Daytona 500 2019: Predictions, Odds and Top Drivers for NASCAR Season Opener

The Daytona 500 is the biggest race on the NASCAR calendar, and it is also the first of the racing year.

While the logic of running the sport's biggest event first doesn't make sense when compared to other sports, it creates a tremendous amount of excitement among race teams, drivers and the sport's legion of fans.

The Daytona 500 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday at the Daytona International Speedway. The event will be televised by Fox.

Date: Sunday, Feb. 17

Start Time: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Daytona 500 Starting Lineup (Odds courtesy of Vegas Insider)

1. William Byron, 20-1
2. Alex Bowman, 22-1
3. Kevin Harvick, 11-1
4. Joey Logano, 8-1
5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 15-1
6. Clint Bowyer, 9-1
7. Paul Menard, 25-1
8. Aric Almirola, 12-1
9. Matt DiBenedetto, 60-1
10. Denny Hamlin, 10-1
11. Martin Truex Jr., 16-1
12. Kurt Busch, 11-1
13. Bubba Wallace, 40-1
14. Ryan Blaney, 14-1
15. Chris Buescher, 70-1
16. Jamie McMurray, 33-1
17. Jimmie Johnson, 20-1
18. Chase Elliott, 10-1
19. Ryan Newman, 33-1
20. Austin Dillon, 33-1

21. Ryan Preece, 66-1
22. Ty Dillon, 100-1
23. Daniel Suarez, 22-1
24. David Ragan, 80-1
25. Parker Kligerman, Off
26. Kyle Larson, 28-1
27. Landon Cassill
28. Erik Jones, Off
29. Daniel Hemric, 50-1
30. Brendan Gaughan
31. Kyle Busch, 11-1
32. Corey LaJoie, Off
33. Matt Tifft, Off
34. Michael McDowell, 60-1
35. Brad Keselowski, 7-1
36. Ross Chastain, Off
37. Cody Ware, Off
38. B.J. McLeod, Off
39. Tyler Reddick, Off
40. Casey Mears, Off

Brad Keselowski is the favorite in the race at 7-1. He has been the oddsmakers' pick in each of the last two years, but it has not worked out for him yet.

Keselowski has four races over the Daytona track during the last two years (since February 2017), and he has not finished in the top 10 in any of them. While his average starting position has been 11th, his average finishing position is 31.5. It's hard to look past his lack of success at Daytona when assessing this year's field.

Joey Logano has not dominated at Daytona, either, but the 8-1 choice has done better than the favorite at Daytona over the same time frame.

Logano also has four races at the track over the last two years, and he has one top-5 finish and two in the top 10. He has led for 19 laps during his four most recent races at Daytona with an average finishing position of 21.

Clint Bowyer is the third choice at 9-1, and he has had more success at Daytona over the last two years than either Keselowski or Logano. Bowyer has a second-place finish on his resume over that time, and he has two top-20 finishes. Bowyer's average finish has been 17.75, and he has led for six laps during his four races at the track.

Denny Hamlin is the fourth choice at 10-1, and he has one top-5 finish and two in the top 20. He has been as high as third in the past two years, and his worst finish at Daytona is 38th. He has led for 38 laps on the track, and his average finish has been 20.5.

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are both 11-1 choices, and those two veteran racers are both capable of putting together solid outings even though neither has performed well at Daytona over the past two years. Harvick's best finish saw him come in 19th, and his average finish at the track has been 26.25.

Busch has finished as high as 20th in four races during the last 24 months at Daytona, and his average finish has been 38th. He has had the lead in 19 laps over that time frame, while Harvick has led for 17 laps.

It may be worth taking a look at Aric Almirola at 12-1 in this race. Almirola has three races over the track in the last two years. He has a top-five finish and has been in the top 20 two times. While his average starting position has been 25.3, his average finishing position has been 14th.

Austin Dillon is a long shot at 33-1, but fans will remember that Dillon won last year's Daytona 500. He should not be counted out and he has two top-10 finishes and three in the top 20. His average finishing position is 16.25, and he has clearly demonstrated that he knows how to handle the track and can figure out a way to win.

Predicted finish

Keselowski is a brilliant driver, but he has not had the kind of recent success at Daytona that makes him a value bet.

The pick here is Logano, because he has had two top-10 finishes and there's no reason he can't assert his skill and dominance in this year's race.

Look for Logano to hold off Almirola and Hamlin in what should be another exciting race at Daytona.

1. Joey Logano

2. Aric Almirola

3. Denny Hamlin

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All Daytona stats listed courtesy of driveraverages.com.