The 2024 Daytona 500 is the race that will start off the 76th season of the NASCAR Cup Series
Denny Hamlin is the only active NASCAR Cup Series driver who’s won the Dayton 500 race on three or more occasions. Knowing this, it’s no surprise he’s one of the top candidates in the eyes of the bookies to do it this Sunday. But he’s not the top favorite; instead, it’s the defending champion, Ryan Blaney.
In this post, we’re going to examine their chance to win the first race of the 2024 season, dissecting the odds and sharing our predictions along the way.
Moneyline Odds
Ryan Blaney +900
Denny Hamlin +1100
Joey Logano +1050
Brad Keselowski +1150
William Byron +1200
Chase Elliott +1200
Chris Buescher +1300
Kyle Larson +1300
Kyle Busch +1400
Christopher Bell +1400
Bubba Wallace +1800
Ross Chastain +2000
Austin Cindric +2000
Tyler Reddick +2000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +2000
Martin Truex Jr. +2000
Erik Jones +2200
Chase Briscoe +2500
Ty Gibbs +2500
Austin Dillon +2500
When, Where, and How to Watch?
Place: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Date: Sunday, February 18, 2024
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
How to Watch: FOX
Ryan Blaney is the main favorite to win the 2024 Daytona 500 race. He’s the only driver with odds shorter than +1000. At BetUS, he’s priced at +900. It’s no surprise given that he’s the reigning champ of the NASCAR Cup Series.
However, the 30-year-old doesn’t have too many great memories from this event. Last season, he finished eighth in this race, with his best finish being the No. 2 position, which he won twice – in 2020 and 2017.
A driver with a much better record at the Daytona 500 is Denny Hamlin, who’s got more wins here than any other active driver. He’s +1100 right now, the same as Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott.
Last year, the Daytona 500 was won by Ricky Stenhouse Jr, who previously had no race wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. A year earlier, the race was won by Austin Cindric who too was a huge underdog before the event. It was the same case with the 2021 event, which saw Michael McDowell win.
So, which of this year’s underdogs stands a decent chance of winning? Ryan Preece is the first one that comes to mind. Priced at +3500, he’s not seen as a serious candidate to win the 2024 Daytona 500 but based on what we saw from him in the first race of the preseason – the 2024 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum – he might do well this Sunday.
As a reminder, he finished that race in 11th place. This time, we think he might break into the Top 10 or even Top 5.
