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NASCAR Betting Online: At most venues across the country, the extent of a race week is a couple practice sessions, qualifying, race day itself, and a big old party the day of the race. Not at Daytona, though. The festivities for the Daytona 500 are basically two full weeks long. "Speedweek" is already more than halfway done by the time the drivers all pull into the Can-Am Duels at Daytona, the two unique qualifying races that determine the starting grid for the "Granddaddy of Them All."
Catch all of the high-speed thrills and chills of the 2018 Can-Am Duels at Daytona on Thursday, February 15 at 7 p.m. ET live on FOX Sports 1.
2018 Can-Am Duels at Daytona At a Glance
Racetrack: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
Track Length: 2.5 miles
Total Laps: 60
The Can-Am Duels at Daytona are a whole heck of a lot of fun, as they're short, 60-lap races that determine the starting field for the Daytona 500. Though it's great to run in this race for the experience, your goal is to actually not be in the race. The front row for the Daytona 500 is decided by traditional qualifying. If you aren't in the Top 2 though, you're stuck running in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona. The starting order for the twin races held the Thursday before the Daytona 500 is determined by the standard qualifying.
In the name of fairness, the two Can-Am Duels at Daytona are split with those drivers who finished in odd-numbered places in qualifying starting in the first of the duels and the ones who finished qualifying in even-numbered places running in the second. Those who run in Race 1 will start on the inside in the Daytona 500, while those who run in Race 2 will start on the outside.
In order to qualify for the Daytona 500, you have to finish no worse than 15th in your heat. The next four fastest times in the duels will qualifying as well, then will come the top six point-earning teams who aren't yet qualified for the race.
List of Can-Am Duels at Daytona Winners (Since 2000)
| Year | Race 1 | Race 2 |
|---|
| 2017 | Chase Elliott | Denny Hamlin |
| 2016 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Kyle Busch |
| 2015 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Jimmie Johnson |
| 2014 | Matt Kenseth | Denny Hamlin |
| 2013 | Kevin Harvick | Kyle Busch |
| 2012 | Tony Stewart | Matt Kenseth |
| 2011 | Kurt Busch | Jeff Burton |
| 2010 | Jimmie Johnson | Kasey Kahne |
| 2009 | Jeff Gordon | Kyle Busch |
| 2008 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Denny Hamlin |
| 2007 | Tony Stewart | Jeff Gordon |
| 2006 | Elliott Sadler | Jeff Gordon |
| 2005 | Michael Waltrip | Tony Stewart |
| 2004 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Elliott Sadler |
| 2003 | Robby Gordon | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 2002 | Jeff Gordon | Michael Waltrip |
| 2001 | Sterling Marlin | Mike Skinner |
| 2000 | Bill Elliott | Ricky Rudd |
With the advent of restrictor plates to help slow down the cars at Daytona International Speedway and the other superspeedways on the NASCAR circuit, it made the Can-Am Duels at Daytona incredibly important. Though it's far from impossible to win the Daytona 500 from a far back starting position, it's certainly a heck of a lot easier to do from more towards the front of the pack, knowing that there is less traffic to fight in front of you to get towards the lead.
Not surprisingly, that makes the Can-Am Duels at Daytona two big time races to win, and a poor finish here ( or worse, a crash ) will guarantee a horrible starting position for the 500. That's why so many of the top drivers, particularly Dale Earnhardt Jr. have had such great success in these races in the past.
Most Career Wins (By Driver) at Can-Am Duels at Daytona
| Wins | Driver | Years |
|---|
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt | 1983, 1986, 1990-1999 |
| 6 | Cale Yarborough | 1970, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1985 |
| 5 | Bobby Allison | 1972, 1975, 1981, 1984, 1988 |
| 5 | Darrell Waltrip | 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1988 |
| 5 | Jeff Gordon | 1993, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2003, 2004, 2008, 2015, 2016 |
To say that success in the Can-Am Duels at Daytona is in that Earnhardt blood would be an understatement. Of all of the impressive feats "The Intimidator" had in his career, maybe the most impressive in a vacuum is winning one of the races then known as the Twin 125s in every single year in the 90s. Even though these fields are obviously smaller than the normal NASCAR races and are shorter, to win anything 10 straight times is about as impressive as it gets.
Thus perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that "Little E" has done so well, too. He's got five wins at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona, one shy of second best. Bobby Allison still sits on that mantle just behind Earnhardt Sr., but he has half the wins of the great No. 3 with just six.
Most Career Wins (By Team) at Can-Am Duels at Daytona
| Wins | NASCAR Team | Years Won |
|---|
| 15 | Richard Childress Racing | 1986, 1990-1999, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2013 |
| 13 | Hendrick Motorsports | 1987-1989, 1993, 2002, 2007-2010, 2015 ( x2 ) 2016 |
| 9 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 1999, 2005, 2007-2009, 2013, 2014 ( x2 ), 2016 |
There are a tremendous amount of opportunities to win the Can-Am Duels at Daytona since there are twice the number of races to be run. But interestingly enough, the same team hasn't often won both of the twin races. Hendrick Motorsports did so in 2015 as a part of its 13 titles at the Can-Am Duels at Daytona, while Joe Gibbs Racing swept the board in 2014.
Yet they're all chasing Richard Childress Racing, largely thanks to the 10 straight and 12 overall wins Earnhardt had in his day. RCR has 15 wins in the Can-Am Duels to date, the most all-time.
Most Career Wins (By Manufacturer) at Can-Am Duels at Daytona
| Wins | Manufacturer | Last Win |
|---|
| 51 | Chevrolet | 2016 |
| 25 | Ford | 2012 |
| 11 | Dodge | 2011 |
| 8 | Pontiac | 1999 |
| 6 | Buick | 1988 |
| 6 | Toyota | 2016 |
| 5 | Mercury | 1980 |
| 3 | Oldsmobile | 1981 |
| 2 | Plymouth | 1971 |
| 1 | AMC | 1982 |
Over the course of the last four seasons, if you haven't driven either a Toyota or a Chevy, you haven't won either of the Can-Am Duels at Daytona. Of course, that's not all that much of a stretch to say, knowing that these two manufactures have blazed past Ford in the discussion of the top cars to drive on the senior circuit, but it's still a shock that you have to go back to 2012 to find the last Ford winner of either of the duels, that being Matt Kenseth.
Chevys have won the Can-Am Duels at Daytona a whopping 51 times over the course of the 57-year history of the races, and 46 of said wins have come since 1972.
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How to bet on Nascar Duels
The odds of a driver to win the Duels will generally look something like:
Jeff Gordon + 200
Mark Martin + 250
Jeff Burton + 300
Bill Elliott + 700
Robby Gordon + 700
Field + 500
These betting odds will be lower when betting on a driver to finish in the top three, as the sportsbook must pay off three different winning bets.
A player would have to bet $10 to win $20 that Jeff Gordon will win the Duels, while the bettor wagering on Bill Elliott stands to win $70 on their $10 wager.
Another commonly placed bet in NASCAR is head - to - head finish between two drivers. With this bet, a player doesn't really care what place the driver finishes in, as long as the driver finishes higher than the other driver.
A head - to - head betting line for the Duels will look something like:
Mark Martin - 130 Jeff Burton + 110
In this bet, players wagering on Martin to finish higher than Burton will be asked to risk $13 to win $10, while bettors believing that Burton will finish higher than Martin will bet $10 to win $11.
Those familiar with sports betting will have no trouble making the transition to NASCAR wagering, while those new to the world of sports betting should be able to pick up the concepts of NASCAR betting without too much hassle.
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