2023 Pala Casino 400 Race Preview & Best Bets: Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick Worth Investing In
NASCAR Cup Series: Pala Casino 400
Sunday, February 26, 2023 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California
Last Week's Race
The Daytona 500 took place last week to open the regular season.
This race experienced two overtimes, making it the longest one ever, amounting to 212 laps and 530 miles.
After a total of 53 lead changes in the race and a wreck on Lap 212, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. emerged as the winner with Joey Logano the first driver behind him.
Because winning consecutive races is such a rare and difficult feat in NASCAR, we should cross out Stenhouse Jr. from our list of candidates to win Sunday's upcoming race.
Race Info
This week is the Pala Casino 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Drivers must complete a total of 200 laps for this race.
As is normally the case, there will be three stages.
Stage 1 will consist in 60 laps.
Stage 2 likewise requires drivers to complete 60 laps.
Stage 3 consists in the remaining 80 laps.
Entry List and Starting Lineup
The entry list for NASCAR's weekend race typically gets published by the middle of the week.
For this race, 36 teams/drivers out of 40 possible spots are listed.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in the race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
As for the starting lineup, that gets determined via qualifying.
Track Info
The Auto Club Speedway is two miles long -- although it will be off the NASCAR circuit next year as it gets reconfigured into a shorter track.
In completing 200 laps, drivers will have accumulated 400 miles.
The turns have a moderate degree of banking: each turn is banked at 14 degrees.
The frontstretch is banked at an unusually high 11 degrees while the backstretch is banked at three degrees.
This course is a d-shaped oval run on an asphalt surface.
Drivers to Avoid
One driver worth avoiding an investment in is Martin Truex Jr.
Truex Jr. failed to finish in the top ten at his last two races in this track.
Historically, he is all over the place in terms of his usual finishing position here.
While he has won at the Auto Club before, he has also failed to finish in the top 30 on three occasions.
There are drivers with more consistent and overall more successful track records at this venue.
One of those drivers is Denny Hamlin but only by the slimmest of margins.
He has not proven that he can win at this venue before.
In fact, his last top-five finish came back in 2016.
A driver with a more successful history here is Brad Keselowski.
But it is concerning that he left Team Penske and then finished 27thin his last race here.
He had had enjoyed a nice run of races here as a member of Team Penske.
My Guys
I find that Kyle Busch is the most reasonable option to pick to win -- I am truly surprised that he is not favored to win on Sunday.
We are getting value with Busch, who has top-three finishes in seven of his last 10 races at this track.
He has won four times in his career here, which is two more than any other driver.
In addition to Busch, it is worth investing in Kevin Harvick.
Harvick is consistently competitive here, and that gives him a better chance than other drivers to pull off a win.
Specifically, he is enjoying a run of three straight top-10 finishes,
For the above reasons, invest in Kyle Busch and Harvick to win.
Best Bet: Kyle Busch Outright at +1100 with Bovada & Kevin Harvick Outright at +2000 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Pala Casino 400
Sunday, February 26, 2023 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California
Last Week's Race
The Daytona 500 took place last week to open the regular season.
This race experienced two overtimes, making it the longest one ever, amounting to 212 laps and 530 miles.
After a total of 53 lead changes in the race and a wreck on Lap 212, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. emerged as the winner with Joey Logano the first driver behind him.
Because winning consecutive races is such a rare and difficult feat in NASCAR, we should cross out Stenhouse Jr. from our list of candidates to win Sunday's upcoming race.
Race Info
This week is the Pala Casino 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
Drivers must complete a total of 200 laps for this race.
As is normally the case, there will be three stages.
Stage 1 will consist in 60 laps.
Stage 2 likewise requires drivers to complete 60 laps.
Stage 3 consists in the remaining 80 laps.
Entry List and Starting Lineup
The entry list for NASCAR's weekend race typically gets published by the middle of the week.
For this race, 36 teams/drivers out of 40 possible spots are listed.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we already know which drivers will participate in the race.
We may expect all the usual suspects.
As for the starting lineup, that gets determined via qualifying.
Track Info
The Auto Club Speedway is two miles long -- although it will be off the NASCAR circuit next year as it gets reconfigured into a shorter track.
In completing 200 laps, drivers will have accumulated 400 miles.
The turns have a moderate degree of banking: each turn is banked at 14 degrees.
The frontstretch is banked at an unusually high 11 degrees while the backstretch is banked at three degrees.
This course is a d-shaped oval run on an asphalt surface.
Drivers to Avoid
One driver worth avoiding an investment in is Martin Truex Jr.
Truex Jr. failed to finish in the top ten at his last two races in this track.
Historically, he is all over the place in terms of his usual finishing position here.
While he has won at the Auto Club before, he has also failed to finish in the top 30 on three occasions.
There are drivers with more consistent and overall more successful track records at this venue.
One of those drivers is Denny Hamlin but only by the slimmest of margins.
He has not proven that he can win at this venue before.
In fact, his last top-five finish came back in 2016.
A driver with a more successful history here is Brad Keselowski.
But it is concerning that he left Team Penske and then finished 27thin his last race here.
He had had enjoyed a nice run of races here as a member of Team Penske.
My Guys
I find that Kyle Busch is the most reasonable option to pick to win -- I am truly surprised that he is not favored to win on Sunday.
We are getting value with Busch, who has top-three finishes in seven of his last 10 races at this track.
He has won four times in his career here, which is two more than any other driver.
In addition to Busch, it is worth investing in Kevin Harvick.
Harvick is consistently competitive here, and that gives him a better chance than other drivers to pull off a win.
Specifically, he is enjoying a run of three straight top-10 finishes,
For the above reasons, invest in Kyle Busch and Harvick to win.
Best Bet: Kyle Busch Outright at +1100 with Bovada & Kevin Harvick Outright at +2000 with Bovada
