1. Denny Hamlin is the +1000 second choice on the 2018 Daytona 500 odds behind Keselowski, followed by Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.Hamlin won the Daytona 500.
2. 2018 Daytona 500: Vegas odds, DraftKings fantasy advice, prediction, sleepers, drivers to watch including reigning Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr.
3. The Daytona 500 is just days away (Feb. ET on FOX), and as we get closer to that date, anticipation is building for the start of the 2021 season. The odds for the race have posted.

2018 Daytona 500 Odds, Picks and Predictions – Daytona 500 Favorites: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series officially kicks off this weekend with the 60th running of the Daytona 500. While it may be the season opener, it is also the most prestigious race of the year. Daytona International Speedway is hallowed ground in auto racing, and “The Great American Race” is the one race that every NASCAR driver wants to win.

From a betting standpoint, the Daytona 500 also happens to be one of the toughest races to predict. Daytona is one of two restrictor-plate tracks on the schedule, and while the plates control speeds and help keep cars from flying into the stands, they also create pack racing and lead to massive, multi-car wrecks.

Per OddsShark, Brad Keselowski as of Thursday was the favorite to win the 2018 Daytona 500, followed by Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. So that's where we started in setting up our list. One of the non-big-names to win the Daytona 500 in the past decade is Austin Dillon (+2000) back in 2018. We've seen Richard Childress Racing come through here before, and we're not talking about.

Races at Daytona are more about survival and timing than pure speed, but as unpredictable as plate racing can be, plenty of big names still manage to win the Daytona 500. I’ll certainly be eyeing my share of longshots this weekend, but there are also some obvious favorites that deserve your attention.

Check out a closer look at all of my favorites for the 2018 Daytona 500.

2018 Daytona 500 Odds, Picks and Predictions: Daytona 500 Favorites

The Favorites

He kicked off Speedweeks with a victory in the Clash, and Brad Keselowski could solidify his status as one of the best plate racers in history with a Daytona 500 win. He already leads all active drivers with six restrictor-plate wins, and three of those wins have come in the last seven races. Keselowski has also led 30-plus laps five times in that stretch, and no driver seems to be able to get out front and stay there as well as he can right now.

Who Is Favored To Win Daytona 500

Team Penske has been locked in at the plate tracks recently, and Joey Logano has developed into one of the best in the business. He has scored the third-most points in the last 10 plate races, finishing sixth or better six times. Logano has two wins over that span, and he is also the winner of the 2015 Daytona 500. Logano finished second in the Clash last weekend, and he should be right back in the mix for the win this Sunday.

He is the defending winner of the Daytona 500, and no driver has been more dependable at the plate tracks recently than Kurt Busch. His seven Top 10s in the last 10 plate races are the most of any driver, and his 12.0 average finish in that span is also tops in the series. Busch might not have a bunch of restrictor-plate wins, but he is one of the safest bets to be near the front, and it paid off in the form of a Daytona 500 win last year.

He already has a Daytona 500 win under his belt, and Denny Hamlin could add a second victory this weekend. Since 2015, no driver has scored more points at Daytona, and Hamlin also ranks in the Top 5 in driver points scored over the last 10 plate races. Hamlin is set to start on the front row this weekend, and he is on the short list of elite plate racers in the Cup Series these days.

There are only a handful of tracks where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a legitimate threat to reach victory lane, but Daytona is definitely on the list. He won the July race at the track last year and won the spring race at Talladega. In addition to his two plate wins in 2017, Stenhouse has four Top 5s in the last six plate races overall. Stenhouse has emerged as one of the top plate drivers in the series, and a Daytona 500 win would cement his status as one of the elite at the superspeedways.

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The NFL season is in the books, but sports bettors can rev their engines for the start of the 2021 NASCAR season with the annual Daytona 500.

The NASCAR Cup Series race, where speed and drafting reign, takes place Sunday (2:30 p.m., Fox). However, a week full of activities leads into Sunday’s running of the Great American Race.

Now, with Virginia sports betting well underway, race fans have more opportunities than ever to wager on the motorsports juggernaut. (And the options could be even more plentiful with sportsbooks potentially coming to Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway.)

And as the 2021 NASCAR season gets underway, all eyes are on young phenom Chase Elliott, who’s also the reigning champion.

.@chaseelliott is bringing the same championship mindset heading into 2021 – always striving to be better! 👊 pic.twitter.com/5Dr1Avre0X

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) February 5, 2021

The 25-year-old, who’s the son of 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, is one of the favorites to win this year’s title. He’s also one of the NASCAR betting favorites to win this year’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

2021 Daytona 500 odds to win

As you can see below, Elliott (+900 to +1,000) is one of the favorites for Sunday’s race.

So, too, is three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin (+700 to +800), who won the 200-lap, 500-mile race in both 2019 and 2020. The 40-year-old finished fourth in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings and second in wins (seven).

Other notables include 2020 Talladega winner Ryan Blaney (+1,000 to +1,200), 2012 champion Brad Keselowski (+1,000 to +1,400), and 2018 champ Joey Logano (+1,000 to +1,200).

Here are the 15 drivers most likely to win the 2021 Daytona 500, according to odds on Monday:

A futures bet is the most straightforward way to wager on Sunday’s big race. However, there are other options, depending on the sportsbook.

For example, DraftKings and William Hill are both offering odds for Tuesday’s Busch Clash (7 p.m., FS1). The invitation-only exhibition race marks the start of the NASCAR portion of “Speedweeks” at Daytona International Speedway.

However, in addition to those “pick a winner” wagers, other types of NASCAR bets include:

• Head-to-head: Predict which of two drivers will finish in a better position in a race.
• Top 3, Top 10: Predict if a certain driver will finish in third (or 10th) place or better.
• Prop betting: Predict the car number of the winning driver (odd/even or higher/lower than 10.5).

NASCAR season championship

Elliott won his first season championship in 2020. He won five races, including the final two of the year.

That’s a big reason the Hendrick Motorsports driver is the odds-on favorite to win a season title this year.

Here are the 2021 NASCAR season championship odds for the top drivers:

As you can see, 2014 season champ Kevin Harvick (+550 to +600), Hamlin, and two-time Cup Series champ Kyle Busch (+700 to +900) also have short odds.

Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champ, finished first in top 5s (20) and top 10s (27) in the 2020 season. However, he’s looking for his first win at Daytona, the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing, since 2007.

Oddsmakers are also big on Kyle Larson. The 28-year-old lost his ride with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020 after using a racial slur during an iRacing event. Now reinstated with NASCAR, Larson will be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. He’s one of the favorites to win a season championship, with odds between +900 and +1,200.

2021 NASCAR in Virginia

Race fans won’t need to wait long to see the NASCAR in Virginia.

In fact, April will be a showcase month for the region’s tracks.

The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 takes place at Martinsville Speedway on April 10. The following week, the Toyota Owners 400 takes place at Richmond Raceway on April 18.

And before the Virginia swing, the first-ever Food City Dirt Race will take place at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR will covert the famed short track, which is on the Tennessee-Virginia border, into a dirt oval for the first time in Cup Series history.

We will hear this sound soon enough!#ItsDirtBaby#ItsBristolBaby#NASCARpic.twitter.com/3umFrUmkil

— BristolMotorSpeedway (@BMSupdates) February 3, 2021

2018 Daytona 500 Odds

The Cup Series will then return to Richmond on Sept. 11 for the Federated Auto Parts 400. It’s the second of 10 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs races to close out the year.

Martinsville, meanwhile, will host the penultimate race of the season with the Xfinity 500 on Oct. 31.

Who's Favored To Win Daytona 500

Truex Jr. and Elliott were winners in Martinsville during the reshuffled 2020 pandemic season. Keselowski, meanwhile, won the lone 2020 race at Richmond.