Daytona 500 Odds and Expert Betting Picks for 2018

With the first race of the 2018 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup season going down this past weekend and one of the prestigious events slated to take place on Sunday, the expert analysis on the latest Daytona 500 odds and accompanying free picks that you’re about to get on the most coveted NASCAR race there is, could help you cash in big before the spring even arrives. Along with my pick to win this year’s Daytona 500, you’re also going to have the chance to cash in on some value-packed early auto racing betting picks and manufacturer bets too. Now, let’s get down to business.

2018 Daytona 500 Odds and Expert Betting Picks

A career-defining race! #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/pFyGemdurI

— Daytona International Speedway (@DISupdates) 12 de febrero de 2018

Event Information

• Date: February 18, 2018
• Location: Daytona International Speedway
• Distance: 200 laps, 500 mi
• TV: Fox Sports
• Radio: MRN
• Live Stream: FoxSports.com

2018 Daytona 500 Odds to Win

The Favorites

• Brad Keselowski 7/1
• Chase Elliott 8/1
• Kevin Harvick 10/1
• Kyle Busch 10/1
• Denny Hamlin 12/1
• Joey Logano 14/1

It’s funny that, of the top six favorites to win the 2018 Daytona 500, only Joey Logano managed to finish inside the top 10 in the 2017 Daytona 500. Brad Keselowski finished 27th, Chase Elliott, 14th, Kevin Harvick, 22nd, Kyle Busch, 38th and Denny Hamlin, 17th. Of course, Hamlin did win in 2016 and Logano won in 2015. Kevin Harvick won in 2007. Elliott, Keselowski and Kyle Busch have never won the Daytona 500, but then again, Keselowski did just win the Advance Auto Parts Clash on Sunday – at Daytona of all places.

Contenders

• Field (Any Other Driver) 15/1
• Jimmie Johnson 16/1
• Kyle Larson 16/1
• Martin Truex Jr 16/1
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr 16/1
• Ryan Blaney 18/1
• Clint Bowyer 25/1
• Erik Jones 25/1
• Kurt Busch 25/1

Kurt Busch is offering some good value as a 25/1 pick after winning it all last year. But then again, maybe the 39-year-old Busch isn’t, seeing as how only three drivers have ever won consecutive Daytona 500s. Richard Petty (1973-1974) and Cale Yarborough (1983-1984) both won consecutive Daytona 500s, but no driver has managed to win the Harley J. Earl Trophy two straight years since Sterling Marlin did it back in 1994 and 1995. “I feel the pressure. I like it,” Busch said Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. “Winning Daytona is like winning a championship,” Busch added. “It’s one of the coolest things in stock car racing is to win Daytona. To hoist up a trophy and to have that with us at Stewart-Haas, it’s equivalent to winning a championship.” Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson won in 2006 and 2013, but no other driver in this group has managed to win the Daytona 500, so there’s that! Johnson did win the NASCAR title in 2016, so it’s not like he’s been put out to pasture recently. “That doesn’t change anything,” Johnson said during the opening day of the NASCAR Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “My desire to be competitive, my desire to be a champion, my desire to win races has never wavered. That’s who I am. That’s what I am. Still, I like the chances of 2017 NASCAR champ Martin Truex Jr., and I think Ryan Blaney and Kurt Busch performed extremely well this past weekend.

Longshots

• Alex Bowman 30/1
• Austin Dillon 30/1
• Jamie McMurray 30/1
• William Byron 30/1
• Aric Almirola 35/1
• Daniel Suarez 40/1
• Paul Menard 40/1
• Trevor Bayne 50/1
• Darrell Wallace Jr 60/1
• Ryan Newman 60/1
• Kasey Kahne 85/1
• Ty Dillon 85/1

Alex Bowman put a familiar car atop the Daytona 500 leaderboard by winning the pole for “The Great American Race” in his debut as the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet, the famed car driven until last season by NASCAR rock star Dale Earnhardt Jr. Six of Earnhardt’s 17 career victories at Daytona International Speedway came in that car, including one of his Daytona 500 victories. Earnhardt was also a seven-time pole winner at Daytona. “I think it’s still a little surreal,” said Bowman, who will race in his second Daytona 500. “It’s a dream come true just to drive for Hendrick Motorsports,” Bowman said. “I never would have thought it would happen after the path my career took.” Denny Hamlin, the 2016 winner, qualified second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing with a lap at 195.092. Only the top two cars locked in spots for next Sunday’s season-opening race in this round of qualifying. The remainder of the field will be set by a pair of qualifying races Thursday. The 24-year-old Bowman impressed Rick Hendrick enough that when Earnhardt said he would retire at the end of 2017, Bowman got the job. He made his boss proud, too, with the pole-winning run. Hendrick is now tied with Harry Ranier for the record of most consecutive Daytona 500 poles at four. Jeff Gordon won the pole in 2015, Chase Elliott won it the past two seasons and now Bowman has the honor. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was third fastest, rookie William Byron was fifth and Elliott was 10th in Hendrick engines.

Car Manufacturer to Win 2018 Daytona 500

• Chevy 6/5
• Ford 7/5
• Toyota 3/1

Daytona 500 Odds To Finish in the Top 3

• Brad Keselowski 19/10
• Chase Elliott 11/5
• Kevin Harvick 14/5
• Kyle Busch 14/5
• Denny Hamlin 33/10
• Joey Logano 4/1
• Jimmie Johnson 9/2
• Kyle Larson 9/2
• Martin Truex Jr 9/2
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr 9/2
• Ryan Blaney 5/1
• Clint Bowyer 7/1
• Erik Jones 7/1
• Kurt Busch 7/1
• Alex Bowman 8/1
• Austin Dillon 8/1
• Jamie McMurray 8/1
• William Byron 8/1
• Aric Almirola 10/1
• Daniel Suarez 11/1
• Paul Menard 11/1
• Trevor Bayne 14/1
• Darrell Wallace Jr 16/1
• Ryan Newman 16/1
• Kasey Kahne 24/1
• Ty Dillon 24/1

Daytona 500 Odds for Group Wagers

Driver to Finish Highest

• Brad Keselowski 9/4
• Denny Hamlin 5/2
• Joey Logano 5/2
• Kevin Harvick 3/1

Driver to Finish Highest

• Chase Elliot 9/4
• Kyle Busch 9/4
• Kyle Larson 11/4
• Martin Truex Jr 11/4

Driver to Finish Highest

• Ricky Stenhouse Jr 2/1
• Erik Jones 5/2
• Clint Bowyer 11/4
• Kurt Busch 3/1

Driver to Finish Highest

• Jimmie Johnson 2/1
• Ryan Blaney 5/2
• Jamie McMurray 11/4
• Alex Bowman 3/1

Picks: I’m going with Joey Logano to win the Daytona 500 with Brad Keselowski taking second, Kurt Busch third and Jimmie Johnson fourth.