Chevrolet will try for its fifth victory to start the NASCAR Cup Series season when drivers head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday's 2023 Ambetter Health 400. William Byron has won the past two races in a Chevy, following victories from Ricky Stenhouse at Daytona and Kyle Busch at Fontana. Byron's Hendrick Motorsports team was hit with penalties for modifications at Phoenix, but he comes in as the defending NASCAR at Atlanta race champion. Byron will try to become the first driver since Kyle Larson in 2021 to win three straight Cup Series races. Chase Elliott, who is out with an injury, won last summer's race at Atlanta.
The race is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists Byron as the 9-1 favorite in its 2023 Ambetter Health 400 odds. Seven other 2023 NASCAR at Atlanta drivers are priced 12-1 or shorter, with Larson and Kyle Busch both 10-1. Ross Chastain (11-1) and Joey Logano (11-1) also are favorites in the 2023 NASCAR Atlanta starting lineup. You'll want to check out the NASCAR at Atlanta predictions from Micah Roberts, the legendary Vegas bookmaker who pioneered wagering on racing, before locking in any 2023 Ambetter Health 400 picks.
A former Vegas bookmaker, Roberts was the first to offer expanded NASCAR betting and now hands out NASCAR winners to his followers on SportsLine.
Roberts is the nation's premier NASCAR betting expert, and his top pick, Chase Elliott, won the YellaWood 500 last October at 12-1 odds. He also correctly predicted Elliott to win the Jockey Made in America 250 in 2021, nailed the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 winner by hitting Larson's victory at 11-2 odds and was on point by targeting Elliott as the winner of the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at 8-5 odds the previous week. Anyone who has followed his picks has cashed ticket after ticket.
Now, Roberts has analyzed the field and odds for Sunday's NASCAR at Atlanta 2023 race. He's sharing his winner and projected 2023 Ambetter Health 400 leaderboard right here.
2023 NASCAR at Atlanta expert predictions
One shocker: Roberts is fading Kyle Larson, even though he's one of the top NASCAR Atlanta favorites. The 2021 Cup Series champion hasn't been a threat on superspeedways in his career, and Roberts doesn't see that changing this week. In fact, Roberts barely ranks the 25-year-old in his top 20 drivers for the race. Larson finished 30th in the spring race last year and was 13th in the fall. Larson finished in the top five twice at Atlanta before the resurfacing in 2021.
"This was a better track for him before the superspeedway package was put in place," Roberts told SportsLine. The expert also notes that Larson needs room to operate, and the pack racing isn't really up his alley. He finished 18th at Talladega and was 37th at Daytona in the second half of last season. Larson has 19 Cup victories, but none of those have come on a superspeedway. See who else to fade here.
Another curveball: Roberts is high on Aric Almirola, even though he's a long shot at 30-1. "He is one of the best at superspeedway racing, grabbing his first two career wins at Daytona and Talladega," Roberts told SportsLine. The 39-year-old has three career victories but has six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s on superspeedways.
Almirola finished 22nd last spring but found his groove in the summer and came in eighth. He has been sidetracked by bad luck and mechanical problems so far this season, including losing a wheel midway through last week's race. Still, Roberts likes him if he can avoid trouble in Atlanta. See who else to back here.
How to make 2023 Ambetter Health 400 picks
Roberts is also backing a driver to win this week with odds well over 50-1. This overlooked driver has led laps at Atlanta and found his groove the second time around last year. He could pull off a stunning victory Sunday, and anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can only see who it is here.
So who wins the 2023 Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday in Atlanta? And which longshot of well over 50-1 could stun the NASCAR field? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected 2023 NASCAR at Atlanta leaderboard from the nation's premier NASCAR handicapper, and find out.
2023 NASCAR at Atlanta odds
See full NASCAR at Atlanta picks at SportsLine
William Byron 9-1
Kyle Larson 10-1
Kyle Busch 10-1
Ross Chastain 11-1
Joey Logano 11-1
Christopher Bell 12-1
Denny Hamlin 12-1
Ryan Blaney 12-1
Brad Keselowski 17-1
Alex Bowman 18-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 20-1
Bubba Wallace 20-1
Chris Buescher 20-1
Kevin Harvick 20-1
Daniel Suarez 22-1
Martin Truex Jr. 22-1
Aric Almirola 25-1
Tyler Reddick 25-1
Chase Briscoe 28-1
Austin Cindric 28-1
Austin Dillon 30-1
Josh Berry 35-1
Erik Jones 35-1
Corey Lajoie 45-1
Ryan Preece 50-1
Todd Gilliland 50-1
Michael McDowell 50-1
Noah Gragson 50-1
A.J. Allmendinger 50-1
Justin Haley 60-1
Ty Gibbs 60-1
Harrison Burton 65-1
Ty Dillon 250-1
BJ McLeod 1000-1
Cody Ware 1000-1
JJ Yeley 1000-1
