Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski are the auto racing betting favorites to win the 2017 Daytona 500 – which will be the first race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for all y’all fans who like to bet on auto racing at SBG online sportsbook.
Odds to Win Daytona 500
- Dale Earnhardt Jr +650
- Brad Keselowski +650
- Kyle Busch +950
- Jimmie Johnson +1050
- Joey Logano +1150
Earnhardt didn’t have the best of years in 2016 but he could hardly be blamed for that; half of his races were run by Fake Shemps. Dale Jr. had to sit out 18 races because of concussion issues stemming from hit at Darlington last December at the FireKeepers Casino 400. How hard was he hit? Let’s put it like this; he got married during his time off (I’m just playing ladies, you know I love you). Actually, Earnhardt told ESPN the Magazine his marriage was one of the motivating factors that help him decide to get back on the horse – or in this case, the race car.
Speaking of newlywed NASCAR racers, Brad Keselowski’s 2016 was a tale of two, err, somethings. The one-time NASCAR champion entered the playoff as the points leader thanks to four wins and coasted through the round of 16 with three top 5 finishes in as many races, and started the round of 12 with a top 10 at Charlotte. Unfortunately, a crash in Kansas and engine trouble in Talladega conspired to eliminate him from contention. The good news is that Keselowski, despite his past successes and experiences, is still young – at least by NASCAR standards.
Kyle is the favorite Busch boy – speaking exclusively in terms of auto racing betting terms; hey, it’s not his fault if people who bet on auto racing prefer him over Kurt. Kyle was this close (puts index next to each other but not touching) to becoming the first back-to-back champion since Jeff Gordon (Jimmie Johnson was a back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back champion to be exact) but a car without the right setup in the last 50 miles of Homestead-Miami’s season finale relegated him to third place in the final standings.
And speaking of the seven-time champion, we all know Jimmie Johnson rules, but can he win a record-breaking 8th title under yet another new set of rules. NASCAR changed postseason scoring scheme after Johnson did a five-peat between 2006 and 2010, and again when Johnson won another Cup in 2013. Coincidence? “As a competitor, it’s tough to say that’s going to change much of what I do,” Johnson said. And why should it? The first thing you gotta learn
if you’re gonna be a racecar driver is if you ain’t first, you’re last, because it’s the fastest who gets paid.
And speaking of last – at least as far as the top five auto racing betting favorites to win Daytona are concerned – we have Joey Logano. It’s cool, though; he actually likes it when NASCAR fans – whether they like to bet on auto racing or not – boo him. “I secretly love it,” Logano said last month on at the NASCAR Media Tour. “Don’t tell anybody. In all honesty, you’d rather be loved than hated but I’d rather fans say something than nothing.” You’re ready for a career in pro wrestling now, Joey. And btw, we don’t think it’s a secret anymore.