NASCAR Daytona 500 Predictions, Best Bets & Race Preview — Daytona International Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series opened its 2026 season with a bang at the Daytona 500 this afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.

William Byron came up short in his pursuit of a three-peat, finishing 12th after a carnage-filled final lap. Tyler Reddick, a surprise underdog from the Daytona 500 odds, ultimately came through with the victory.

Below, revisit our Daytona 500 predictions and free betting picks from before the event began and get ready for next week's race.

Daytona 500 odds

Driver
Kyle Busch	+1000
Denny Hamlin	+1000
Joey Logano	+1000
Ryan Blaney	+1200
Kyle Larson	+1200
Chase Elliott	+1200
William Byron	+1400
Austin Cindric	+2000
Brad Keselowski	+2200
Michael McDowell	+2200
Christopher Bell	+2200
Chase Briscoe	+2200
Austin Dillon	+2500

Odds as of 2-15.

Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account

Who won the Daytona 500?

In a chaotic final lap that saw spinouts and crashes, Tyler Reddick, who was +4000 at one point, emerged from the pack to take the checkered flag at the 2026 edition of the Daytona 500. He was the only Toyota driver to finish in the Top 7. It was a narrow victory, as nine cars finished within two seconds of first behind Reddick.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano wrapped up the podium, finishing second and third, respectively. Chase Elliott led for a good portion of the final lap, but ultimately dropped to fourth, with Brad Keselowski rounding out the Top 5.

Daytona 500 expert picks and predictions

Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 2-15.

Daytona 500 pre-qualifying favorites

Denny Hamlin (+900)
Implied odds: 10%
Denny Hamlin isn't often the sentimental favorite. Still, after losing his father in a house fire less than two months ago, a fourth Daytona 500 victory would certainly qualify as a "feel-good" story. 

Hamlin might have won his first championship last season with a little more luck. He's one of the great drafting track racers of all-time and is always a threat at Daytona.

Ryan Blaney (+1000)
Implied odds: 9.1%
The Penske Fords are a common sight at the front of the pack at Daytona, with Ryan Blaney among them. 

Although Blaney has never won the 500, he has taken the summer race over this course on two occasions. He's also a three-time winner at Talladega.

William Byron (+1100)
Implied odds: 8.3%
This price feels a bit disrespectful, as William Byron seeks a Daytona 500 three-peat. 

Byron has won here three times overall, and is first in average finish among current full-time drivers at drafting tracks over 18 races dating back to February 2023.

Daytona 500 sleeper

Carson Hocevar (+2800)
Implied odds: 3.4%
Carson Hocevar's aggression can be a blessing and a curse, but he's hit the Top 10 in four of his last five races on drafting tracks. There's no doubt he has the guts to make a decisive last-lap pass in the Daytona 500, which it always seems to come down to, and this is a nice price.

Daytona 500 fade

Kyle Larson (+1100)
Implied odds: 8.3%
Kyle Larson has never, ever won on a drafting track, yet he always gets bet like a good thing at Daytona and Talladega. Until he finally gets this monkey off his back, he is an automatic toss in races like the Daytona 500 for this handicapper.

Daytona International Speedway track analysis

Daytona International Speedway is a 2.5-mile superspeedway located in Daytona Beach, FL. It typically hosts two NASCAR Cup Series races per season, but chief among them is the "Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing," the Daytona 500. 

Daytona opened in 1959 and hosted the first Daytona 500 on February 22 of that year. The event has been renewed every year since. 

Expect tight pack racing at Daytona, which is known as a drafting track. This can lead to big wrecks and unpredictable outcomes.

Daytona International Speedway trend to know

William Byron, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, became the first back-to-back winner of the race since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20. 

How to watch the Daytona 500

Daytona 500 weather

Meteorologists are calling for significant cloud cover on a 77-degree Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. There is an elevated chance of rain beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET, with thunderstorms developing late at night, increasing the possibility that the Daytona 500 start time gets moved up.

Previous Daytona 500 winners

Pages related to this topic