Nascar Daytona 500 Gambling Picks/Preview

2010 Daytona 500 Predictions – Betting Preview + Picks + Odds

Preview: NASCAR kicks off its 2010 Cup season this Sunday with the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.  Fans will see a different Daytona 500 this year thanks to changes NASCAR implemented in the offseason, including a bigger restrictor plate and a message to drivers to ‘have at it’ in terms of bump drafting on the plate tracks this year.

Race: Daytona 500
Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time: 3:30 PM EST
TV: 1:19 PM EST on FOX

While Thursday’s Gatorade Duel Races presented some exciting on-track action and two very close finishes, there have also been several incidents leading up to the 500, as drivers attempted to dial their cars in on a track where handling means everything.

Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne won the Duels and will start side-by-side in the second row behind the top two qualifiers, Mark Martin (P1) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (P2).  The race itself runs 500 miles, 200 laps on the high-banked 2.5-mile oval.  Sunday marks the 52nd running of the Daytona 500.

Safe Bets:

1. Tony Stewart (8/1): Stewart has three wins in 22 starts at Daytona, although all three were in the summer race.  Thus far, a Daytona 500 win has eluded him and he’s made it clear it’s one he wants badly.  Typically, whatever Tony wants, Tony eventually gets, and with his Hendrick-affiliated Stewart-Haas Racing team now in its second full season, this could be the year that Smoke finally puts a 500 notch on his belt.

2. Jimmie Johnson (8/1): Although Johnson has had a bit of bad luck at Daytona, he did win the 2006 Daytona 500 and finished second here last July, as well as winning the first of this year’s Gatorade Duel races.  Johnson has the best average finish at Daytona (both race dates) among Cup drivers with more than ten Daytona starts and, by the way, he’s the reigning four-time Cup Series champion.

Dark Horse:

1. Kevin Harvick (20/1): Despite being ill last week and missing Bud Shootout practice altogether, Kevin Harvick came back to win his second straight Bud Shootout on Saturday night.  Harvick and the entire RCR organization hope to rebound from a disappointing 2009 season – and Kevin knows how to get around here, having won the 2007 Daytona 500 and finishing second last year.  He has the fourth-best average finish among active Cup drivers with more than ten Daytona 500 starts.

Summary:  It’s worth noting that the last four races at Daytona (both winter and summer dates) have been won by one each Dodge, Toyota, Ford, and Chevy.  Prior to that, however, GM dominated at Daytona, winning 7 straight and 11 of the previous 13 races.

2010 Daytona 500
Pre-Race: Noon ET
Green Flag: Approx. 1:19PM ET
Radio Coverage: MRN
Track Type: Oval (200 laps)

Mark Martin won the pole during qualifying for the Daytona 500 on Saturday.

2010 NASCAR Odds: Daytona 500

AJ Allmendinger 50/1
Bobby Labonte 50/1
Brad Keselowski 35/1
Brian Vickers 28/1
Carl Edwards 20/1
Casey Mears 50/1
Clint Bowyer 25/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr 10/1
David Ragan 28/1
David Reutimann 30/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Elliott Sadler 50/1
Greg Biffle 35/1
Jamie McMurray 30/1
Jeff Burton 30/1
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Jimmie Johnson 10/1
Joey Logano 30/1
Juan Pablo Montoya 12/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Kevin Harvick 20/1
Kurt Busch 10/1
Kyle Busch 8/1
Marcos Ambrose 40/1
Mark Martin 12/1
Martin Truex Jr 30/1
Matt Kenseth 25/1
Michael Waltrip 50/1
Paul Menard 80/1
Ryan Newman 25/1
Sam Hornish Jr 40/1
Scott Speed 80/1
Tony Stewart 7/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 25/1

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Becca Gladden is a freelance writer and race handicapper specializing in NASCAR.