The “Great American Race” is back when the green flag waves on Feb. 19, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway.
The Daytona 500 is the granddaddy of them all in NASCAR and the one race every driver who enters the sport wants to win. Qualifying took place on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, determining the 40-car field that would start their engines on race day.
Any driver can win at Daytona, but experience in the oval should play a huge factor in your betting decisions. In 2020, Austin Cindric of Team Penske drove his Ford to Victory Lane, becoming the first rookie ever to win the Daytona 500. Cindric’s victory was a shocker and a rarity in this race, as the powerhouses usually finish in the top positions.
The opening favorite was Kyle Larson at +1000, followed by Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott at +1200. Behind them was Kyle Busch at +1400, one of the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen but has never been able to put together a winning effort at Daytona despite two top-10 finishes.
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s look at the biggest betting storylines.
Qualifying: Daytona 500
Qualifying is important to understand as a Daytona 500 bettor because odds shift following Wednesday night’s session. The value is high on the best drivers because it’s unknown where they will start on Sunday. If someone gets the pole, you’ll see his odds shorten because he has the best spot in the starting grid.
If you want a great driver at longer odds, it’s best to make some selections prior to qualifying. However, if you want to trade value for information, wait until qualifying concludes on Wednesday night before the race.
The drivers take the track for qualifying by a random draw, but the top 20 racers from the previous season go in the back half of the order. Each entrant gets one timed lap around the track, and the top two will be in the front row on Sunday.
The remainder of the starting grid is determined by Thursday’s Duels. These races are 60 laps (150 miles) and the order is determined by Wednesday’s qualifying session. If you’re looking to bet on qualifying, Team Chevrolet is a manufacturer to note. The Chevys have won the last 10 poles, while Hendrick Motorsports has claimed seven over that period.
Drivers to Watch: 2023 Daytona 500
There are 40 drivers in the field on race day, with 36 coming from chartered teams. A chartered team is one that agrees to race with NASCAR every week throughout the length of the agreement. There are 16 chartered teams in the Cup Series, but not all are created equal and this shows in the equipment.
Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have recently dominated the series. These teams have an array of funding, giving them a better opportunity to succeed. As much as we love Ryan Blaney at +1200, we believe Joey Logano is the better Penske driver to bet on Sunday.
Logano was listed at +1400 at sports betting sites and had a ton of momentum as the reigning champ of the Cup Series. The two-time champion was coming off a few disappointing finishes at Daytona, but he had five consecutive top-10 finishes there from 2015-19, including a win in 2015.
Another driver near the front of the pack is Kyle Busch. Busch, who drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing, has 60 wins and 355 top-10 finishes in 642 Cup Series races. He is too good not to get at least one Daytona 500 title in his career, and even in the Great American Race, it’s never a bad bet wagering on Busch.
A playable long shot in the 2023 Daytona 500 was Busch’s teammate Austin Dillon. Dillon hasn’t had as decorated a career as Busch, but the driver still had four wins and 68 top-10 finishes in 336 races. This included a victory at the Daytona 500, and when a driver has experience winning on the speedway, it’s a bonus for bettors.
Dillon was 25/1 to win on Sunday, which was of tremendous value considering he’s in great equipment and has two top-five finishes in his past five trips to Daytona. Dillon knows how to be successful in this 500-mile marathon.
2023 Daytona 500 Betting Overview
Race Details
- When: Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, FL)
The Favorites
- Kyle Larson: +1000
- Ryan Blaney: +1200
- Denny Hamlin: +1200
- Chase Elliott: +1200
- Kyle Busch: +1400
Note: Odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.
2023 Dayton 500 Props
The Daytona 500 is about more than just picking a winner. There are countless prop bets that sportsbooks offer to their users.
The first we were eyeing was Ford at +150 to win the Daytona 500. The manufacturer was second behind Chevrolet at +120, but the value was on Ford in this spot.
Ford had won the previous two Daytona 500-mile races, with some great drivers in Ryan Blaney, defending champ Austin Cindric, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.
The other prop that caught our attention was Austin Cindric to beat Tyler Reddick head-to-head. Reddick and Cindric were +2000, but the value was on the latter driver.
As the defending champ, Cindric had confidence heading into race day. Reddick had more experience in the Daytona oval, but his best finish was 27th in four attempts. We’ll take a chance on the sophomore with a title for -120 over Reddick, who hasn’t found a groove in Daytona.
