About The Daytona 500 Race
2018's Daytona 500 will be the 60th annual running of the event, and it will take place in mid February. When this race happens, it will kick off the new NASCAR season, and millions of people will watch the event. Not to overstate it, but the Daytona 500 is more or less the Super Bowl for NASCAR, and not only does it bring millions of viewers, over 100,000 live guests tailgating and attending the race, but there will also be billions of dollars exchanged through bet legally in the United States, be it Vegas casinos or offshore sites. Betting on the Daytona 500 is big business, and it's not just all about who wins and who wrecks.
How to Determine Which Daytona 500 Drivers are a Good Bet
Before we speak about surveying the drivers, let's go over the main types of betting as a summary. First and foremost, you can bet on straight driver odds. For instance, in this year's race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is leading the oddsmakers' predictions at +1000. To put it simply, this means betting $100 will win you $1000. This particular line might seem similar to the tennis line that actually pays out a decimal below the line, rather than over it. Why the difference? It's because the field is packed with different drivers. 43 drivers in total will start this race, so there are a lot of different odds to spread out. This means bookmakers aren't losing any money. Not everyone will bet on Dale.
Another popular bet in NASCAR is a prop bet, or a proposition bet. This is when you're betting on something rather than the strict outcome. For instance, you can bet on who leads the most laps. So, say Jimmie Johnson wins the pole, but you don't expect him to win the race. You can still bet that he'll lead the most laps. You can also wager props on caution flags, top-5 finishers, and many other categories, depending on the site with which you're betting.
To determine which drivers are likely to do well, it's important you use the past to guide you. The aforementioned Jimmie Johnson is a multiple winner of the Sprint Cup and is involved in the points chase almost yearly. Another great way to determine is to go with the teams. For instance, Hendrick Motorsports is always a great team to bet on, and features Dale, Jr., Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Kasey Kahne. You also have teams like Joe Gibbs racing, with Kyle Busche, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin.
By going with a strong team, you're looking at the core makeup of drivers – the strength of their pit crews, the quality of their cars, and their total body of work. Winning in today's NASCAR happens much like the Patriots in football; that is to say, it's dynastic and rarely do you get independent drivers coming out of nowhere to claim fame and glory. The most successful drivers in NASCAR are part of a well-oiled machine.
2018 Results
The 2018 Daytona 500 was held on February 18 at the Daytona International Speedway. The race is the official start to the 2018 NASCAR season and gives bettors a glimpse of how the field may play out this year. Many bettors utilize licensed offshore sportsbooks to bet on the big race, as these host prop bets in addition to the standard wagering types associated with racing. The total distance for this year’s race was 207 laps, roughly 517 miles (due to overtime) with an average speed of 150 mph.
We’ve included the results of this year’s race below:
- Austin Dillon
- Darrel Wallace Jr.
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- Chris Buescher
- Paul Menard
- Ryan Blaney
- Ryan Newman
- Michael McDowell
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Aric Almirola
- Justin Marks
- Trevor Bayne
- David Gililand
- Clint Bowyer
- Jamie McMurray
- Alex Bowman
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Kyle Larson
- Gray Gaulding
- Jeffery Earnhardt
- Mark Thompson
- William Byron
- D.J. Kennington
- Kyle Busch
- Kurt Busch
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Brendan Gaughan
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- David Ragan
- Kevin Harvick
- Brad Keselowski
- Chase Elliot
- Kasey Kahne
- Danica Patrick
- Erik Jones
- Daniel Suarez
- Jimmie Johnson
- Ty Dillon
- Corey LaJoie