Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500

Odds to Win Race

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona Beach for “The Great American Race” on Sunday. The guys that will be most confident when this race begins are Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Each of these three drivers has won this event twice in their careers, and no other active driver has won more than that. The driver with the most success ever here was, however, Richard Petty. Petty has won this race seven times in his career, and it’s possible that number will never be reached. The next highest number of wins in this event is four, and that was done by Cale Yarborough. Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Allison each won three times, which just shows the quality of drivers that were unable to live up to what Petty did in Daytona Beach. Partly because of Petty’s dominance, Petty Enterprises is the team with the most victories in this race. Chevrolet, meanwhile, has been the most successful manufacturer, as a driver has won 23 times behind the wheel of a Chevy. With that out of the way, let’s see who represents the best value in picking up a monumental victory on Sunday:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5-to-1) - 2016 was a rough year for Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the superstar dealt with concussions and wasn’t able to race at the end of the season. Now he is seemingly as healthy as ever, and he’ll be hoping to have a big year in 2017. That starts with a good performance at Daytona International Speedway, where “Junior” has been as good as any of his competitors over the year. Look for him to start the year off with a bang, and don’t be afraid to put a couple of units on him at 5-to-1. He could pay off huge and it’s very tough to imagine him struggling.

Jimmie Johnson (10-to-1) - Jimmie Johnson was last year’s champion, and he is getting some inviting odds at 10-to-1 on Sunday. While there have been some issues with Johnson over the years, he has proven that he is still one of the best drivers around. He has won seven of the past 11 seasons, and it’s hard to imagine him slowing down now. Taking a shot on him to win this one is a good idea as well, as Johnson won this thing back in 2013, and he has also finished in the top five in two of the past three races in Daytona Beach.

Matt Kenseth (12-to-1) - Matt Kenseth might be struggling in this race recently, but he has had tremendous success here in the past. As previously mentioned, Kenseth has won this race twice in his career. That should really offset what he’s done the past two years (35th in 2015, 14th in 2016), as knows what it takes to get the job done in Daytona. It also helps that Kenseth is coming off of a year where he finished in fifth in the standings, and his 12-to-1 odds are very favorable.

Trevor Bayne (60-to-1) - If you’re looking for somebody that could really pay out nicely this weekend then look no further than Bayne. Bayne has won only one race in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, but that one victory came here in 2011. He also happened to have had the best season of his young career in 2016, so he is trending in the right direction coming into this year. Putting a half-unit or even a quarter-unit on him could be the move this weekend.