2023 Ambetter Health 400 Race Preview & Best Bets: Let's Find Ways to Invest in Ryan Blaney
NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter Health 400
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
Last Week's Race
Last week was the United Rentals 500k at Phoenix Raceway.
This race featured the drama of a caution flag with two laps left.
While Kyle Larson led the race when it started, Byron passed him and was eventually able to pull away for a .3-second win.
Byron's win is significant in various respects: it is his second of the season, positioning him in first place in the Cup Series Playoff Standings with 144 points -- he is the only driver to have won multiple races so far.
It is extremely improbably to win consecutive races in a row, though, so we can exclude him from our list of candidates to win this week's competition.
However, Byron's victory does foster a continually growing justification to have more confidence in Hendricks Motorsports drivers -- these include Byron, Kyle Larson, and a few others.
Race Info
This week's competition is the Ambetter Health 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 260 laps.
As is usually the case, there will be three stages for this race.
Stage 1 consists in the first 60 laps.
Stage 2 requires drivers to complete 100 more laps.
Stage 3 consists in the last 100 laps.
Entry List
The entry list for a NASCAR Cup Series race typically gets published by the middle of the week.
For this week's race, there 36 drivers/teams are listed for a possible 40 spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
The starting lineup for this race gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying will be Groups A & B, single vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
It will take place on Saturday at 11:35 a.m. ET and finish at 1 p.m. ET.
Typically, a practice session precedes qualifying.
But note that there will be no practice session for this race.
This detail deals a blow to Kyle Busch, who is characteristically better when he is able to practice.
Without a practice session, we cannot justify an investment in Kyle Busch.
Track Info
This week's track is the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway builds excitement for its recent repaving and, most especially, its recent reconfiguring.
Dimensions-wise, this track has upped its banking to 28 degrees, which makes it easier for drivers to go faster because they use higher banking to corral more momentum for their vehicles.
Furthermore, the corners at this track have extended to 40 feet wide, which makes passing easier and which evokes Daytona's famous three-wide racing.
It is, though, still classified as an intermediate track, which means that drivers still need to exercise more control over their vehicles, in addition to reaching higher speeds.
The length of each lap is 1.540 miles.
So, in completing 260 laps, drivers will have accumulated just over 400 miles.
My Bets
I am all-in on Ryan Blaney, as I expect him to build off his second-place finish from last week.
Blaney excels in Atlanta: he has finished top-five in four of his last five races here.
His most recent fifth-place finish at the track shows his comfort with its new design.
His consistent, superior driver history here in tandem with his strong form makes him a fantastic bet to finish top-five.
Moreover, I like him to finish ahead of Kyle Larson, who has recently struggled in Atlanta, Ross Chastain, and William Byron -- Chastain's current form is poor and Byron has a poorly inconsistent history here.
So, I recommend betting on Blaney to finish top-five and on Blaney to win "Group A" on Bovada's match-up betting.
Best Bet: Ryan Blaney Top 5 Finish at +245 with Bovada & Ryan Blaney Group A Winner at +300 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Ambetter Health 400
Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
Last Week's Race
Last week was the United Rentals 500k at Phoenix Raceway.
This race featured the drama of a caution flag with two laps left.
While Kyle Larson led the race when it started, Byron passed him and was eventually able to pull away for a .3-second win.
Byron's win is significant in various respects: it is his second of the season, positioning him in first place in the Cup Series Playoff Standings with 144 points -- he is the only driver to have won multiple races so far.
It is extremely improbably to win consecutive races in a row, though, so we can exclude him from our list of candidates to win this week's competition.
However, Byron's victory does foster a continually growing justification to have more confidence in Hendricks Motorsports drivers -- these include Byron, Kyle Larson, and a few others.
Race Info
This week's competition is the Ambetter Health 400 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
For this race, drivers must complete a total of 260 laps.
As is usually the case, there will be three stages for this race.
Stage 1 consists in the first 60 laps.
Stage 2 requires drivers to complete 100 more laps.
Stage 3 consists in the last 100 laps.
Entry List
The entry list for a NASCAR Cup Series race typically gets published by the middle of the week.
For this week's race, there 36 drivers/teams are listed for a possible 40 spots.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in this race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
Starting Lineup
The starting lineup for this race gets determined via qualifying.
Qualifying will be Groups A & B, single vehicle, one lap, and two rounds.
It will take place on Saturday at 11:35 a.m. ET and finish at 1 p.m. ET.
Typically, a practice session precedes qualifying.
But note that there will be no practice session for this race.
This detail deals a blow to Kyle Busch, who is characteristically better when he is able to practice.
Without a practice session, we cannot justify an investment in Kyle Busch.
Track Info
This week's track is the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway builds excitement for its recent repaving and, most especially, its recent reconfiguring.
Dimensions-wise, this track has upped its banking to 28 degrees, which makes it easier for drivers to go faster because they use higher banking to corral more momentum for their vehicles.
Furthermore, the corners at this track have extended to 40 feet wide, which makes passing easier and which evokes Daytona's famous three-wide racing.
It is, though, still classified as an intermediate track, which means that drivers still need to exercise more control over their vehicles, in addition to reaching higher speeds.
The length of each lap is 1.540 miles.
So, in completing 260 laps, drivers will have accumulated just over 400 miles.
My Bets
I am all-in on Ryan Blaney, as I expect him to build off his second-place finish from last week.
Blaney excels in Atlanta: he has finished top-five in four of his last five races here.
His most recent fifth-place finish at the track shows his comfort with its new design.
His consistent, superior driver history here in tandem with his strong form makes him a fantastic bet to finish top-five.
Moreover, I like him to finish ahead of Kyle Larson, who has recently struggled in Atlanta, Ross Chastain, and William Byron -- Chastain's current form is poor and Byron has a poorly inconsistent history here.
So, I recommend betting on Blaney to finish top-five and on Blaney to win "Group A" on Bovada's match-up betting.
Best Bet: Ryan Blaney Top 5 Finish at +245 with Bovada & Ryan Blaney Group A Winner at +300 with Bovada
