Daytona 500 Betting Odds
NASCAR betting hits full gear this Sunday with the Daytona 500, the first points race of the 2011 Sprint Cup season and the most-watched car race on U.S. television. It’s highly unusual for any sport to have its most important event at the beginning of the season, but that’s part of Daytona’s allure – we’ve gone three months without NASCAR already. We’re ready for more.
So are the drivers. They and their teams have been preparing at Daytona International Speedway in Florida for the past month, pushing their cars close to 200 mph in test sessions. And just like baseball has the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, NASCAR has its own version of an exhibition season, running three smaller races this past week at Daytona: Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout and the two Gatorade Duels on Thursday.
These exhibition races might not count in the standings, but the money that sharp handicappers made betting on NASCAR this week is legal tender all the same. Kurt Busch took the Shootout at 12-1 odds, then won the first Duel at 13-2, making a strong statement in his No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge. “It’s bright, it’s yellow and it’s fast,” Busch told reporters. The second Duel went to Jeff Burton (10-1) in the No. 31 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing.
NASCAR officials paid close attention to how the cars performed in these races. Drivers are getting even more speed this year by using a “two-car draft” strategy. Because the cars were going upwards of 206 mph during the Shootout, officials have stepped in and mandated some mechanical adjustments to cut down on horsepower and force the cars to overheat sooner if they get pushed too hard. The crews at Daytona already have to put restrictor plates on their motors to limit air intake; this year, the holes on the plates will be smaller than usual, shaving an extra 10 horsepower off the engine.
You don’t have to be a gearhead to bet on NASCAR, but if you want to make a sharp bet, it’s important to know at least that Daytona International is one of the two courses on the Cup circuit (Talladega being the other) where restrictor plates have to be used. Some drivers do better at these two locations than others. Daytona and Talladega are considered “superspeedways” at roughly 2.5 miles per lap, with longer straights than any other track. Between the plates and the unusual course layout, Daytona requires a different game plan for success.
That’s Reason No. 1 why Dale Earnhardt Jr. is near the top of the odds list at 9-1 as we go to press. Earnhardt hasn’t won on the Sprint Cup circuit in over two years, but of his 18 career victories, two came at Daytona – most recently the 2004 Daytona 500. Earnhardt’s late father, Dale Sr., was known as the “King of Restrictor-Plate Racing.” But the younger Earnhardt is no longer with the family team, moving from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.
Reason No. 2 for Earnhardt’s relatively short odds: He’s been named NASCAR Most Popular Driver every year since 2003. Earnhardt belongs to racing royalty. He’s the most visible driver in the sport, and his eager fans will want him to win even more this year – it’s been 10 years since his father was killed in a crash at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt’s popularity distorts the betting market; mild-mannered teammate Jimmie Johnson, the five-time Cup champion and 2006 Daytona 500 winner, is 14-1 to take the checkered flag this week.
Earnhardt’s odds are also tied to his place on the grid, which was supposed to be right at the front. He won the pole position in qualifying, but because Earnhardt wrecked his car during Wednesday’s practice, he’ll be forced to start from the back of the grid on Sunday in a back-up car. Hendrick teammate and three-time Daytona 500 winner Jeff Gordon (11-1) had the outside pole after qualifying, while Busch (10-1) and Burton (14-1) were on the second row after winning their respective Duels. Expect to see some changes on the NASCAR odds board as we get closer to the race. FOX has the television coverage starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
America’s got the need for speed!
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.