Daytona 500 Betting Picks for the 2021 Race

There’s a reason why the Daytona 500 race is nicknamed “the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing” — because it doesn’t get any bigger than this! Given the scale of the NASCAR event, we’ve analyzed the race field and selected a few drivers worth wagering money on. Read our betting guide to find out who!

Two-hundred laps. Two and a half miles. Forty-four racers. That's all that stands in front of the next Daytona 500 winner. We'll get to our Daytona 500 betting picks shortly, but first, let's take a look at the latest NASCAR betting odds for the event from online bookies:

Racer
Denny Hamlin	+650	+600
Chase Elliott	+850	+900
Joey Logano	+750	+1100
Ryan Blaney	+900	+1000
Brad Keselowski	+850	+1100
Kyle Busch	+1100	+2200

All eyes are on "The Great American Race" this February 14, 2021 — and that goes for motorsport enthusiasts, bettors, and even bookmakers. Speaking of the latter, many are offering can't-pass-up promotions for new bettors. It's called a sign-up bonus and it means big bucks!

Take BetUS, for example. Players interested in gambling on Daytona 500 (or any other sport) can earn up to $2500 dollars for free from the betting site. It's one of those deals that sound too good to be true, but in fact, is the real thing.

The offer is exclusive to readers of this site. It's unlocked after two steps — setting up an account at BetUS and then topping off your account with money. That's all it takes to rake in the free play! Bonus money can be used immediately on Daytona 500 bets if you'd so like, too.

Our advice doesn't stop there, either. Next, we're going to cover how to make dollars whilst betting on the actual race itself with some friendly advice — and like the aforementioned offer, this is free too!

Betting On A Favorite

Sports bettors typically fall into one of two classes — those that wager on front-runners and those that ride underdogs. Given that, we're going to offer two free bet picks, one for each category. Let's start with the favorites.

No surprise here, but the odds-on favorite is none other than Hamlin. Simply put, Hamlin has owned this track for the past five years. In that span, he's claimed three titles in 2016, 2019, and 2020. No one in the sport's storied history has ever three-peated at Daytona. No one.

Hamlin's chase for history makes for a good narrative, but also adds pressure to an already tension-filled competition. Come race day, Hamlin isn't just dueling against 43 other racers, now he's also barreling against history.

As good as he is, there's too much heat on Hamlin for our liking. He has a giant target on his back from racers, he has a historical distraction top of mind, and he has all the in-race randomness always associated with Daytona. Overcoming ALL that is simply too much in our eyes.

So if not him, then who wins? Our money is on Blaney. Of course, Blaney lost at this very race to Hamlin by a nose in 2020 — the second-closest finish in event history. We see the 27-year-old taking a measure of revenge this time around. He's sneakily becoming a top-end superspeedway racer with wins at Talladega and a sixth-place finish at the Coke 400. All in all, Blaney is trending in the right direction to warrant this pick.

Betting pick to make: Ryan Blaney (+900)

Betting On A "Darkhorse"

For bettors that love going against the grain (and winning big from longshot odds), we have a betting idea for you.

How about Ryan Newman? Of course, any discussion regarding Newman starts and ends with the almost-fatal car wreck he was in at Daytona a year ago. Though, Newman says he has zero memory of the scary crash and therefore, "no fear" about it going into the 2021 event.

It has to be mentioned that Newman was on the cusp of winning Daytona before the accident transpired on the race's final lap. Matter of fact, he's consistently been in the thick of things at this raceway as of late. In his last seven races at Daytona (including non-500 events), he's placed top-10 on five separate occasions. And he did outright win the 500 back in 2008.

Newman is at +4500 to take home the victory come to Valentine's Day. That's perfect mid-tier value alongside racers such as Matt DiBenedetto (+2500), Tyler Reddick (+3000), Michael McDowell (+6000), among many others.

However, you combo Newman's checkered history at Daytona and his no-fear approach to the event, well then you got a hell of a sleeper pick betting-wise. A Newman redemption story is the perfect low-risk, high-reward wager to make.

Heck, we would advise you to put money on both Blaney and Newman. As we said before, the Daytona 500 involves 44 racers and anything can happen on the track. Knowing this, it's highly recommended to spread around the betting wealth and effectively hedge yourself. After all, it just takes one winner to make up for the other losers and then some at these steep odds!

Betting pick to make: Ryan Newman (+4500)

Alright, we've said what we've had to say about the Daytona 500 race. You're in the driver's seat now — and it's time to make a bet before Sunday's start time!

You can do so at one of the online sportsbooks below, and earn a sign-up bonus in the process, too. The betting sites underneath are leaders in NASCAR wagering and offering up free play to first-time players. Have your pick at them!