Daytona 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/20/2022

by Guy Bruhn - 2/18/2022

Daytona 500

Sunday, February 20, 2022

3:30 PM EST

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, FL

FOX

We are back in action race fans! This weekend's action marks the start of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series, and we couldn't be more excited to get it going. This iconic 500-mile race is considered to be the most important and prestigious race in all of NASCAR. It is the first of two races at Daytona International Speedway for the season with the second race coming at the end of the season. As we sit, Richard Petty has the most Daytona 500 wins with seven and Cale Yarborough is next with four wins. The only active driver with more than one win is Denny Hamlin who has taken the checkered flag three times in his career.

This will be the first point earning race for the new Next Gen cars.

Get all of our Nascar Betting Picks

2021 NASCAR Recap

Kyle Larson was the 2021 Cup Series Champion, and he dominated the entire season. He was extremely consistent throughout the year and finished with 26 top 10 finishes on the campaign. Coming in a close second with 25 top-10 finishes, but Kyle Larson was really dominant. The 29-year-old won five of the ten Playoff races towards the end of the season and that includes four of the last five races of the season. His 10 wins matched another Hendrick driver (Jimmie Johnson in 2007) for one of the most dominant seasons ever. Larsons five Playoff wins is tied for the best ever with Tony Stewart who accomplished this back in 2011.

It could be argued that Larson's best race of the season was the one that capped off his historic run to the Championship. It was a complete clinic in teamwork and domination. Larson led the race for 107 laps. However, Larson's pit crew deserves mention for getting him out of his final pit stop quickly to get him back in the lead. It was a clutch moment that ended up paying dividends in the end. There were 28 laps remaining and Larson was able to finish in front by .398-seconds over martin Truex Jr.

That said, Larson had many highlights during this season. He had a career best 20 top five finishes in addition to his 26 top-10 finishes. Before last season, Larson's best win total for a season was four and he notched that in 2017. He almost doubled his laps led best with 2,581 in 2021 versus 1,352 in 2017.

Overall, Larson had a season that will go down in the record books. It will be a challenge to duplicate the kind of season Larson had in the previous campaign, but he will be up for the challenge, and we are all looking forward to seeing it.

Daytona 500 Odds

Denny Hamlin - +950
Kyle Larson - +950
Chase Elliott - +1200
Ryan Blaney - +1200
Joey Logano - +1300
Brad Keselowski - +1500
Kevin Harvick - +1700
William Byron - +1700
Kyle Busch - +1700
Bubba Wallace - +1900
Kurt Busch - +1900
Martin Truex Jr. - +2000
Austin Dillon - +2000
Alex Bowman - +2100
Aric Almirola - +2500
Tyler Reddick - +2500
Chris Buescher - +2800
Christopher Bell - +2900

It's tough to pick a winner in the Daytona 500. This prestigious race can be taken by anyone, and they'll fight like hell to be the first car to enter Victory Lane. You've got some of the big names at the top of the list, but last season Michael McDowell took the checkered flag in a surprise win. There are a lot of underdogs that have won this race in the past, and it could very well happen again. Superspeedway races always bring some unpredictability, but we like Ryan Blaney in this one. He has quietly built an excellent resume when racing at Superspeedways and in his last nine starts Blaney has three wins and six top-10 finishes.

Guy's Pick: Take Ryan Blaney (+1200)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 8:00 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
Free $60 Account Sign Up

Daytona 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 2/20/2022

Get all of Doc's Sports most recent NASCAR picks and predictions here