Daytona 500 Odds 2015: Full Odds Breakdown Ahead of Budweiser Duels
Sports betting doesn't have an offseason. Sure, the NBA, NHL and college basketball provide a nice outlet, but the huge events have been missing.
Luckily, the Daytona 500—NASCAR's Super Bowl—is just around the corner.
It may be the first race of the season, but the Great American Race is like no other event throughout the entire year. Just months after the season came to an abrupt end in Homestead-Miami, 43 cars will roll out onto the most historic oval in the country.
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But which driver will come away with the biggest win of the year and likely clinch a berth into the Chase? Can Dale Earnhardt Jr. go back to back? Will Joe Gibbs Racing start a new era by finally winning the race a second time? Will defending champion Kevin Harvick start off the season with his first 500 triumph?
Those are the questions everyone wants answered leading up to Sunday. Prior to the field officially being set in the Budweiser Duels, here's a look at the top odds for the winner of the Daytona 500. Full odds can be found at OddsShark.com.
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 9-1 |
| Jeff Gordon | 10-1 |
| Carl Edwards | 12-1 |
| Denny Hamlin | 12-1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 12-1 |
| Joey Logano | 12-1 |
| Kevin Harvick | 12-1 |
| Kyle Busch | 12-1 |
| Matt Kenseth | 12-1 |
| Brad Keselowski | 14-1 |
Betting Preview
Looking for a driver with odds who might lead to a good payout? Well, Matt Kenseth is your man.
The two-time winner of the Daytona 500 has been on top of his game during Speedweeks. After winning the Sprint Unlimited to start things off, Kenseth earned a prime spot in the Budweiser Duels with a top-five qualifying time.
For those who actually watched Sunday's qualifying, you know just how difficult it was to figure out how to reach the top five. Now, the JGR driver hopes to give Gibbs exactly what he's been working toward for over two decades.
"I feel like all our (cars) have been real competitive since we got here," Kenseth said, via Kenny Bruce of NASCAR.com. "We've got a lot of speed and that's encouraging, but it's speedway racing and anything can happen.
"It's a great start. Hopefully we can keep the momentum for the rest of the week."
In just his second attempt at the track, the former Washington Redskins coach earned his lone win. Dale Jarrett, a 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, was the only driver to drive to Victory Lane for JGR back in 1993.
He clearly hasn't forgotten that, per Marty Smith of ESPN:
In order for Gibbs to take the crown at Daytona, he'll have to steal it away from Hendrick.
Junior won the illustrious race last year for the second of his career alone. His victory also gave Hendrick an embarrassment of riches at the track, as the racing team currently holds eight Harley J. Earl Trophies. The only team with more is Petty Enterprises, which one its last in 1981—with Richard Petty behind the wheel.
Starting this season with a new crew chief in Greg Ives, Junior is still the same driver. Even with Steve Letarte departing to work with NBC Sports, Earnhardt still believes the No. 88 team can grow, via Jeff Gluck of USA Today:
"You don't want to make a lateral move or step down, you want to improve that position with a stronger guy. And even when it comes to the crew chief, even when it comes to Steve, I looked him in the face and said, 'One of the things you're responsible for is putting me in a better situation than I'm in right now.'
"
Following his Daytona 500 win, Earnhardt clinched another three victories to match his total from the previous nine seasons combined. Riding that momentum into this year, the 40-year-old driver might be in for his best campaign yet.
Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will start on the front row, giving Earnhardt plenty of friends to draft with if he reaches the top of the leaderboard. Behind the wheel of a Hendrick machine, Junior has everything he needs to drive to Victory Lane again. On Sunday, he'll do just that.
Prediction: Dale Earnhardt Jr. holds off Hendrick teammates and JGR to win his third Daytona 500.
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