NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 Predictions & Picks: Will Polesitter Hamlin’s Recent Frustrations End at Nashville?

It has been a frustrating few weeks for NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin, but he has a chance to put that behind him today as he starts 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 38^th in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, 34^th in the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, and 24^th in last week’s USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

As a result, he enters this week’s race 40 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who currently occupy the top two spots 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.

1. Kyle Larson – 620
2. Chase Elliott – 620
3. Denny Hamlin – 580
4. Martin Truex Jr. – 572
5. Tyler Reddick – 560
6. Christopher Bell – 555
7. William Byron – 548
8. Ryan Blaney – 526
9. Ross Chastain – 510
10. Brad Keselowski – 507
11. Ty Gibbs – 499
12. Alex Bowman – 476
13. Chris Buescher – 467
14. Joey Logano – 430
15. Bubba Wallace – 417
16. Chase Briscoe – 405
17. Kyle Busch – 385
18. Daniel Suarez – 369
19. Josh Berry – 357
20. Todd Gilliland – 347
21. Austin Cindric – 345
22. Michael McDowell – 331

A lot of drama could very well occur in the final eight regular season races, but as it stands, most of the 16 playoff spots are accounted for. But in addition to the regular season championship and the valuable advantage that carries, the likes of Briscoe, Busch, and Berry are battling for spots in the Round of 16. So, every race from here until the regular season finale at Darlington (August 24, 7:30 pm ET, NBC) will be crucial.

Who will score some pivotal points—and perhaps a vital victory—today? Hamlin may be the polesitter, but he and Larson are joint favorites for the victory, as per 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 21^st at the Daytona 500 and 32^nd in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Chastain will start 20^th 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.

While Chastain has been a consistent fixture in the top 20, it has been a bit of a weird season for William Byron.

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 26^th-place finish last week.

Will the #24 bounce back at the Ally 400? He will start seventh, and he is +240 to finish in the top five and -150 to finish in the top ten. The latter isn’t a sexy pick due to the juice, but I feel rather comfortable with taking it because Byron doesn’t often have two poor weeks in a row. It might not make much sense to have some pause on Chastain but love Byron at shorter odds, but I feel a lot more secure with Byron at -150 than I do with Chastain at -125.

Ally 400 Race Winners

• 2023: Ross Chastain
• 2022: Chase Elliott
• 2021: Kyle Larson

Joining Hamlin on the front row this afternoon is Berry, who is looking to score a fifth top-ten finish in seven races. At Bovada, he is -115 to do so.

Berry’s future is currently uncertain due to the impending closure of Stewart-Haas Racing, but the rookie is making himself an attractive option with what he has done recently. In Loudon last week, he tied his season best with a third-place finish, and I like him to keep the good vibes and good finishes going this week.

My favorite Ally 400 pick, however, is Buescher (+115) to bag a top-ten finish. After finishing in the top ten five times in the first seven races this season, he has finished in the top ten only three times in the last 11 races. But he finished fifth last week, will start ninth in today’s race, and is good for popping up with a high finish when expectations may not be very high. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he locks up his playoff spot with a victory 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 12^th), Buescher, and Byron.

Other NASCAR Betting Information

Where Can You Bet on NASCAR This Season?

NASCAR odds are widely available, as many sports betting sites offer 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.

Are you unfamiliar with any of them? Check out our sportsbook reviews to learn more about each book. Our sportsbook reviews cover betting options, deposit and payout options, mobile and live betting, and the kind of sportsbook sign-up bonuses and other promos available at each book, as well as other factors like customer support.

• BetOnline Sportsbook Review
• BetUS Sportsbook Review
• Bovada Sportsbook Review

Other NASCAR Betting Content at Betting News

Are you new to betting on NASCAR? Use our in-depth NASCAR betting guide to learn more about the basics about betting on the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series.

Did you like this betting breakdown of the Ally 400? At Betting News, you can find coverage for every Cup Series race, as well as many Xfinity Series and Truck Series races. So, bookmark us and come back for more next week. We’re now at the midway point of the NASCAR Cup Series season, and with several regular season races and the playoffs to come, there is still a lot of money to be made this season. Strap in, enjoy the ride, and last but certainly not least, bet responsibly.