The 2022 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 20th at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. This year there are several drivers who could win the prestigious race and start their NASCAR Cup Series off with a huge win.
Below I will rank the top contenders into tiers based on their odds to win the Daytona 500. The odds could change, so these odds are just a guideline from a month prior to the race. If you’re interested in betting on the race check out this three step guide outlining how to bet on the Daytona 500 from the USA.
For more extensive information about betting on NASCAR throughout the season check out this page at HowToBetUSA.com.
Top Contenders (Odds of around 8/1)
Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott are the three favorites heading into this year’s Daytona 500.
Hamlin has won the Daytona 500 three times in his career, including two of the last three years (2019 and 2020). He finished third in the NASCAR Cup series last year with two wins. He’s always a threat in the big races.
Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series last season, winning 10 races to finish atop the standings. Larson has yet to win the Daytona 500, with his best finish being 7th place results in 2016 and 2019. If he keeps his form from the end of the 2021 season this could be his first Daytona 500 victory.
Chase Elliott will be the youngest top contender of the three at 26 years old. He finished 4th in the Nascar Cup Series in 2020, but was the 2020 champion and he finished second at the Daytona 500 last year so he may be ready to add the prestigious title to his trophy case.
Second Tier (Odds of around 12/1)
William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano make up this second tier of drivers for this year’s Daytona 500.
Third Tier (Odds of around 16/1)
Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, and Bubba Wallace Jr. make up the third tier.
Fourth Tier (Odds of around 18/1)
Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Alex Bowman make up the fourth tier of contenders.
As you can see the race is up for grabs. After the three top contenders of Hamlin, Larson, and Elliott who have odds of under 10/1 to win the race, there are 10 drivers with odds of between 12/1 and 18/1.
Michael McDowell won the race last year, which shows the Daytona 500 truly is anyone’s race to win. McDowell has odds of around 65/1 to repeat as champion this year.
It’s hard to bet against Denny Hamlin, who has shown he has a knack for winning this prestigious race with three victories in the last six races.
Whoever does win, it’s sure to be another exciting running of the Daytona 500 in a month’s time.
