Daytona 500 line – Team Hendrick leads field to green flag

Sports betting - Daytona 500 line: Martin will perform well, Bowyer offers nice value

• WHO: 43 of NASCAR’s finest
• WHAT: The 51st Daytona 500
• WHEN: Sunday, February 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET
• WHERE: Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, FL
• KEY STATS: Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with three wins in the Daytona 500

Daytona 500 betting kicks off the NASCAR season for online sports betting players, and the 51st edition of the “Great American Race” takes place on Sunday, February 15. If you’re looking at your Daytona 500 odds, expect all four drivers from Hendrick Motorsports to be near the top of the online sportsbook list.

Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon (three wins), Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have combined for five Daytona 500 wins. However, if you’re going to bet on Daytona, the driver with the best chance of winning could be 50-year-old Mark Martin, who lost to Kevin Harvick by only 0.020 seconds in the 2007 race. Martin probably won’t be leading the way in terms on Daytona 500 driver odds, but he is one of the most respected drivers in the garage and his new Hendrick teammates will do whatever it takes to get him to the front of the pack.

If you bet on the Daytona 500 last year, hopefully you picked Ryan Newman. The 2008 winner will be driving for the man he beat on the last lap in ’09, Tony Stewart, as the two will try to make newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing immediately competitive. A win here is all that is missing from Stewart’s impressive resume, and his desire alone should keep him on your radar for Daytona 500 picks.

Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch challenged Jimmie Johnson’s run for three straight Sprint Cups last season, and they will be among favorites on Daytona 500 betting lines because of last year’s success. Edwards is being tipped by many to wrestle the title away from Johnson, and this is the place to start, but he’ll have to do much better than last year’s 19th-place finish. Busch came in fourth and he’ll be hungry after last year’s collapse in the Chase.

If you’re betting on Daytona 500, don’t forget the Richard Childress Racing stable, comprised of 2007 winner Harvick, as well as Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears. Bowyer’s Daytona 500 betting line could offer the best value, as his finishing average of 12.3 in six races at Daytona is tops among active drivers.

Martin Truex Jr. took the pole for the Daytona 500, followed by Mark Martin. The qualifying 150-mile Duels were won by Jeff Gordon (his first win in 41 races, tying the longest drought of his career) and Kyle Busch.

A good starting spot is essential in the Daytona 500, as only four drivers since 1988 have won while starting lower than 10th. The last person to do this was Kevin Harvick, who edged out the 50-year-old Martin in a thrilling finish in 2007. Things have a way of coming back around in the racing world, so when going through your Daytona 500 odds, bet on Mark Martin to finally capture the checkered flag in his 25th attempt.

For more on Daytona odds, Daytona 500 picks and Daytona 500 bets, regularly check back with the Betting Edge leading up to the big race.

Born in the betting capital of Las Vegas, Lee-Roy has grown to appreciate the likes of IndyCar and Formula 1 racing, but his first love is the high-speed ovals of NASCAR and he is a HUGE Tony Stewart fan. When it comes to motorsports handicapping, Buckles takes the checkered flag. Thoughts or questions?