O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/21/2021

by Josh Schonwald - 2/18/2021

Race: O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 At Daytona

Date: Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 3:00 PM EST

Location: Daytona International Speedway

TV: FOX

Another week and another race at Daytona. However, we're getting a road race this week and it should be a lot of fun. The first road course was the Busch Clash that was last Tuesday where Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott crashed, while Kyle Busch took the checkered flag. While that race wasn't for points, it's going to be harder to shake off a crash this weekend. Another big difference between this race and that one is a full field to compete. We go from having 21 cars in the field to 40 which gives the drivers more places to turn for changing places. This is always a major factor in shorter races.

Daytona 500 Results

What a day for Michael McDowell. Through rain delays and carnage on the track, McDowell was able to notch his first NASCAR Cup Series Victory. McDowell was able to take the lead after an awful multi-car crash on the final lap in turn 3. The skies opened up for McDowell on the day as he earned the third Cup Series win for Front Row Motorsports. Before the win at "The Great American Race", McDowell had 358 starts without a win and it is the second longest streak in NASCAR only behind Michael Waltrip's record of 463, which also happened to and with a win at the Daytona 500.

Chase Elliott was also fortunate to not be involved in the final wreck of the race. The wreck was caused by Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski colliding and sending Kyle Busch into the outside wall. When the caution flag was lifted, Elliott sat behind McDowell by a car length and the race ended up finishing that way. To round out the top five you had Austin Dillon coming in third, in addition to Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin following close behind.

Hamlin missed out on setting a record for a third straight victory at the Daytona 500 after winning the first two stages of the race. A final pit stop ended up being the factor the ended his chances. Hamlin led for a total of 98 laps in this race and has a total of 434 laps led at the Daytona 500. This stands to be fifth in the all-time records and sits one lap ahead of Bobby Allison.

The wreck at the end wasn't the only one in this outing. On Lap 14 we saw a massive wreck that was started by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell spinning into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and into the rear bumper of Aric Almirola. Other drivers involved in this wreck include Ryan Newman, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez.

2020 Cup Series Standings Update

As of the first race of the season, we have Austin Dillon sitting at the top spot with 58 points. He is followed by Denny Hamlin with 52 points, Kevin harvick with 50 points and Chase Elliott with 48 points. Both Michael McDowell and Ryan Preece are sitting with 46 points and tied for fifth place overall.

O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 At Daytona Odds

Chase Elliott - +225
Martin Truex Jr. - +400
A.J. Allmendinger - +1,200
Ryan Blaney - +1,200
Kyle Busch - +1,200
Denny Hamlin - +1,200
Kevin Harvick - +1,400
Joey Logano - +1,600
Brad Keselowski - +1,800
William Byron - +2,000
Alex Bowman - +2,800
Kurt Busch - +2,800
Kyle Larson - +3,000
Chase Briscoe - +4,000
Matt DiBenedetto - +5,000
Aric Almirola - +6,000
Christopher Bell - +6,000
Cole Custer - +6,600
Erik Jones - +6,600
Michael McDowell - +6,600
Tyler Reddick - +8,000

We think it is Martin Truex Jr.'s time to shine. It's hard not to choose Truex Jr. in this race given the lack of experience in the other drivers on road courses.

Josh's Pick: Take Martin Truex Jr (+400)

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O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/21/2021

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