Daytona 500 Gambling Preview
Get ready to start your engines for another season of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing with the running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday afternoon at the fabled Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 Preview and Prediction
Race: Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway
Date: Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014
Time: 1:30 p.m. (ET)
Broadcast: FOX
Odds By Bovada
The Great American Race is set to get underway at 1:30 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
Jimmie Johnson will begin the defense of his 2013 Sprint Cup title by first defending his title as the 2013 winner of the Daytona 500.
There is a full complement of favorites, contenders and longshots gunning for a victory in NASCAR’s biggest race of the season, but I have narrowed things down to my top pick in all three categories based on the current odds provided by Bovada.
The Favorite (odd of less than 10/1)
I had to bend the rules a bit for my favorite pick this week since the best odds to win on the board right now are +1000. There are actually five drivers listed at these odds, but I am sticking with the best of the bunch in Jimmie Johnson.
As mentioned, one of his six point race victories last season on the road to a record sixth Sprint Cup title came in this race. The No. 48 car actually pulled off the season sweep at Daytona with another checkered flag in the second race at Daytona last July. This sweep broke a string of disappointing finishes for Johnson at Daytona and I am banking on him carrying that momentum into Sunday’s race.
[ad-8757089]
The Contender (odds from 10/1 to 19/1)
Brad Keselowski burst onto the Sprint Cup scene in 2012 with five point race victories on his way to stunning run all the way to that season’s title. The No. 2 race team appeared to be suffering from a season-long hangover in 2013 that included just one win and a spot on the outside looking in as far as the Chase.
Keselowski has been opened at +1200 to open-up this season with a bang by winning on Sunday and I really like his chances to get it done.
This will be the start of just his fifth fulltime season in the Sprint Cup series and only his 10th career point race at Daytona. While the early results at this track have been nothing to write home about, he is coming off a fourth-place finish in last year’s Great American Race.
The Longshot (odds 20/1 or greater)
You might want to go way out on limb with a play on rookie Austin Dillon and No. 3 car coming off the pole at +2500 to win on Sunday, but on a stage this big that would be way too far of a reach for me. If you are looking for a solid veteran driver at longer odds, my pick would be Carl Edwards at +2000.
Ever since the No. 99 car tied Tony Stewart for the most points in 2011, but lost the title on a tie-breaker based on total wins, this team has pretty much faded from the spotlight with a 15th-place finish in 2012 and a 13th-place finish last year.
Edwards’s overall performance at Daytona has led to an average finishing position of just 18.2, but he has posted six top-10 finishes in his last 10 Sprint Cup races at this track.
Odds from Bovada
Jimmie Johnson 10/1
Kyle Busch 10/1
Kevin Harvick 10/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10/1
Matt Kenseth 10/1
Tony Stewart 12/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Brad Keselowski 12/1
Kasey Kahne 15/1
Jeff Gordon 15/1
Joey Logano 18/1
Kurt Busch 18/1
Carl Edwards 20/1
Clint Bowyer 20/1
Austin Dillon 25/1
Jamie McMurray 25/1
Ryan Newman 30/1
Martin Truex Jr. 30/1
Greg Biffle 30/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 30/1
Brian Vickers 35/1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 40/1
Michael Waltrip 40/1
Kyle Larson 40/1
Danica Patrick 40/1
Paul Menard 40/1
Marcos Ambrose 75/1
Trevor Bayne 75/1
David Ragan 75/1
Casey Mears 100/1
David Gilliland 100/1
AJ Allmendinger 100/1
Justin Allgaier 200/1
Michael Annett 200/1
