Daytona 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/14/2021

by Guy Bruhn - 2/10/2021

Race: Daytona 500

Date: Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 2:30 PM EST

Location: Daytona International Speedway

TV: FOX

It has finally arrived! Daytona 500 is upon us and unlike the NFL, the biggest "game" of the year comes at the start of the season. The NASCAR Cup Series is one of the most anticipated sporting series in the world and this season features a new revamped schedule, new teams and new drivers in new spots.

Buckle up folks because we're starting all over again and we expect a tight race to start it off in Daytona.

2020 Results

2020 was the year that Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR Cup Series title and he was able to do it just like his father, Bill Elliott, did in 1988. This duo are only the third father-son combo to win a Cup Series title along with the Petty's and Jarrett's. Elliott became the third youngest driver to ever win the championship behind Jeff Gordon and Bill Rexford. This was a tight competition throughout 2020 and he was battling with the likes of Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano for much of the season. He was able to get the win at Phoenix Raceway and it was the first time the final race had been held there.

Heading into the postseason, Elliott had two wins and then got another two in the round of 12 and the round of 8. Elliott was heating up at the right time and mastery of the road courses helped him along the way.

2020 Cup Series Standings Update

Coming into the Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin starts out as the favorite at +700 for the race. Defending champion Chase Elliott is right behind him with Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski at at +900. Ryan Blaney is also right there in the mix at +1000. Hamlin will be looking to make a little history when he attempts to win his third consecutive race at Daytona on Sunday. This is something that Carl Yarborough and Richard Petty weren't able to do. Hamlin is also looking to tie Yarborough for the second most victories at Daytona with 4. This is second to Richard petty who won 7 Daytona 500's in his career.

When looking for a few drivers to consider if you're going for the long shot, you might think about laying something down on William Byron. He finished second and first in his last two Coke Zero Sugar 400 races and he won a Duel last year. With Rudy Fugle in his pit box, you might want to consider Byron as a dark horse in this one.

Someone else to keep an eye on is Bubba Wallace. Driving under new owner Michael Jordan, Wallace is definitely capable of winning this race. He finished fifth in last years Coke Zero Sugar 400 and was runner up in the 2018 version of this race.

Finally, don't completely count out Ty Dillon. While he's a long shot, Dillon has three straight finishes in the top 6 and that includes finishing 6th in the Daytona 500 in 2020.

Daytona 500 Odds

Denny Hamlin - +700
Chase Elliott - +900
Brad Keselowski - +900
Joey Logano - +900
Ryan Blaney - +1000
Kevin Harvick - +1200
Kyle Busch - +1200
William Byron - +1500
Kyle Larson - +1600
Alex Bowman - +1700
Martin Truex Jr. - +1700
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - +1700
Aric Almirola - +1800
Kurt Busch - +1800
Austin Dillon - +2200
Darrell Wallace Jr. - +2200
Ross Chastain - +2200
Christopher Bell - +2800
Matt DiBenedetto - +2900
Cole Custer - +3500
Tyler Reddick - +3500

When it comes to picking a winner this weekend, we're going to have to stick with the favorite. Hamlin is in line to make history and that should be just enough of an additional spark to push him across the finish line in the top spot.

Guy's Pick: Take Denny Hamlin (+700)

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Daytona 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/14/2021

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