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Kyle Larson's defense of his NASCAR Cup Series championship didn't get off to a strong start, as he crashed out of the Daytona 500 last weekend. The 29-year-old will hope for a better result in his home state when he participates in the 2022 Wise Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on Sunday. Larson, who captured 10 checkered flags last year, won at Fontana Speedway in 2017 and was runner-up in 2014 and 2018. The NASCAR Fontana green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Kyle Busch is listed at 7-1, while reigning series champion Kyle Larson is the 5-2 favorite in the latest 2022 Wise Power 400 odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Martin Truex Jr. is 7-1, Chase Elliott is 15-2 and Denny Hamlin rounds out the top five 2022 NASCAR Fontana contenders at 8-1. Before locking in any 2022 Wise Power 400 picks of your own, you need to check out the NASCAR at Fontana predictions from SportsLine's Micah Roberts, the legendary Vegas bookmaker who pioneered wagering on racing.

Roberts, a former Vegas bookmaker, 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, Elliott, won the Jockey Made in America 250 last season.

He also correctly predicted the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 winner, hitting Larson's victory at 11-2 odds. The previous week, he was on point at the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, targeting Elliott as the winner at 8-5 odds. Anyone who has followed his picks is up huge year after year.

Now, Roberts has analyzed the field and odds for Sunday's NASCAR at Fontana 2022 race and just revealed his picks and predictions. He's only sharing his Wise Power 400 winner and projected leaderboard at SportsLine.

2022 Wise Power 400 expert picks

One shocker: Roberts is fading Truex, even though he's among the top 2022 Wise Power 400 contenders. In fact, Roberts says Truex, who has won just once in 20 Cup Series starts at Fontana, barely cracks the top 15.

"All four of his wins last year came with the 750-horsepower package on smaller tracks," Roberts told SportsLine. "The 7-1 odds offered are comical."

Another curveball: Roberts is high on Alex Bowman, a 14-1 long shot in the latest 2022 NASCAR at Fontana Raceway odds. The 28-year-old struggled in his first four Cup Series starts at this track, finishing no better than 13th and recording his worst performance at Auto Club Speedway in 2015 (33rd). Bowman redeemed himself in the most recent running of the Wise Power 400 in 2020, taking the checkered flag for his second career win on the circuit.

"This might be the best value on the board between his Hendrick Camaro and Bowman being the last Cup Series driver to win at Fontana," Roberts told SportsLine. "Bowman led a race-high 110 laps en route to the win before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

How to make 2022 Wise Power 400 predictions

Roberts is high on a long shot whose car "makes him dangerous on all tracks." This driver is being seriously underestimated by oddsmakers, and anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can only see who it is at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2022 Wise Power 400? And which long shot stuns NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2022 NASCAR at Fontana leaderboard from the nation's premier NASCAR handicapper, and find out.

2022 Wise Power 400 odds, field, top contenders

Kyle Larson 5-2
Kyle Busch 7-1
Martin Truex Jr. 7-1
Chase Elliott 15-2
Denny Hamlin 8-1
Ryan Blaney 10-1
William Byron 12-1
Kevin Harvick 12-1
Alex Bowman 14-1
Joey Logano 14-1
Tyler Reddick 20-1
Christopher Bell 30-1
Kurt Busch 30-1
Brad Keselowski 40-1
Austin Cindric 50-1
Ross Chastain 75-1
Austin Dillon 75-1
Aric Almirola 100-1
Chase Briscoe 100-1
Harrison Burton 150-1
Chris Buescher 200-1
Daniel Hemric 200-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 200-1
Bubba Wallace 200-1
Cole Custer 250-1
Erik Jones 250-1
Daniel Suarez 250-1
Ty Dillon 300-1
Todd Gilliland 500-1
Justin Haley 500-1
Michael McDowell 500-1
Corey LaJoie 2000-1
Josh Bilicki 2500-1
B.J. McLeod 2500-1
Cody Ware 2500-1