NASCAR Odds: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the top choice to win Sunday’s Daytona 500 that can be seen on FOX. Earnhardt Jr. has won this race twice in his career and he is the defending champion. He is listed with odds of about 8-1 to win the first race of the 2015 NASCAR season. Let’s look at his chances of repeating and some of the odds on other drivers in Sunday’s race including pole sitter Jeff Gordon and NASCAR predictions.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Trying to Make History
Only three times in the history of the Daytona 500 has a driver won back-to-back. It has not happened since Sterling Marlin won in 1994-95. The only other back-to-back winners of the Great American Race were Richard Petty in 1973-74 and Cale Yarborough in 1983-84. Earnhardt Jr. has had a lot of success overall at Daytona as in addition to his two wins, in 2004 and 2014 he has finished in second place a total of four times. Earnhardt Jr. is coming off a season in which he won four times and made the Chase but he does have a little uncertainty to start the season as he will have a new crew chief in Greg Ives.
Jeff Gordon on the Pole
Jeff Gordon will start on the pole in his final Daytona 500 and is listed with NASCAR betting odds of 12-1. Gordon had a lap of 201.293 mph in last Sunday’s qualifying. Gordon will make his 23rd and final start in Sunday’s race and sit on the front row along with teammate Jimmie Johnson. “I can’t think of anything cooler than to start this season, the Daytona 500, my final Daytona 500, final full season on the pole. It’s going to be pretty important for me to be on that pole when it all starts.” Gordon said.
Starting on the pole hasn’t meant much in the Daytona 500 as in the previous 56 races, the pole sitter has won just 9 times. And no pole sitter has won the big race since Dale Jarrett in 2000.
Other Daytona 500 Contenders
A number of other drivers have odds between 10-1 and 20-1 to win Sunday’s race. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick are each listed at 10-1, Brad Keselowski is 11-1, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth at 12-1, Denny Hamlin at 13-1, Carl Edwards at 14-1, Tony Stewart at 16-1, Kurt Busch at 19-1 and Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson at 20-1.
NASCAR Predictions
I will go with Jeff Gordon at odds of 12-1 and for somewhat of a longshot I will take Jamie McMurray at odds of 20-1.
