2013 Daytona 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Daytona 500 Favorites and Sleepers to Win on February 24, 2013 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida: The 2013 season officially begins Sunday with the 55th running of the Daytona 500. The event has been called everything from the “Great American Race” to the Super Bowl of NASCAR, but whatever you want to call it, there is no denying the significance and importance of the Daytona 500. The race helped shape the sport, and it is the one race that every driver wants to win and will do just about everything to get to Victory Lane and hoist the Harley J. Earl Trophy.
Last year’s race was one of the wildest in recent memory. Rain postponed the race until Monday, and more rain forced the start time until later in the evening. When the race finally began, a bizarre accident under caution involving Juan Pablo Montoya’s car and a jet dryer actually set the track on fire temporarily, causing yet another delay. When the dust finally settled, Matt Kenseth survived the mayhem to win the race for the second time in his career. On that note, here is a look at the drivers that could get to Victory Lane in 2013.
2013 Daytona 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Favorites
Defending Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth has been dialed in at the superspeedway recently. He has finished third or better in three straight starts at Daytona and has finished eighth or better in seven of his last nine starts. During the stretch, Kenseth has won the Daytona 500 twice. The two victories already put him in elite company, and considering he is the only driver that is riding a streak of three straight top-five finishes at the track, a third Victory in the “Great American Race” is real possibility.
He has won championships and big races in just about every type of car imaginable, but Tony Stewart has yet to win the Daytona 500. The three-time series champ has won the July event at the track four times, and his 18 total wins at Daytona are second in NASCAR history. Not to mention the fact that his 12.5 average finish is the best over the past 20 races at the track. There is no denying that Stewart know how to get to the front and win at Daytona. The only question is whether or not it is finally his time to win NASCAR’s biggest race.
Few drivers these days have been as clutch in big races as Kevin Harvick, and he is coming off a win in the Sprint Unlimited last weekend at Daytona to prove it. In fact, Harvick won the unofficial opener for the third time in the last five years and will now set his sights on his second Daytona 500 win. He has also won the July race at the track and has finished seventh or better in four of his last six starts at Daytona. Harvick has been a stud on NASCAR’s big stages and a stud at Daytona. That combination makes him dangerous heading into the 2013 Daytona 500.
The Dark Horses
Although his last win at Daytona came in 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. can never be counted out when the series heads to a superspeedway. For one, he is a two-time winner at Daytona and has seven restrictor-plate track wins overall. More importantly, he has finished fourth or better in three of his last six starts at Daytona and has finished second in two of the last three Daytona 500s. Junior is more than capable of getting back to Victory Lane at the track this Sunday.
His best years are certainly behind him, but Jeff Burton has actually seems to be getting better with age at the plate tracks. Last year for example, he finished in the top 10 in all four plate races, finishing in the top five in both starts at Daytona. Burton won the July race at the track early in his career, and he could add a Daytona 500 victory to his resume in the twilight of it.
Sleeper Specials
As he has slowly improved as a driver in recent years, Paul Menard has really been solid at the plate tracks. His 17.0 average finish at Daytona is the ninth best in the series among active drivers and he has finished in the top 15 in his last four starts at the track. Menard has three top-10s during the stretch, including a sixth-place run in the Daytona 500 last year. His lone win to date came via fuel mileage in the prestigious Brickyard 400, and it would eerily fitting if his second came in the only race with a bigger reputation.
While only nine drivers have won the pole and gone on to win the Daytona 500, Danica Patrick is suddenly much more of a threat to win Sunday than she was before she became the first woman to sit on the pole for the race. Winning the pole has to be a huge confidence boost for a driver desperately trying to prove she belongs. More importantly, her car owner and teammate is a guy named Tony Stewart, who is listed among my favorites for Sunday’s race. Stewart is going to do whatever he can do win in his own right, but rest assured that he will give her plenty of pointers and draft with her during the race to try to make sure Patrick is in a position to get to Victory Lane, as well.
Driver to Avoid
Five-time Cup Series champ Jimmie Johnson is the closest thing to Superman that NASCAR has these days, but Daytona has been his kryptonite lately. He has finished 20th or worse in six straight starts at the track and has failed to crack the top 30 four times during the stretch. In fact, Johnson has managed just two top-15 finishes in his 13 starts at Daytona since winning the 500 in 2006.
Be sure to check the NSAwins.com Betting Daily Blog all week for updated 2013 Daytona 500 odds, free tips, free picks, predictions and articles from NASCAR expert tipster Brian Polking. NSAwins.com is your home for 2013 Daytona 500 Betting Odds and Handicapping coverage!
Odds to win the 2013 Daytona 500
101 Dale Earnhardt Jr +1000
102 Kyle Busch +1000
103 Denny Hamlin +1200
104 Kevin Harvick +1000
105 Brad Keselowski +1200
106 Matt Kenseth +1300
107 Clint Bowyer +1300
108 Carl Edwards +1500
109 Jeff Gordon +1200
110 Kasey Kahne +1500
111 Tony Stewart +1500
112 Jimmie Johnson +1500
113 Greg Biffle +1800
114 Jamie McMurray +2000
115 Martin Truex Jr +2000
116 Mark Martin +3000
117 Jeff Burton +3000
118 Joey Logano +3000
119 Kurt Busch +3000
120 Ryan Newman +4000
121 Juan Montoya +4000
122 Ricky Stenhouse +4000
123 Field +1400
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