The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series officially got underway in a wild Daytona 500 last Sunday that saw Austin Cindric score the checkered flag as a significant underdog.
The action shifts to the West Coast for the second race of the season, the Wise Power 400. Previously known as the Auto Club 400 from 2011-2020, the race was canceled in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Check out our Wise Power 400 picks for the best NASCAR betting angles.
Wise Power 400 Odds
| Driver | Odds to win |
|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +400 |
| Chase Elliott | +800 |
| Kyle Busch | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +850 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1,000 |
| William Byron | +1,200 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1,200 |
| Alex Bowman | +1,400 |
| Joey Logano | +1,400 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1,500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +1,600 |
| Brad Keselowski | +2,000 |
| Kurt Busch | +2,000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2,500 |
| Christopher Bell | +3,000 |
| Austin Cindric | +3,500 |
| Austin Dillon | +4,000 |
| Chris Buescher | +5,000 |
| Chase Briscoe | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of February 22, 2022.
Favorites to win Wise Power 400
Kyle Larson (+400)
Larson, the betting favorite to win the Cup Series championship in 2022, is the current favorite to win on Sunday. He's had some success at this track, winning the Auto Club 400 in 2017 and two second-place finishes (2014, 2018). His season didn't open too favorably as he finished in 32nd at the Daytona 500.
Chase Elliott (+800)
Elliott has never won at this track, but he's been in contention with regularity every year since his debut in 2016. He's never finished worse than 16th and came in fourth the last time the race was held in 2020. The 2020 Cup Series champion will be looking to improve upon those finishes and on his 10th-place Daytona 500 result from last weekend.
Kyle Busch (+800)
Among active drivers, Busch has the strongest track record at the Auto Club Speedway. He's one of four drivers to ever claim victory at this track on three separate occasions (2013, 2014, 2019), with the others being Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Jimmie Johnson. In fact, since the race went from 500 miles to 400 in 2011, Busch has managed a Top-3 finish seven times in nine attempts (he didn't race in the 2015 event). Busch is coming off a sixth-place finish at Daytona and may have the best pedigree in California.
Denny Hamlin (+850)
Hamlin entered the Daytona 500 as the co-favorite alongside Larson, but a chaotic race saw him finish in 37th without completing even 100 laps. That is likely the anomaly as Hamlin was a fixture near the top of the leaderboard throughout 2021, especially in the early races. He finished sixth in the 2020 Auto Club 400, matching his best finish at the track.
Martin Truex Jr. (+1,000) — winner of the 2018 edition — rounds out the Top 5. William Byron and Ryan Blaney are next at +1,200 and Alex Bowman, the most recent winner of the Auto Club 400, sits at +1,400.
Wise Power 400 FAQ
Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson opened as the betting favorite at +400.
The event was canceled in 2021, but Alex Bowman won the race in 2020 when it was still referred to as the Auto Club 400.
Four drivers have won the event three times apiece: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch. Busch is the only active driver with three wins at this race.
