Early Daytona 500 Odds Preview

Yesterday sports fans witnessed one of the greatest events in all of sports with Super Bowl 49 in a game that turned out to be one of the greatest Super Bowls in recent memory. On February 22nd, racing fans will witness their version of the Super Bowl with the 57th running of the Daytona 500. With more than 10 million viewers expected to tune in, all eyes will be on NASCAR’s greatest stars as they battle for 500 miles at speeds of 200mph for the biggest prize in racing. As the 2015 season vastly approaches, let’s take an early look at the Daytona 500 opening betting odds.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is officially listed as the overall favorite for the Daytona 500. NASCAR’s most popular driver won his 2nd Daytona 500 last year in a race that was delayed by nearly 6 hours due to weather. Normally you can consider favorites at a restrictor plate track with a grain of salt. However, Earnhardt is without a doubt among the best in the business at this style of restrictor plate racing, known as pack racing, that has returned to NASCAR’s biggest stage. Earnhardt has been at his best at Daytona in recent years winning last year’s Daytona 500 and finishing 2nd in each of the two prior Daytona 500 races. Can Junior put himself in position for another Daytona 500 trophy? I would not bet against it.

As we scan through the remainder of the odds, things appear to be as expected with most drivers. Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski are both listed at +1275. Johnson is a two time winner of the Great American Race with his most recent victory coming in 2013. Keselowski has developed into one of the best restrictor plate racers in the business. However, all of Keselowski’s restrictor plate wins have come at Talladega and he owns a rather disappointing 20th place average finish through his 11 starts at Daytona International Speedway.

Outside of some of your normal top guys, a few guys that have piqued our curiosity are Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. Stewart’s 2014 season was the worst of his career and overshadowed by the tragic sprint car accident that claimed the life of Kevin Ward Jr. Stewart has historically been a strong driver at Daytona and perhaps the best driver to never win the Daytona 500. Not only will we be looking to see how Stewart performs at Daytona but we will be looking to see if Smoke can return to form in 2015.

Edwards will be in the new no. 19 car at Joe Gibbs Racing this year and hopes to make an immediate impact on the 2015 season. Edwards has not been overly impressive at Daytona but he is a guy that could have a big season if we stick to the trends of big time drivers going to different teams in recent years(see Matt Kenseth 2013 and Kevin Harvick 2014). Outside of Edwards, all of the JGR guys are listed among the favorites to win the Daytona 500. However it is worth noting that a Toyota driver has never won the Daytona 500. Current JGR driver Matt Kenseth does have a victory in the Daytona 500 but that come back in 2009 with Roush Fenway Racing.

If you are looking for a few guys to take a gamble on at this stage in the game, then I will attempt to throw out a few names that appear to have some upside. Keep in mind there is a lot of racing that will take place before the Daytona 500 with the Sprint Unlimited and Budweiser Duels that will shed some light on what we can expect for the Great American Race. Still, you have to like the odds listed with guys like Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, and perhaps even Ryan Blaney. Despite not having any Daytona wins, Bowyer has performed well at the restrictor plate races. In fact, Bowyer has the 3rd best average finishing position at Daytona among active drivers (15.94).

Meanwhile Greg Biffle has had several opportunities in the last few years to win the Daytona 500. Biffle has finished 8th or better in 4 of his last 5 Daytona 500 starts including a 3rd place showing in 2012. Blaney on the other hand is a guy that I think could be worth a gamble because his odds will likely get even better. Blaney proved he has stock car talent with an impressive win at Bristol last year in the Xfinity Series. Blaney will come on board with Wood Brothers Racing this year and will have the opportunity to make an impact in what has become a rather quick jump to the Sprint Cup Series. Still, let’s not forget what happened the last time a rookie made his start for the Wood Brothers in the Daytona 500. #TrevorBayne