The complete 40-car beginning grid for Sunday’s Daytona 500 was set after Thursday’s Bluegreen Holidays Duel qualifier races concluded with a pair of thrilling
finishes.
Joey Logano and Michael McDowell will lead the sector to the inexperienced flag after locking up the entrance row on Wednesday, with Duel winners Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell on row two.
The five hundred is anybody’s race, although, so let’s check out three drivers — a favourite, a contender and a darkish horse — who could also be your finest bets, in addition to one driver who is probably not. (Odds per DraftKings as of Friday.)
Favourite: Kyle Busch (+1200)
In the event you’re superstitious, this is some numerology for you: Busch drives for Richard Childress Racing, the identical group Dale Earnhardt famously drove for all through most of his profession. Earnhardt’s solely Daytona 500 victory got here in 1998, in his twentieth strive.
2024 would be the nineteenth look within the “Nice American Race” for Busch, who additionally seeks his first Daytona 500 win. It is actually his twentieth try, although, as a result of he withdrew from the 2015 occasion as a consequence of a leg damage after having already competed in his qualifying race.
As of Friday afternoon, Busch was tied for the fifth-best odds, per DraftKings, largely as a result of he was main on the finish of the scheduled distance a 12 months in the past earlier than the race went to further laps after a late warning.
So let’s name it proper right here: this time, “Rowdy” finishes the job.
Contender: Chris Buescher (+1800)
What’s extra Bu(e)sch than Busch? That may be Buesch-er, who’s the latest factors race winner at Daytona and all the time appears to be a risk on the superspeedways. His teammate and co-owner, Brad Keselowski, tends to get extra consideration at Daytona given his storied profession on this monitor sort. Buescher, nonetheless, is the higher driver now and his odds seem to be a cut price.
So long as he can keep away from bother — one thing he’s good at doing — Buescher ought to discover himself proper within the combine Sunday evening.
Darkish horse: Jimmie Johnson (+6000)
Certain, let’s get loopy. Would not it’s one thing if Johnson, the seven-time Cup Collection champion who’s now again in NASCAR on a part-time foundation, gained his third Daytona 500? For his first win at any monitor since 2017? Whereas driving for Legacy Motor Membership, a group he co-owns? In his first Cup race in a Toyota?
It may occur. Johnson needed to race his manner into the occasion by means of the Duels on Thursday and simply barely did so, passing J.J. Yeley on the ultimate lap. Nevertheless, he’d have been a lot farther forward of Yeley had he not suffered crash harm from earlier on, and the Toyotas are clearly quick as they swept each Duels.
Johnson’s odds are inexplicably better than drivers similar to Noah Gragson, Harrison Burton and Corey LaJoie.
Keep away from: Denny Hamlin (+1000)
Hamlin all the time appears to be the de facto favourite at any time when NASCAR involves Daytona, and this 12 months is not any exception as he is tied for the second-best odds. He is a three-time 500 winner, and he already has momentum going for him, profitable the exhibition Conflict after which main on the final lap in his Duel race earlier than teammate Bell handed him.
Nevertheless, given the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing, there is not any such factor as a secure wager. The chances of Hamlin — or of any driver, for that matter — getting taken out in an accident are most likely likelier than the chances he’ll win, so do not waste your cash on the chalk decide.
