2018 Daytona 500 Picks and Predictions – Daytona 500 Dark Horses and Longshots: The Daytona 500 is the crown jewel race on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and this Sunday, another driver will add their name to the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Plenty of big names have won “The Great American Race,” but since the advent of restrictor-plates, Daytona and Talladega have become the two most wide-open tracks on the schedule.
With that in mind, Sunday’s race is a perfect opportunity for bettors to take a chance on a few longshots to try to hit a big payout at one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable tracks. Here is a closer look at my favorite sleeper bets for the 2018 Daytona 500.
2018 Daytona 500 Picks and Predictions: Daytona 500 Dark Horses and Longshots
The Dark Horses
Kurt Busch (25/1)
I know he only has one restrictor-plate win in his career, but that win came in last year’s Daytona 500. He has also been the most reliable performer at the plate tracks the last few years. In the last 10 races, Busch’s seven Top-10s are the most of any driver, and his 12.0 average finish during that same span is also tops in the series. These are pretty enticing odds for a driver who always seems to be dicing it up at the front of the field when it counts at the plate tracks.
Jamie McMurray (30/1)
McMurray is always worth throwing a bet at when the series visits a plate track, and he is definitely worth a look at these odds. He is a former winner of the Daytona 500, and his four restrictor-plate wins rank fourth among active drivers. Yes, he has been a checkers-or-wreckers driver in plate races, but we are talking about picking a winner, and few active drivers have been better at sealing the deal.
Aric Almirola (35/1)
Years of mid-pack performances have no doubt soured oddsmakers and bettors on Almirola, but don’t overlook him this weekend. For one, he has already amassed a solid resume at the plate tracks. He is a former winner at the July race at Daytona, and he has cracked the Top 10 in the last four restrictor-plate races. Almirola also joined Stewart-Haas Racing this offseason, giving him the best equipment he has ever worked with at the Cup level. I think he is way undervalued in this one.
The Longshots
Paul Menard (40/1)
Menard has only one victory in his career, a fuel mileage win in the Brickyard 400. He deserves to be a longshot, for sure, but I like his chances of springing an upset. He is an underrated plate racer to begin with, and he has five straight Top 15s at the plate tracks, including a pair of Top-5s at Daytona last year. Perhaps more importantly, he joined Wood Brothers Racing in the offseason, an organization with a technical alliance with Team Penske. Penske cars have dominated the plate tracks the last couple of years, and they dominated in the Clash at Daytona to kick off Speedweeks. Menard will have the same equipment at his disposal, and he should have a car capable of challenging for the win.
Trevor Bayne (50/1)
He pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Daytona 500 history when he won the 2011 event, but it is his recent performances at the plate tracks that have me encouraged. Bayne ranks 11th in points scored over the last 10 plate races, and he has five Top-10s in that span. He also drives for a Ford team, and the Fords have absolutely owned the plate tracks in recently, winning eight of the last 10 races. Bayne’s teammate, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., won two plate races last year and has become one of the frontrunners for Sunday’s race. Bayne has the same equipment and will pay a lot more if he ends up in victory lane.
Get weekly Bovada NASCAR betting odds updated LIVE directly on NSAwins.com!
| 2 EASY STEPS to BET on the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Odds! STEP 1: CLICK HERE to OPEN BOVADA Account STEP 2: Deposit with Credit Card or Deposit by Check and get a 100% BONUS upto $250 FREE. |