino 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/26/2023

by Guy Bruhn - 2/23/2023

Pala Casino 400

Sunday, February 26, 2023

3:30 PM EST

Auto Club Speedway

Fontana, CA

This is the 33rd race that will be hosted by the Auto Club Speedway in the NASCAR Series history in the Pala Casino 400. Between 2004 and 2010, this track has held two races a season and since 2010, it has hosted one race a season. This is an asphalt racing surface that spans 2 miles. It is a tri-oval with 11 degrees of banking on the front, 3 degrees on the backstretch and 14 degrees of banking in each turn. This track held its inaugural race in 1997 with Jeff Gordon being the driver to take the checkered flag.

nascar picks Kyle Larson predictions best bet odds

As the NFL wraps up their season with the Super Bowl, NASCAR had their own version of the Super Bowl with the Daytona 500. While the Clash at the Coliseum took place, the real season starts with the Daytona 500. With the 65th edition of the Daytona 500 in the past, we can now move on to the next 35 races that will take us to the NASCAR Playoffs.

The man with a busy week ahead of him is Ricky Stenhouse Jr after winning the Daytona 500. They'll be celebrating the big win as they head into the next week of the NASCAR Series. That next race is in Fontana, CA, where the Auto Club Speedway will host some of the best drivers in the world. Anytime there is a race, there is an opportunity to make the playoffs. You might think talking about it this early is unnecessary, but take a look at the season that Martin Truex Jr had last season in which he scored the third most points in the regular season. Even with all those points, he failed to make the playoffs.

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Daytona 500 Recap

With NASCAR starting their 75th season, the Daytona 500 brings race fans from all over the world to watch this incredible race. Any driver would love to have a win at this prestigious race under their belt, but Ricky Stenhouse Jr was the man to do it this year. Not only did he win the Daytona 500, but it also happened to be the longest Daytona 500 in the history of the race. It was a great battle and Stenhouse Jr was the recipient of some good luck as he benefited from an enormous wreck int he second overtime. This wrecked claimed Austin Cindric (last year's winner), Kyle Busch, AJ Allmendinger, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.

When NASCAR threw the caution flags up, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and the JTG Daugherty Chevrolet moved just ahead of Joey Logano thanks to Christopher Bell. Bell was able to give Stenhouse a push and inevitably led to his victory.

Stenhouse Jr was the 65th winner of this event. It was a great way to rekindle the relationship between Stenhouse and his crew chief, Mike Kelley. Kelley and Stenhouse Jr paired up to win two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships over a decade ago. This was also the 25th time that a Chevy has won this race.

NASCAR Playoff Standings

As we sit, Ricky Stenhouse Jr is at the top of the leaderboard with 48 points (1 win). Joey Logano sits behind him with 52 points. Following Logano is Chris Buescher with 50 points, Christopher Bell with 44 points and Alex Bowman with 41 points to round out the top 5.

Pala Casino 400 Odds

Kyle Larson - +650
Denny Hamlin - +800
Chase Elliott - +800
Ryan Blaney - +1,000
Kyle Busch - +1,000
Christopher Bell - +1,000
Tyler Reddick - +1,200
Ross Chastain - +1,200
Martin Truex Jr. - +1,200
Joey Logano - +1,200
William Byron - +1,800
Kevin Harvick - +2,000
Alex Bowman - +2,000
Erik Jones - +3,000
Bubba Wallace - +3,000
Daniel Suarez - +4,000
Chase Briscoe - +4,000
Austin Dillon - +4,000

After winning this race in 2022 and 2020, Kyle Larson comes into the weekend as the favorite. It's a track that suits Larson very well and even more importantly, the setup of the Chevrolet. For this reason, we like the favorite in this race and for Larson to have a bounce back season.

Guy's Pick: Take Kyle Larson (+650)

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Pala Casino 400 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/26/2023

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