Daytona 500 Drivers Odds

NASCAR Daytona 500 2021: Predictions, Odds and Top Drivers for NASCAR Season Opener Maurice Bobb @. Denny Hamlin's win Saturday gave JGR wins in four of the past five Sprint Unlimited's, and his odds have gone from 15-to-1 to 10-to-1. However, JGR hasn't won the Daytona 500 since 1993 when Dale.

May 20, 2020, Darlington, SC, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) during the Toyota 500. Mandatory Credit: Brynn Anderson/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network

The 2021 Daytona 500 will kick off a new NASCAR season on Sunday, when 40 drivers will try to make history with a win at the 63rd running of The Great American Race. Chase Elliott is only 25 years old, but he's made the NASCAR playoffs in each of his first five seasons, won 11 times in the last three years, and is coming off his first Cup championship. Now, he'll try to add a Daytona 500 crown to an already impressive resume when the green flag drops on NASCAR at Daytona 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Elliott is 12th in the 2021 Daytona 500 starting lineup and listed at 10-1 in the 2021 Daytona 500 odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Two-time defending Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin will have a little more work to do since he's starting in 25th, but his superspeedway prowess means he's the 17-2 favorite in the 2021 NASCAR at Daytona odds. Before you scour the 2021 Daytona 500 starting lineup and make your NASCAR at Daytona predictions for the Great American Race, be sure to see the latest 2021 Daytona 500 picks from SportsLine's proven projection model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction computer model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.

The model began the 2020 season paying out big by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. The model also called Kevin Harvick's win at Atlanta and nailed a whopping nine top-10 finishers in that race. McClure then used the model to lock in a 10-1 bet on Hamlin for his win at Miami.

At The Brickyard, the model called Harvick's fourth victory of the season. Then during the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, the model nailed its picks in back-to-back races, calling Denny Hamlin to win at 17-2 at Talladega and Chase Elliott to win at 7-2 at the Charlotte Roval. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, his model simulated the 2021 NASCAR at Daytona race 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected leaderboard for the 2021 Daytona 500.

Top 2021 Daytona 500 predictions

One surprise: the model is high on Aric Almirola, even though he's a 16-1 long shot in the latest NASCAR at Daytona odds 2021 from William Hill. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Almirola's confidence should be soaring after a win in the first 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona, which resulted in a second-row starting spot with inside position.

The 36-year-old has made the playoffs the last three seasons, while superspeedways have been the site of both of his NASCAR Cup Series victories. Almirola won the 2018 1000bulbs.com 500 at Talladega and the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Stewart-Haas Racing also has Kevin Harvick starting inside the top 10 (eighth), so look for Almirola and Harvick to link up early and climb the 2021 Daytona 500 leaderboard.

And a massive shocker: Chase Elliott, one of the top Vegas favorites at 10-1, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top five. There are far better values in this loaded 2021 Daytona 500 lineup. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion is 12th in the 2021 Daytona 500 starting grid.

Elliott finished second at Daytona last August, but that was his first career top-10 finish in 10 starts at the track. In fact, he'd never finished higher than 14th at this iconic venue, and he's finished 17th or worse in his last three Daytona 500s. His low odds, combined with his lack of success at Daytona, make him one of the drivers to fade at the Daytona 500 2021.

How to make 2021 NASCAR at Daytona picks

The model is also targeting three other drivers with NASCAR at Daytona odds of 13-1 or longer to make a serious run at winning it all. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can see all the NASCAR picks over at SportsLine.

So who wins the 2021 Daytona 500? And which long shots stun NASCAR? Check out the latest 2021 Daytona 500 odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2021 Daytona 500 leaderboard, all from the model that nailed Hamlin's win last season.

2021 Daytona 500 odds

Denny Hamlin 17-2

Chase Elliott 10-1

Joey Logano 11-1

Kyle Larson 11-1

Ryan Blaney 11-1

Brad Keselowski 12-1

William Byron 13-1

Video: NASCAR drivers return for 63rd Daytona 500 (NBC Sports)

SETTINGS

Nascar Odds For Daytona

Kevin Harvick 13-1

Alex Bowman 13-1

Kyle Busch 14-1

Martin Truex Jr. 15-1

Aric Almirola 16-1

Kurt Busch 22-1

Bubba Wallace 22-1

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 25-1

Christopher Bell 28-1

Austin Dillon 30-1

Daytona 500 Odds To Win

Ross Chastain 35-1

Matt DiBenedetto 35-1

Ryan Newman 40-1

Tyler Reddick 55-1

Cole Custer 60-1

Austin Cindric 60-1

Jamie McMurray 60-1

Erik Jones 60-1

Chris Buescher 65-1

Chase Briscoe 70-1

Daniel Suarez 100-1

Michael McDowell 100-1

David Ragan 125-1

Corey Lajoie 125-1

Ryan Preece 200-1

Anthony Alfredo 250-1

Kaz Grala 250-1

BJ McLeod 1000-1

Cody Ware 1000-1

Quin Houff 1000-1

Joey Gase 1000-1

Josh Bilicki 1000-1

Derrike Cope 2000-1

The NASCAR Cup Series remains at Daytona International Speedway, but this Sunday’s race will be on the Daytona Road Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at 3 p.m. ET. Below we analyze the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 NASCAR odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

O’Reilly Auto Parts 253: What you need to know

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 a.m. ET.

Unlike last weekend’s Daytona 500, weather isn’t expected to be a factor as the forecast calls for temperatures in the 60’s with partly cloudy conditions and very little chance of precipitation.

Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s race with Daytona 500 champ Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports) starting next to him on Row 1. Elliott edged Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin by 0.202 seconds for last year’s win on the road course – it was the inaugural race on the new Daytona configuration. Elliott led 34 of the 65 laps last year with JGR’s Martin Truex Jr. finishing third.Remember A.J. Allmendinger? He is starting 34th for Kaulig Racing, doing a one-off in the No. 16 car for Sunday’s road-course race.Since 2018, Truex Jr. has two wins in eight road-course starts with seven top-10 finishes. His Average-Finish Position (AFP) of 4.63 leads all active drivers during the span. Elliott is next with five wins, 231 laps led and a 6.5 AFP with one DNF skewing his average.23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace has been a disaster in road-course racing. In eight road starts since February 2018, Wallace hasn’t finished better than 21st and owns a dismal 26.8 AFP.

Get some action on this NASCAR race with a legal, online bet at BetMGMin CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV. Risk-free first bet up to $500, paid in free bets. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Who is going to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253?

ELLIOTT (+200) is the chalk, and rightly so. If not for a 37th-place finish last season at Sonoma, his road-course numbers would be even more ridiculous. As it stands, he has five victories in the past eight road-course starts, and he is on the pole. What’s not to like?

Elliott has ended up with six top-5 finishes, and seven top-10 runs in the past eight road-course starts with 231 laps led. He also has a 5.4 Average-Start Position, and he will lower that Sunday when he goes off from the inside of Row 1.

TRUEX JR. (+400) is one of the most consistent road-course drivers. It wasn’t always that way for the New Jersey native, but since February 2018, he has finished 14th or better with 142 laps led with a Driver Rating Average of 122.1.

HAMLIN (+1000) has a little bit longer of odds than Truex and Elliott. That likely can be attributed to the fact he hasn’t won in his past eight road-course starts. He was a runner-up on this configuration last season, and he has 26 laps led during the eight-race span with a 9.9 AFP.

Play our new free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 long-shot bet

CHRIS BUESCHER (+12500) of Roush Fenway Racing is a long shot, but if you’re looking to invest a small amount for a potential big pay day, look to Buescher. In his past eight road-course starts, Buescher has been 20th or better, registering one top 5 and one top 10, while turning in a respectable 15.1 AFP. He finished fifth in this race a year ago and is worth a roll of the dice Sunday.

MATT DIBENEDETTO (+5000) of Wood Brothers Racing doesn’t have nearly the same type of odds as Buescher, but he is a long shot nonetheless, and a good value. Like Buescher, DiBenedetto has a 15.1 AFP across his past eight road-course starts, ending up in the top 10 twice with one top 5. He was 15th at the inaugural Daytona road-course race last season.

Want action on this race? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.