Daytona 500 Betting – Will the Big Guns Fire First?

Daytona 500 betting is popular amongst not only those who evaluate NASCAR odds all season long, but the casual fan tuning in to watch the race they grew up knowing and loving. The Great American Race transcends the scope of usual sports betting events, and reaches a much broader audience.

However, that broad audience may not be familiar with the Boris Saids and Travis Kvapils of the world. Drivers with big money sponsorship have obviously become better known to the common fan, and are thus more important to the casual NASCAR betting participant.

While there have certainly been a whole host of upset victories at Daytona, as we profiled yesterday, there have also been numerous big-name racers who have kick started a championship run in the first contest of the year. Let’s take a look at some of the more recognizable drivers and how they might place this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson (+500)

How often do you get to bet on a defending champion and one of the very best racers of all-time at +500? Such is the beauty of Daytona 500 odds—there’s value everywhere! Jimmie hasn’t had a tremendous amount of success at Daytona outside of his 2006 victory, however, he will remain at the front of the pack for most of the day. The advantage of running high is that most of the wrecks happen near the middle of the pack, where cars with mechanical problems and perhaps less talented racers tend to make mistakes. Thus, you can seriously consider the #48 as a candidate for at least a Top 3.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+600)

The names don’t get much more recognizable than Dale Earnhardt Jr. Much like his father, Dale Jr. is an all-or-nothing racer, which can be very frustrating for those evaluating NASCAR lines. However, nobody knows this track better, or how to win on it, than Earnhardt Jr.–it’s in his blood. A new team and partnership with Ganassi Racing should mean that he will get a good piece of equipment on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon (+700)

The knock on #24 recently has been that he cares more about points than actually winning races, and often opts to place well as opposed to gunning for the checkered flag. Nonetheless, Gordon has been known to turn on the jets, so to speak, from time to time, and certainly knows how to succeed at the Great American Race. He is prone to the odd wreck as well, so be careful when laying your money down with Gordon.

Matt Kenseth (+2000)

The 2003 champion is known to most race fans, but is specifically known for his very conservative driving. If you’re going to bet on Matt Kenseth, you should probably make a conservative bet as well, and look at a possible Top 3 finish, or simply wager a small amount. Nonetheless, don’t feel bad about laying money on Kenseth, a former champion, at +2000—that’s value that you won’t find outside of Daytona 500 betting.