Boogity, boogity, it's time to go racing for real.
Qualifying and the two Duel races are in the books, with Bubba Wallace Jr. and Austin Cindric capturing Duels 1 and 2, respectively. After the dust settled, Chase Briscoe was crowned the pole sitter for "The Great American Race."
But who is holding as the wagering favorite for this afternoon's Daytona 500 odds? Bookmakers have given the honor to Kyle Busch at +900.
As we count down the hours until the green flag flies, let's take a closer look at the latest odds.
Daytona 500 odds
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | +900 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1100 |
| Denny Hamlin | +1100 |
| Chase Elliott | +1100 |
| Bubba Wallace | +1100 |
| Kyle Larson | +1200 |
| Joey Logano | +1200 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1400 |
| William Byron | +1700 |
| Austin Cindric | +2000 |
| Christopher Bell | +2200 |
| Ross Chastian | +2500 |
| Justin Allgaier | +2500 |
| Chris Buescher | +2500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2800 |
| Ryan Preece | +2800 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2800 |
Odds as of 2-16.
Latest Daytona 500 odds
Kyle Busch (+900 at DraftKings)
Kyle Busch has been a mainstay in the NASCAR Cup Series odds for two decades now. Each year, he finds a new way to up his game and get his car into Victory Lane. Unfortunately, that hasn't led to a Daytona 500 victory. In fact, Busch has the most starts among active full-time Cup drivers without a Daytona 500 win.
But Busch's crew chief at Richard Childress Racing, Randall Burnett, loves the way the No. 8 car is handling. Busch himself seems to be on his game, and he's got a decent starting position in 10th place, so anything can happen.
Do I see him winning, though? I hate to say it, but no, I don't.
Denny Hamlin (+1100 at DraftKings)
Denny Hamlin sure does know how to win races at Daytona, which is why the bookmakers always have to respect him. It's fair to wonder why he isn't the favorite to win the 500.
Hamlin was taking it easier in his Duel race, more or less getting a feel for his car. I'm not trying to say he wasn't giving it all he had because he did make some key moves in the race. However, I feel he hasn't thrown his best shot yet.
Does his shot land plush in the 500? Love it or hate it, Hamlin should be there in the closing stages of the race. That is, if he avoids "the big one."
Ryan Blaney (+1100 at DraftKings)
Although Ryan Blaney starts in 16th place, his history of crushing it at superspeedway tracks has the oddsmakers respecting him.
As much as I want to agree with the oddsmakers' view of the race, I haven't been entirely impressed with Blaney's car this week. In all fairness, he didn't race badly in the Duel, but it wasn't anything that made me jump out of my seat.
Blaney deserves some respect, but this line is too short.
How to bet on NASCAR
The most popular way to bet on NASCAR is by simply picking the winner of a race, which is also referred to as an outright. There are plenty of other ways to wager, including betting on whether or not a driver will finish in the Top 3 or Top 10 of a race.
Another popular betting option is head-to-head matchup betting, where sportsbooks pair up two drivers and you choose who you think will finish better in the race, which is far easier than trying to select someone to win out of a field of approximately 40 drivers. For tips on NASCAR betting check out our How to Bet NASCAR page.
