2015 Daytona 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Dale Earnhardt Jr. the Vegas Betting Favorite: The 2015 Sprint Cup Series season officially goes green this weekend with the 57th running of the Daytona 500. The race is the most famous and prestigious in all of NASCAR, and winning the Daytona 500 can cement a driver’s legacy and turn a previously unknown driver into a household name. Teams prepare the entire offseason for the race, and in many ways, it is the sport’s Super Bowl, even though it is the season opener. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the drivers with the best chance to capture the checkered flag this weekend in “The Great American Race.”
The Favorites
He is the defending winner of the Daytona 500, he won his qualifying race Thursday, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been by far the most consistent driver at Daytona recently and is the current favorite in today’s LIVE updated 2015 Daytona 500 Odds. In the past three years, Junior has scored the most points and has logged the best average finish of any driver at the track, and he has finished second or better three times during the stretch.
He owns the second-best driver rating at Daytona, and Matt Kenseth has shown plenty of speed at the track recently. Not only is he coming off a win in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona last weekend, but he is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 in his career. Kenseth has also led more laps than any other driver at the track since 2012.
Fresh off qualifying in the front row last Sunday and winning in his qualifying race Thursday, Jimmie Johnson will try for a third Daytona 500 victory this weekend. He actually swept both races at the track in 2013, and Johnson is the only driver to have three top-five finishes in the last four races at Daytona.
Not only is he a former winner of the Daytona 500, but Kevin Harvick has also won the July race at the track and has won the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona three times. In other words, he knows how to seal the deal at the 2.5-mile track. To top it off, Harvick has six top-15s in his last 10 starts at Daytona, and he has five finishes of seventh or better during the stretch.
The Contenders
Although he has yet to win the Daytona 500, there is no denying that Tony Stewart is one of the best in the business at the track. He is a four-time winner of the July race at the track, and his 19 total wins at Daytona across multiple series ranks second only to the late Dale Earnhardt. To top it off, Stewart has led more laps at the track in the last 10 years than any other driver.
While he is still looking for a Daytona 500 win, Kyle Busch has been one of the most consistent drivers at the track. He is a former winner of the July event, and he owns the best driver rating at the track. Busch has also spent more laps in the top 15 at Daytona than any other driver since NASCAR began recording the stat. He knows how to run up front at Daytona, and she be in the mix Sunday.
Both of his restrictor plate victories to date have come at Talladega, but Brad Keselowski has been a serious factor in two straight Daytona 500s. He finished fourth in the 2013 race, and he finished a career-best third in last year’s Daytona 500. Coming off a year when he won a series-high six races, Keselowski could snag a signature win this weekend.
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