It’s here. The wait is over. NASCAR is back, and with the grandest of all races.
It’s Daytona Day.
Where It Is:
Daytona. The best place in Florida. Because of this.
When It Is:
Green flag at 3:05 PM Eastern.
How to Watch:
FOX
Who to Watch:
The Favorite
Denny Hamlin’s going for his third straight Daytona 500 victory, and I’m seeing him at +600 to win on Bovada, significantly ahead of the next drivers.
The Champ
Chase Elliott’s at +1000 to win as he begins his cup defense.
The Veteran
Kevin Harvick (+1400) looked title-bound for so much of last year, only to lose it in the season’s penultimate race. Will he bounce back?
The Villains
Good villain: Kyle Busch (+1100). Bad villain: Joey Logano (+1000). Go Kyle go.
The Contenders
Aric Almirola (+1000) has had some superspeedway success, as has Ryan Blaney (+1000). Brad Keselowski (+1100) is almost always a factor. Martin Truex (+1500) has been one of the best drivers of the last half-decade. Kyle Larson (+1600) is back with a good ride. Alex Bowman (+2200) is on the pole. William Byron (+1700) has good odds.
The People’s Champ
We’re using the word “people” to refer to the mainstream here, not the NASCAR mainstream (though hopefully the true mainstream of NASCAR’s on board with this). And we’re talking about Bubba Wallace, who checks in with +1500 odds. Are those inflated by how well-known he is? Potentially. In markets that are effectively futures betting, it’s hard to bet against one particular driver, which makes me think NASCAR’s more susceptible to groupthink odds than other sports. Still, Wallace is expected to be a factor. He’s good at superspeedways. He’s got a fast car.
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Of course, others can win too. There are few drivers in the field that you’d feel comfortable betting your house against. That’s one of the beauties of Daytona.
How NASCAR Should Script It:
If you’re new this year, I love the idea of NASCAR rigging races. Need all the help we can get to make this sport a broad cultural entity. But in this case—and maybe I’m getting too sentimental here—I don’t think Daytona needs scripting. I think Daytona is better than my mind can imagine.
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Vroom vroom.
