Predictions for the Nally Cars 250 – NASCAR Xfinity Series (March 19, 2022)

It’s still early in the season, but it’s frustrating to come so close on these picks. Last week, I had two top-five drivers in Trevor Bayne and John Hunter Nemechek. Bayne could’ve finished high if not for a pit road penalty.

The Xfinity Series will return to the East Coast at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Noah Gragson has been the driver to beat so far. Will someone knock him off, or will he continue his dominance?

Here are my favorite betting picks for the 2022 Nally Cars 250.

There is no denying Noah Gragson is the best driver in the Xfinity Series. Gragson was one of my top contenders in the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. That was only a few weeks ago, but Gragson has become the odds-on favorite to win the championship.

When you look at his finishes this season, I think you’ll understand why.

He has increased his laps led in every race. Last week, he led 114 of 200 laps en route to his first victory of the season at Phoenix. I like his chances to continue the hot start at Atlanta.

Gragson is knocking on the door of an Atlanta victory. He has three top-five finishes in four starts, including a second-place finish in 2020. He has only led 20 laps, but are you going to let that stop you?

Right now, I’d pick Gragson on any track. He is driving so well that I don’t think it matters. This week, you’re giving me the best driver at a track that has brought him success. There’s no reason Gragson shouldn’t be one of your top picks.

Noah Gragson has stolen the spotlight this season, but Justin Allgaier is off to a solid start. He has finished top 10 in every race, with his best performance coming at Las Vegas. Allgaier led 62 laps, scoring a fifth-place finish.

He didn’t work out as one of my top picks last week, but I’m running it back at Atlanta.

Allgaier has always been solid at the track, scoring top 10 finishes. However, we didn’t see him compete for wins. That all changed with this performance in last year’s Spring race.

Martin Truex Jr. had the car to beat, but a late pit-road penalty gave Allgaier the lead. Truex rallied to the front, but Allgaier held him off to score his first victory at Atlanta. He failed to replicate that performance in the Summer, finishing seventh.

JR Motorsports as a whole has been running great this season. Now that Gragson has a victory, perhaps they allocate some equipment towards Allgaier. Atlanta serves as an excellent opportunity to score his first victory of 2022.

Trevor Bayne has been one of the best stories of the Xfinity Series season. Bayne has been out of NASCAR since 2018, but Joe Gibbs Racing gave him a chance to drive part-time.

Bayne has made the most of his opportunity. He has finished top five in both starts, leading 24+ laps in both races. Bayne had a race-winning car last week, but a pit road penalty set him back. Without that, he could’ve won at Phoenix.

He only has one top 10 finish at Atlanta in the Xfinity Series. However, I’m not concerned about his Atlanta numbers. Instead, I want to check out the performance of Joe Gibbs Racing’s “rotational car” last season.

Bayne isn’t on the same level as Martin Truex Jr or Kyle Busch, but we’ve seen his car perform at a high level. It doesn’t matter who has been driving. Even Daniel Hemric nearly won at Atlanta last year driving for the team.

It’s fun to watch Bayne because he is racing for his career. One win could be his big break back into NASCAR. That win could very well come at Atlanta.

Austin Hill has been quiet since winning the season-opener at Daytona. Hill was in an accident at Auto Club and Las Vegas, and wasn’t too impressive with a 17th-place finish at Phoenix. Hill needs a good run or else people will think his Daytona victory was a fluke.

Will that good run come at Atlanta? He has never raced at the track in the Xfinity Series, but we’ve seen Hill succeed in the Truck Series. Check out his last three Atlanta starts in the Truck Series.

Hill was on his way to victory in the 2020 race before a late caution bunched up the field. He lost the race on the final restart to Grant Enfinger. It was a tough defeat, but leading 36 laps shows his ability to run up front.

Last year’s Truck race featured Kyle Busch, so it was a battle for second place. Hill won that battle, so that’s a consolation prize.

In all seriousness, I believe Hill can bounce back from a rough stretch. The top NASCAR betting sites respect him at (+1500) odds. Let’s see if he can capitalize with a great performance.

Does anyone want to pick against Noah Gragson? There’s no reason to go against the hottest driver in the Xfinity Series. Gragson has had a race-winning car every week and now has momentum with the victory at Phoenix.

It’s surprising to see him not have lower odds. Considering his success this season and at Atlanta, I would’ve expected his odds in the (+400) or (+500) range. Either way, I’m not complaining.

Make sure you tune into Saturday’s race at 5 p.m. ET on FS1. Keep an eye on our NASCAR picks page for more betting information.