NASCAR is going to Pennsylvania this weekend. Sunday, July 24 is when M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 is going to be run at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond. This is going to be the 21st race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, with another five left before the end of the regular season.
Things are starting to heat up in the NASCAR Drivers’ standings, with a couple of big names currently out of the Top 16. Among those are Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski, who could get into the playoff zone with a good performance in M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400.
Still, excluding Hamlin, none of those drivers is seen as a top candidate to win Sunday’s race. Instead, bookies see the usual suspects – Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson – as the top favorites to triumph at the Tricky Triangle.
2022 M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 Odds
| Driver | Odds |
| Kyle Busch | +700 |
| Chase Elliott | +800 |
| Kyle Larson | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +850 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1000 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1000 |
| Ross Chastain | +1000 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1100 |
| William Byron | +1200 |
Where and When to Watch
- Date: Sunday, July 24
- Time: 3:00 PM EDT
- Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania
- Watch: FuboTV
Analyzing the Top Favorites to Win
Kyle Busch is the reigning champ of M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 whose win last year was his third triumph on this racecourse. Ahead of the 2022 race, he is sitting in the #6 position in the rankings, even though a few weeks ago he was topping the table.
What happened was that he entered a rough patch, finishing outside the Top 20 in four straight races. Last weekend, he finished 12th, which was his best performance since June 5. Knowing this, it’s clear that he’s got the motivation to do better this coming Sunday.
Busch is given only slightly shorter odds than the second favorite Chase Elliott. The no.1 in the Drivers’ championship rankings has been in top form lately, finishing in the Top 3 in each of the previous four races. We think the same will probably happen on Sunday.
Third on the list of M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 favorites is Kyle Larson who’s without a win since the second race of the 2022 NASCAR season. Still, this doesn’t mean he hasn’t been driving well. On the contrary, he’s been pretty good and if it weren’t for a few mishaps with tires, he’d probably won at least another race.
Denny Hamlin is Our Top Pick
Oddsmakers see him as the no.4 favorite to win the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400. However, in our eyes, he’s the top favorite. There are several reasons starting with the fact that he’s currently 19th in the rankings. With only five weeks left before the end of the regular part of the season, Hamlin needs points to make the playoffs. Winning the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 would him there.
This guy knows how to drive through the Tricky Triangle – he’s won this race four times already, which is more than any other active driver. Actually, if he wins on Sunday, he’s going not become the record-holder for most wins at Pocono Raceway.
Pick: Denny Hamlin