2019 Daytona 500 Opening Odds

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series 2019 Daytona 500 Opening Odds
Sunday February 17th, 2019 at Daytona International Speedway

The first glimpse of racing action for the 2019 season has been posted via 5Dimes with the opening odds for the 61st running of the Daytona 500. While Daytona Speedweeks is still over a month away, it’s good to see we are inching closer to another exciting season of racing. We have a lot to prepare for in the coming weeks before the first green flag of the season. There are new drivers in different roles, new sponsors and team alignments, and most importantly an entirely different rules package that will be unveiled in 2019. We will talk more about those expectations in the coming weeks. For now, take a look at the 2019 Daytona 500 opening odds as official preparations have begun for 2019!

*Odds courtesy of 5Dimes

Despite cashing all of my restrictor plate races in 2018, I have never been a fan of taking extremely early bets specifically for the Daytona 500. The main reason is because there are still a lot of things that could happen before the season begins. Just this past week, DC Solar’s sponsorship fell through with Chip Gannassi’s Xfinity Series team which forced the #42 team to close shop. The result left Ross Chastain without a ride for 2018. I was personally excited to see what Chastain could do in a full season with a top ride. However, funding and sponsorship is extremely important for keeping those possibilities alive.

While it would be a bit more surprising to see events like this unfold in the Cup Series, you still never know what could happen over the next few weeks. Additionally, the early odds posted above appear to be rather conservative which is usually the case when odds are posted so far in advance. I do not see any particular driver that is undervalued enough to warrant early action at this time. My personal strategy has always been to wait until Daytona Speedweeks to have more of an understanding of the packages that teams have brought into 2019. I will likely provide some early betting predictions for the entire 2019 season in the upcoming weeks but official picks for the 2019 Daytona 500 will be released much closer to race time. Be sure to join our conversations in the forums to share your thoughts on drivers to watch for 2019 and for the 61st running of the Daytona 500!