🏎️ NASCAR AI Predictions for Autotrader 400: Claude's AI Simulation & Picks Today at Atlanta
Our NASCAR AI predictions continue this week with the Autotrader 400 today at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) from EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.
We switched from our ChatGPT picks last season to a brand-new simulation model this year powered by Claude - the trending AI chatbot by Anthropic known for its complex reasoning skills. Note these picks are for entertainment purposes; for more (human) analysis, check out my full Autotrader 400 predictions for today's race.
🤖 NASCAR AI predictions for Autotrader 400
NASCAR AI predictions generated via Claude for entertainment purposes.
NASCAR pick to win: Ryan Blaney
The simulation projects Ryan Blaney to win the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Since Atlanta was reconfigured into a drafting track in 2022, Blaney has been the most consistent driver on the property. He leads all active drivers with a 9.3 average finish across eight starts, owns six top-five finishes, and won here in 2024. Team Penske has dominated the new Atlanta configuration with the most laps led (645) and two wins. With Blaney, Logano, and Cindric all running well, their three-car drafting alliance is the strongest in the field. Blaney finished 27th at Daytona after getting caught in a late wreck, but Atlanta is where he rebounds.
Best NASCAR prop: Austin Cindric top 5
Cindric is the most undervalued driver on the board. He ranks second in laps led (205) at the reconfigured Atlanta and third in percentage of top-15 laps (79.7%), with a pair of top-five finishes and three additional top-12s since the repave. His two DNFs last year both came while running at the front—he led 47 laps in February before wrecking with three laps to go, and led 12 laps in June before another incident. The speed is there; he just needs clean air at the end. The simulation has him finishing second, pushed across the line by his Penske teammates.
Best NASCAR long shot: Kyle Busch to win
Busch has the fifth-best average finish (13.25) at EchoPark Speedway among all drivers since the track was reconfigured ahead of the 2022 season. He has five top-10s in eight starts on the new configuration, led 28 laps in the spring and 24 in the fall in 2024, and came within 0.007 seconds of winning the spring race in that legendary three-wide finish with Daniel Suarez and Blaney. At +2000, he represents strong value for a driver starting first with proven track comfort. The simulation has him finishing fifth, but his ceiling is higher if he can get clean air and control the pace.
🏁 Autotrader 400 AI predictions: Finishing order for every driver
Claude's projected finishing order for all 38 drivers in the 2026 Autotrader 400.
| Pos | # | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske |
| 2 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske |
| 5 | 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 7 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports |
| 8 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing |
| 9 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing |
| 10 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 12 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 13 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 14 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing |
| 15 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | Spire Motorsports |
| 16 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 17 | 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports |
| 18 | 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing |
| 19 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing |
| 20 | 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 21 | 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing |
| 22 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 23 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports |
| 24 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing |
| 25 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing |
| 26 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Trackhouse Racing |
| 27 | 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports |
| 28 | 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club |
| 29 | 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club |
| 30 | 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports |
| 31 | 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports |
| 32 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 33 | 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team |
| 34 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing |
| 35 | 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing |
| 36 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing |
| 37 | 78 | BJ McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 38 | 44 | JJ Yeley | NY Racing Team |
✅ NASCAR AI picks & best odds
See more sports picks for all of our NASCAR analysis based on the latest betting odds.
| Predictions | Best odds | AI confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Blaney to win | +900 via BetMGM | 16% |
| Austin Cindric top 5 | +250 via Caesars | 44% |
| Kyle Busch to win | +2000 via BetMGM | 11% |
📺 How to watch Autotrader 400 2026: NASCAR schedule & TV info
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 22
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: EchoPark Speedway (Hampton, Ga.)
- TV: FOX
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