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M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 Power Rankings and Picks

Henry John

Last Updated: July 23, 2022 6:42 AM EDT • 3 min 56 sec read.

LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - JULY 17: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 17, 2022 in Loudon, New Hampshire. James Gilbert/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by James Gilbert / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Breaking down the field and drivers to monitor ahead of Sunday’s action at Pocono Raceway with our NASCAR power rankings and picks for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400.

Only six races remain in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. The first of those takes place this weekend in Long Pond, Pennsylvania as Pocono Raceway — affectionately known as the “Tricky Triangle” — is set to host the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 on Sunday.

For the first time in a long time, NASCAR is only running one race at Pocono this year. Fortunately for bettors, driver stats and past results at this one-of-a-kind race track are plentiful. Of course, it’s anyone’s guess as to how relevant past data will be this year thanks to this being the Tricky Triangle debut for the Next Gen Car. Thus, a combination of in-season momentum and historical stats is likely the best approach for handicapping Sunday’s race.

Check out our NASCAR betting picks and power rankings for the 2022 M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbooks).

M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 Race Odds

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M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 NASCAR Power Rankings

10. Brad Keselowski (+6600 via BetMGM)

Brad Keselowski’s first season as a driver-owner at RFK Racing has hardly gone as well as many anticipated. However, he did finish seventh last week in one of his best runs of the season. In his last ten starts at Pocono (all with Team Penske), Keselowski managed five top-5s and eight top-10s.

9. Bubba Wallace (+3000 via DraftKings)

Fresh off of a third-place run at New Hampshire last weekend, the NASCAR betting odds on Bubba Wallace have shifted drastically.

Although Wallace’s career history at Pocono isn’t great, this same 23XI Racing team scored finishes of 14th and fifth in last year’s doubleheader. Don’t discount Wallace as a driver who could win his way into the playoffs down the stretch.

8. Ross Chastain (+1000 via DraftKings)

When it comes to favorable stats at Pocono, Ross Chastain has none worth mentioning at the Cup Series level. Yet, Chastain must be included in the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 power rankings based on the remarkable 2022 season he is having. In addition to his pair of outright victories, Chastain’s ten top-5s on the year are more than any other driver. 

7. Martin Truex Jr. (+1000 via DraftKings)

Martin Truex Jr. swept the stages last weekend and looked to be the dominant car for much of the afternoon. However, s two-tire stop midway through the final stage completely upset the balance of his car.

Truex had to settle for a fourth-place finish and is now in desperate need of a win to solidify his spot in the playoffs. Fortunately, he now comes to one of his many hometown tracks where he has three top-10s and only one finish worse than 11th in his last five starts.

6. Ryan Blaney (+1200 via Caesars)

Just how crazy has the 2022 NASCAR season been in terms of unique winners? Well, Ryan Blaney enters the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 sitting third in the points standings. Yet, because he has yet to reach victory lane, his spot in the playoffs is hardly solidified.

Overall, the No. 12 team has run well at Pocono in recent years. Blaney won here in 2017 and has been a top-12 car in eight of the last ten races. 

5. Denny Hamlin (+800 via DraftKings)

As we draw ever closer to having 16+ unique race winners, Denny Hamlin is extremely fortunate to own a pair of victories. The No. 11 team has lacked consistency all season long to the point where a sixth-place showing last week was only his fifth top-10 of the entire season. That’s the same number of top-10s that Hamlin has recorded in his last six starts at Pocono! He also has two outright wins over that span.

4. Kyle Busch (+750 via BetMGM)

After finishing second and first in the two legs of last year’s Pocono doubleheader, Kyle Busch finds himself as the consensus NASCAR betting favorite for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. The victory last year marked Busch’s fourth Pocono win in the last ten races at the track. All but one of those ten starts saw “Rowdy” finish inside the top 10.

Remove that single DNF result from 2020 and his average finish in the other nine races is an incredible 3.5.

3. Kevin Harvick (+1200 via BetMGM)

After last week’s race, Kevin Harvick is 68 points below the cutline to make the playoffs. Funny enough, the No. 4 team opted to take the same two-tire pit gamble as Martin Truex Jr. last week, the man Harvick is now chasing in the standings. At this point, Harvick’s best bet is to win a race, and Sunday’s likely to be one of his best chances. In addition to winning back in 2020, Harvick has a 5.5 average finish in his last ten starts at the Tricky Triangle.

2. Kyle Larson (+800 via DraftKings)

Kyle Larson was well on his way to winning at Pocono a year ago until he blew a tire in the final turn on the final lap. He managed to limp it home ninth and was also runner-up in the second half of the doubleheader weekend.

In 2022, the No. 5 team has not been nearly as dominant. However, it is worth noting that four races have passed since Larson lost a wheel at Sonoma. This means that crew chief Cliff Daniels will be back atop the pit box on Sunday.

1. Chase Elliott (+800 via DraftKings)

The top choice in this week’s NASCAR betting race power rankings is a no-brainer. Chase Elliott is hands-down the hottest driver in the Cup Series entering Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. Over the last four races, Elliott has won twice and finished second twice. Despite not having the same caliber of Pocono stats as some other drivers on this list, he does own a pair of top-5 finishes in the last six races.

Where to Bet on the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400.

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 picks made 7/22/2022 at 1:49 p.m. ET.

Written By:
Henry John
Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball, and NASCAR. He counts NFL, WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.