Daytona 500 Betting Odds Preview
The NASCAR Cup Series season begins Sunday with the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Can Denny Hamlin make history and become the first three-peat winner at Daytona?
Not surprisingly, Hamlin is the race favorite at Bovada Sportsbook at +700. Hamlin captured the checkered flag at Daytona in 2020 and 2019 and he also won back in 2016. In his last nine starts in the Daytona 500, Hamlin has finished fourth or better seven times.
Hamlin favored to win third straight Daytona 500
Following Hamlin on the Daytona 500 odds at Bovada are a trio of drivers – Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano – all listed at +900.
Elliott, the reigning Cup Series champion, has never had much luck in the Daytona 500. He has never cracked the top 10 in the race and his best career finish is 14th place in 2017. Last season, he finished 17th for the second consecutive year.
Keselowski is also looking for his first Daytona 500 win. Daytona hasn’t been very kind to Keselowski in recent years. In his last six starts in the 500, his best finish is 12th place in 2019.
Logano’s 2020 finish an outlier in recent results
Logano recorded his lone Daytona 500 win back in 2015. Since then he’s posted four finishes in the top six but ran into some trouble last year when he finished in 26th place.
Other former Daytona 500 winners in the field this weekend include 2018 winner Austin Dillon (+2200), 2017 winner Kurt Busch (+1800), 2010 winner Jamie McMurray (+5000), 2008 winner Ryan Newman (+4400) and 2007 winner Kevin Harvick (+1200).
Slotted in between the top four and Harvick on the Bovada odds is Ryan Blaney at +1000. Blaney could be a smart value pick this weekend as he has come close at Daytona a couple of times with a pair of second-place finishes. That includes last year when he finished right behind Hamlin.
Kyle Busch a dark-horse pick in Daytona odds
The dark-horse pick this weekend is NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch at +1200. The two-time Cup Series champion is coming off a disappointing season in which he won only one race. By comparison, in 2019 when Busch won his second championship, he had five wins. Busch is still looking for his first Daytona 500 win. He’s finished in the top three twice in 15 starts and finished well back in 34th place last season.