Daytona 500 Odds, Picks and Predictions 2024
Daytona 500 odds as of Feb. 17 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Sign up with the DraftKings promo code to make a Daytona 500 prediction.
How to Watch the Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 takes place on Sunday, February 18, 2024, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It will be broadcast on Fox in the United States and TSN in Canada.
Daytona 500 streaming options include the Fox Sports app, plus live TV streaming services like FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV.
Tickets for the actual event are on sale now through the Daytona International Speedway website, with prices ranging from $99 per ticket up to hundreds of dollars for multi-day packages.
Hamlin Favored to Win Daytona 500
Denny Hamlin is a 3-time Daytona 500 champion (2016, 2019, 2020) and one of the best superspeedway racers in NASCAR history. He has the experience, skill, and aggression needed to navigate the draft and avoid “the big one” wrecks that often decide the race.
Hamlin had the fastest car in practice on Friday, posting a top speed of 197.477 mph. He was over 3 mph faster than the next fastest car. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas dominated practice, showing a lot of single-car speed.
The oddsmakers have installed Hamlin as the +800 favorite (8/1 odds) to win on Sunday. This means a $100 bet would pay out $800 if he takes the checkered flag. Other contenders with short odds include Joey Logano (+900), Brad Keselowski (+1000), and Ryan Blaney (+1100).
Hamlin won the exhibition Clash race in Los Angeles earlier this month, showing he picks up right where he left off last season. A confident, aggressive Hamlin bodes well for his chances to capture that fourth Harley J. Earl trophy in the Daytona 500.
If Hamlin were to win on Sunday, he would join Richard Petty (7 wins) and Cale Yarborough (4 wins) as the only drivers with 4+ Daytona 500 victories. At age 43, he still has several prime years left to separate himself as the greatest Daytona 500 driver ever.
Daytona 500 Longshots to Consider
While Denny Hamlin is the favorite to win the Daytona 500, there are several longshots worth considering for your racing bets. Kyle Busch at +1200 stands out as an enticing longshot as he aims to finally win the Daytona 500 after 20 years of attempts.
Busch is highly experienced at Daytona and superspeedway racing in general, with 2 summer race wins there and victories at Talladega. Busch was leading the 2023 Daytona 500 with two laps to go before a caution and subsequent crashes took him out of contention. He’s ultra-motivated to finally check the Daytona 500 win off his career bucket list.
Furthermore, Busch starts mid-pack in 34th position, which recent history shows can be an advantageous starting spot. He can lay back, survey the action, and make his move late. The JGR cars showed a lot of single-car speed in Friday’s practice, over 3 mph faster than anyone else, adding to the longshot intrigue.
Another player we are targeting in the Daytona 500 longshots is Tyler Reddick (+2200), who won the first Duel race and has a fast car. While he has struggled to finish Daytona 500s in the past due to wrecks, Reddick’s superspeedway results have improved. He has top 10 finishes in 5 of the last 6 races at Daytona and Talladega.
A simple $10 bet on Reddick at his current price would pay out $220 if successful. We’re going to sprinkle on the 28-year-old, as he has shown the speed, car strength, aggression, and superspeedway improvements to contend for his first Daytona 500 win if circumstances fall the right way late in the race.
Daytona 500 Predictions & Picks
With a three-time champ available at +800 odds this year, it’s hard not to gravitate towards the favorite for our prediction. However, the Daytona 500’s allure partly lies in its ability to produce surprise winners, making it an even playing field and highly anticipated by fans.
Recent Daytona 500 Winners
We can’t fault you for throwing down money on Hamlin to add another win to the resume, but we’re going a bit off the board. Busch is becoming a public longshot, but we love the value at +1200 given how close he’s come before, plus the adjustment he’s made to improve his weaknesses.
We’re also betting Tyler Reddick to finish inside the top 3 (podium), along with sprinkling on him as the winner at +2200 value. He claimed victory in Duel 1 despite telling the media, “It wasn’t really a great race for us, to be honest with you.” He’s brimming with confidence entering Sunday.
- Kyle Busch to Win (+1200)
- Tyler Reddick Top 3 Finish (+600), Reddick to Win (+2200 sprinkle)
