The NASCAR Cup Series gets underway on Sunday with the 64th running of the Daytona 500. The Great American Race is considered the most prestigious in the circuit and unlike most sports whose signature event comes at the end of a season the race is the first points producer for the 2022 campaign. And we’re used to commotion at this race. Last year just over a quarter of the drivers finished all 200 laps around the Daytona Speedway throwing a wrinkle in the betting process. Michael McDowell led for one lap in 2021, fortunately for him it was the final lap as he recorded his first Cup Series win as a 100/1 underdog. McDowell is back looking to repeat but is positioned well down the odds board. Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is the betting favorite with Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson the only other drivers listed with shorter than 10/1 odds.
The 64th Daytona 500 takes place at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 20, 2022, from Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL and will air live on FOX. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to win Daytona 500
Denny Hamlin +800
Chase Elliott +900
Kyle Larson +900
Joey Logano +1000
Ryan Blaney +1400
William Byron +1400
Brad Keselowski +1600
Kevin Harvick +1600
Kurt Busch +1600
Kyle Busch +1600
Alex Bowman +1800
Bubba Wallace Jr +1800
Martin Truex Jr +1800
Aric Almirola +2000
Austin Dillon +2000
Christopher Bell +2200
Tyler Reddick +2200
Austin Cindric +2500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2500
Chris Buescher +3300
Justin Haley +3300
AJ Allmendinger +4000
Ross Chastain +4000
Chase Briscoe +5000
Cole Custer +5000
Erik Jones +5000
Harrison Burton +5000
Daniel Suarez +6600
Matt DiBenedetto +6600
Michael McDowell +6600
Dayton 500 History
Run annually since 1959, the Daytona 500 is the most important race on the NASCAR circuit offering the largest prize purse. Lee Petty captured the checkered flag at the inaugural event setting the stage for what would become a family affair. Lee’s son Richard Petty would win a record seven Daytona 500 races between 1964 and 1981. Cale Yarborough is next in line with four victories. More recently Denny Hamlin has been the biggest name in Daytona. Hamlin won consecutive races in 2019 and 2020 joining a select group of drivers that includes Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon, with three wins.
Drivers to Watch
It’s no surprise Hamlin is at the top of the odds board for the 2022 edition. A winner at the Daytona 500 twice in the last three years and owning half the victories in the previous six runnings, Hamlin is easily the most recognizable driver on the super speedway. Even when he hasn’t won Hamlin has been good. He finished fifth at last year’s race, the seventh time he placed among the top-5 in his last eight Daytona 500 starts. He also has a pair of third-place finishes in the Coke Zero 400 run on the same Daytona track.
Kyle Larson is the co-second favorite after a season that saw him win the NASCAR Cup Series with 10 victories. Prior to the 2021 season Larson had just six career Cup wins and just one since the 2017 season. He had an amazing streak last summer winning three times with three runner-up finishes in a six-race span. He also won the NASCAR All-Star Race in the middle of that run. He’ll attempt to continue his hot streak by claiming his first Daytona 500 victory. He hasn’t had a lot of success in this race with his best finish seventh, which he accomplished twice. But he also never won 10 races in a season, either.
You can’t count out Kyle Busch as a threat in this race. The all-time active leader in Cup Series wins with 59, Kyle has never won the Daytona 500, though he does have a win at the super speedway taking the Coke Zero 400 in 2008. He’s the more decorated driver, but the fact that his brother Kurt has a Daytona 500 title has to be infuriating. Winning this race is definitely on Kyle’s bucket list.
Daytona 500 Odds Pick
There are several factors to consider when wagering on the Daytona 500. You can bet there will be a crash or several throughout the 4-hour thrill ride wiping out half the starting field. You have to make sure you’re bet is one that completes the race. Last year McDowell took advantage to get the win as a major underdog. However, the favorites have for the most part done their job staying ahead of the pack and out of danger. And that brings me back to Hamlin, who has the most success of any current driver at Daytona. I don’t like to bet the favorite, but the odds are favorable and his history is hard to overlook.
Daytona 500 Odds Prediction: Denny Hamlin
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