For the first time in NASCAR Cup Series history, four drivers have recorded three victories over the first 18 races of a season, as Christopher Bell joined William Byron, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson with his win at New Hampshire last weekend. Larson is the only member of the quartet that has taken a trip down Victory Lane at Nashville Superspeedway, and he hopes to make another trek on Sunday and break the tie as he competes in the 2024 Ally 400. Larson captured the checkered flag in the Cup Series' inaugural race at Nashville en route to his 2021 series championship. Chase Elliott was victorious at the track the following year and Ross Chastain recorded the win last season. Meanwhile, two-time series champ Kyle Busch has won twice at Nashville in both the Xfinity and Truck Series.
Larson is the 9-2 favorite in the latest 2024 Ally 400 odds. Hamlin is 11-2, Martin Truex Jr. is 7-1 and Chastain is 15-2, while Christopher Bell rounds out the top five 2024 NASCAR at Nashville contenders at 8-1. Sunday's race is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET. Before making any 2024 Ally 400 picks or NASCAR predictions, you need to see what NASCAR insider Steven Taranto has to say.
Taranto, who moonlights as a sim racer and has 20 career wins in iRacing, is the lead NASCAR writer for CBSSports.com, and he chronicles stock car racing with the same thoroughness and passion that he's had since becoming a full-time race fan in 2001. He has an annual NASCAR medial credential and also publishes a popular weekly NASCAR predictions column, famously calling Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez's breakthrough wins in 2022.
Taranto has been red-hot for SportsLine in 2024, nailing 10 winners in his best bets, including 16-1 longshot William Byron at the Daytona 500 and 14-1 longshot Chase Elliott at Texas. Anyone following his NASCAR picks has seen huge returns.
Now, Taranto has analyzed the starting lineup and odds for Sunday's Ally 400. He's sharing his best bets at SportsLine.
2024 Ally 400 expert picks
For the 2024 Ally 400, Taranto is high on Denny Hamlin, who is listed at 11-2. The 43-year-old Floridian has won the last three Cup Series races that took place on concrete and has performed well in each of his last two starts at Nashville. Hamlin finished sixth in this race in 2022 and was third last year, leading a total of 195 laps across both outings.
He also was impressive at the track while competing in the Xfinity Series, as he posted a top-10 finish in each of his five starts. The three-time Daytona 500 winner had a 6.0 average finish in those races while racking up 120 laps led. Hamlin is tied for second with seven top-five finishes this season, including five straight from April 28-June 2, and trails only Larson (755) with 650 laps led.
Another surprise: Taranto is fading Chastain, who is listed at 15-2. The 31-year-old native of the Sunshine State has been one of the top drivers during the Cup Series' brief history at Nashville. Chastain followed a runner-up performance in the inaugural race in 2022 with a fifth-place finish and made his way to Victory Lane last year.
However, Chastain has yet to capture a checkered flag this year after posting two wins each of the previous two seasons. He has recorded only two top-five finishes, seven top-10s and a 12.3 average finish in 18 starts this campaign. His best showing came in the third race of the year back on March 3, when he was fourth at Las Vegas.See what other NASCAR picks he likes at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Ally 400 predictions
Taranto has also identified four other drivers in his 2024 NASCAR at Nashville best bets. He's also high on a huge NASCAR longshot who's going off with more than 20-1 odds. You can only see who they are here.
So who wins the Ally 400 2024, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2024 NASCAR at Nashville picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider who has already nailed a colossal 10 winners this year, and find out.
2024 Ally 400 odds
See full NASCAR at Nashville picks at SportsLine
Kyle Larson 9-2
Denny Hamlin 11-2
Martin Truex Jr. 7-1
Ross Chastain 15-2
Christopher Bell 8-1
Chase Elliott 17-2
Ryan Blaney 9-1
William Byron 10-1
Tyler Reddick 10-1
Brad Keselowski 18-1
Joey Logano 18-1
Chris Buescher 20-1
Ty Gibbs 20-1
Kyle Busch 40-1
Josh Berry 50-1
Alex Bowman 50-1
Bubba Wallace 50-1
Corey Heim 60-1
Noah Gragson 75-1
Daniel Suarez 75-1
Chase Briscoe 100-1
Michael McDowell 125-1
Austin Cindric 150-1
Erik Jones 250-1
A.J. Allmendinger 300-1
Todd Gilliland 300-1
Carson Hocevar 300-1
Austin Dillon 500-1
Justin Haley 500-1
Ryan Preece 500-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 500-1
John Hunter Nemechek 750-1
Corey LaJoie 1000-1
Harrison Burton 1500-1
Riley Herbst 1500-1
Zane Smith 1500-1
Chad Finchum 5000-1
Daniel Hemric 5000-1
