Daytona 500 Betting Odds Preview

The NASCAR Cup Series season begins this weekend with the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway.

Last year at Daytona, the unexpected happened after Michael McDowell avoided a massive crash on the final lap to secure his first career Cup Series race win. McDowell cracked the top three only once more the entire season and at Bovada Sportsbook he’s a +6600 underdog to make it back-to-back Daytona 500 wins this weekend.

Hamlin favored to win Great American Race for 4th time

The favorite at Bovada is three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin at +850. Hamlin won the Great American Race in consecutive seasons in 2019 and 2020 and also claimed the checkered flag in the Daytona 500 in 2016. He has cracked the top five in eight of his last 10 starts in the Daytona 500. At Bovada, you can get him to finish in the top five again this year at -110 and to finish in the top three at +210.

Following Hamlin on the odds list at Bovada are Chase Elliott at +1000, Kyle Larson at +1100 and Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, both at +1200. Among that foursome, only Logano has a Daytona 500 win under his belt, which came in 2015.

Elliott recorded his best career finish in the Daytona 500 last year when he placed second behind McDowell.

Larson has never finished among top 5 at Daytona 500

Larson, the reigning Cup Series champion, will try to pick things up where he left off last season when he won four of the last five races. He has never finished in the top five in the Daytona 500 in eight starts. His best career finish in the race was seventh place, which he accomplished in both 2016 and 2019.

Blaney has come up just short in the Daytona 500 twice with runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2020. He did record a win at Daytona last year, taking the Coke Zero Sugar 400 held later in the season.

Along with McDowell, Hamlin and Logano, there are only three other drivers in this weekend’s field who have previously won the Daytona 500: 2018 winner Austin Dillon at +2000, 2017 winner Kurt Busch at +2000 and 2007 winner Kevin Harvick at +2200.

The odds for a few other notable drivers include Kyle Busch at +1600, Alex Bowman at +1800, Brad Keselowski at +1800 and Bubba Wallace at +2000.