The NASCAR season is set to commence on Sunday, February 15, with the 2026 Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway. William Byron enters the race as the two-time defending champion, while Kyle Larson seeks to maintain his title as the NASCAR season champion.
Joey Logano is currently the leading contender at +1000 odds, closely followed by Ryan Blaney at +1100. Logano achieved a seventh-place finish in the previous year’s standings, having triumphed in the season championship in 2018, 2022, and 2024. Meanwhile, Blaney concluded last year in sixth place.
Other notable contenders include Denny Hamlin (+1200), William Byron (+1300), Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott (both at +1400). Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is considered a longshot at +3000 to secure a second victory. The 200-lap race on the 2.5-mile asphalt track is scheduled to commence at 2:30 PM ET.
Before placing any bets or making selections for the 2026 Daytona 500, it’s advisable to check the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s reliable model, a seasoned professional DFS player with over $2 million in career earnings who simulates every lap of NASCAR action 10,000 times.
Since 2021, the model has successfully predicted 29 winners, including 11 winners last season alone. Following McClure’s NASCAR betting insights at your preferred sportsbooks may prove profitable.
For this year’s race, McClure suggests avoiding Joey Logano, the favorite, as predictions indicate he won’t finish among the top 5. Ryan Blaney, who was the runner-up in the 2020 Daytona 500, has not placed higher than fourth since and thus does not offer great value as a co-favorite either. Conversely, the model favors Kyle Busch at +2200, positioning him as a top-five prospect and suggesting a greater likelihood of victory than his current odds imply. Busch has been among the top six finishers twice since 2019 and concluded last season with 10 top-10 finishes, including a fifth in the season finale.
Additionally, predictions highlight potential future longshots at odds of +2000 or higher that could yield significant payouts, encouraging further exploration of the model’s insights.
