Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed the checkered flag in last season’s Daytona 500 and he will be joined by 2014 Sprint Cup Champion Kevin Harvick as two of the highest profile drivers in the series heading into this year’s race. The following is a look at a few of the top favorites to win Sunday’s Great American Race along with my top value pick based on betting odds provided by Bovada.
It is no big surprise that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been opened as a 9/1 favorite to win the Daytona 500 again this season, but recent history in this event may not be in his favor. You have to go back all the way to the 1994 and 1995 NASCAR seasons to find the last time a driver repeated as champion when Sterling Marlin won back-to-back Daytona 500 titles. None the less, the No. 88 car still adds some solid value to these odds after claiming four checkered flags last season along with eight more top-five finishes. Junior’s recent success at this track is also in his favor with five top-four finishes at Daytona in his last 10 trips around this track in a Sprint Cup point race.
Another driver high on the list to win on Sunday at 10/1 odds is Jeff Gordon. He is bound to be a sentimental favorite for this race given that this will be his final season racing fulltime in the Sprint Cup series, but the No. 24 car also brings some solid value to these odds after racing its way to sixth in the final Sprint Cup point standings last year. Gordon very nearly started the year with a win at Daytona after finishing fourth in last year’s race. During his storied career, he has made his way to the Winner’s Circle six times at this track including his last victory here in the 2005 Daytona 500.
You can never count six-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson out of any race he runs and this Sunday his odds to win stand at 12/1. While last season ended with a disappointing 11th-place finish in the final standings, it would still have to be considered a fairly successful run for the No. 48 car with four victories and 11 additional top-five finishes. This team started the 2014 season on a high note with a top-five finish at Daytona. This followed a season-sweep in 2013 with victories in both Sprint Cup point races at this track that year.
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- A.J. Allmendinger No.47 50/1
- Alex Bowman No.7 150/1
- Aric Almirola No.43 50/1
- Austin Dillon No.3 50/1
- Bobby Labonte No.32 100/1
- Brad Keselowski No.2 14/1
- Carl Edwards No.19 14/1
- Casey Mears No.13 75/1
- Clint Bowyer No.15 25/1
- Cole Whitt No.35 150/1
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. No.88 9/1
- Danica Patrick No.10 40/1
- David Gilliland No.38 100/1
- David Ragan No.34 66/1
- Denny Hamlin No.11 14/1
- Greg Biffle No.16 25/1
- J.J. Yeley No.23 150/1
- Jamie McMurray No.1 20/1
- Jeb Burton No.26 150/1
- Jeff Gordon No.24 12/1
- Jimmie Johnson No.48 12/1
- Joey Logano No.22 12/1
- Johnny Sauter No.83 150/1
- Josh Wise No.98 150/1
- Justin Allgaier No.51 75/1
- Justin Marks No.29 150/1
- Kasey Kahne No.5 25/1
- Kevin Harvick No.4 12/1
- Kurt Busch No.41 20/1
- Kyle Busch No.18 12/1
- Kyle Larson No.42 20/1
- Landon Cassill No.40 150/1
- Martin Truex Jr. No.78 40/1
- Matt Kenseth No.20 12/1
- Michael Annett No.46 150/1
- Michael Waltrip No.55 50/1
- Mike Wallace No.66 150/1
- Paul Menard No.27 40/1
- Reed Sorenson No.44 150/1
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No.17 40/1
- Ron Hornaday No.30 75/1
- Ryan Blaney No.21 50/1
- Ryan Newman No.31 33/1
- Sam Hornish Jr. No.9 75/1
- Tony Stewart No.14 16/1
- Trevor Bayne No.60 28/1
- Ty Dillon No.33 66/1
