Although the NFL season has come to a close, sports bettors can now gear up for the commencement of the 2021 NASCAR season by eagerly anticipating the highly-anticipated Daytona 500.
The Great American Race, the NASCAR Cup Series race known for its emphasis on speed and drafting, is set to take place on Sunday (2:30 p.m., Fox). Leading up to this highly anticipated event, a week filled with various activities sets the stage for Sunday’s thrilling race.
With Virginia sports betting already in full swing, race enthusiasts now have an abundance of opportunities to place bets on the thriving motorsports scene. (Moreover, the availability of sportsbooks at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway could further expand the options.)
As the 2021 NASCAR season commences, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Chase Elliott, a rising star and the current reigning champion.
At 25 years old, the son of 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott stands as a top contender for this year’s championship. Additionally, he is regarded as one of the favored contenders in NASCAR betting for the upcoming Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
2021 Daytona 500 odds to win
Elliott, with odds ranging from +900 to +1,000, stands out as one of the top contenders for Sunday’s race.
Also, Denny Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion (+700 to +800), achieved victory in the 200-lap, 500-mile race in both 2019 and 2020. The 40-year-old driver concluded the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings in fourth place and secured the second-highest number of wins (seven).
Additional notable drivers are Ryan Blaney, who won the Talladega race in 2020 (odds of +1,000 to +1,200), Brad Keselowski, the 2012 champion (odds of +1,000 to +1,400), and Joey Logano, the 2018 champion (odds of +1,000 to +1,200).
According to Monday’s odds, the following 15 drivers have the highest likelihood of winning the 2021 Daytona 500:
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | William Hill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | +700 | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Chase Elliott | +900 | +950 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1100 | +1200 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1100 | +1200 | +1400 | +1000 |
| Joey Logano | +1100 | +1200 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Kevin Harvick | +1300 | +1300 | +1600 | +1200 |
| Kyle Busch | +1400 | +1400 | +1600 | +1500 |
| William Byron | +1400 | +2000 | +1400 | +1800 |
| Aric Almirola | +1800 | +2000 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Alex Bowman | +1800 | +1800 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Kurt Busch | +1800 | +1800 | +2000 | +1800 |
| Kyle Larson | +1800 | +1700 | +1600 | +1800 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1800 | +1700 | +2000 | +1800 |
| Austin Dillon | +2500 | +2000 | +3000 | +2500 |
| Bubba Wallace | +2500 | +2000 | +2000 | +2500 |
Depending on the sportsbook, there are various options available apart from a futures bet to place a wager on Sunday’s significant race.
Both the DraftKings and William Hill apps are providing odds for the Busch Clash happening on Tuesday (7 p.m., FS1). This exclusive exhibition race initiates the NASCAR section of “Speedweeks” at Daytona International Speedway.
In addition to the aforementioned “pick a winner” wagers, there are various other types of NASCAR bets available.
- Make a prediction on which driver will achieve a higher finishing position in a race through a head-to-head comparison.
- Make a prediction on whether a specific driver will finish in third place or higher (or tenth place or higher) in the race.
- Prop betting involves making predictions about specific aspects of an event. In this case, the proposition is to predict whether the car number of the winning driver will be odd or even, or if it will be higher or lower than 10.5.
NASCAR season championship
In 2020, Elliott emerged victorious as the champion in his debut season. He triumphed in a remarkable total of five races, securing his position at the top by winning the last two races of the year.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver being the odds-on favorite to win a season title this year is largely attributed to this significant factor.
The following are the championship odds for the top drivers in the 2021 NASCAR season:
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | William Hill | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | +550 | +550 | +700 | +550 |
| Kevin Harvick | +550 | +600 | +550 | +550 |
| Denny Hamlin | +650 | +650 | +800 | +550 |
| Kyle Busch | +700 | +800 | +700 | +900 |
| Brad Keselowski | +700 | +800 | +800 | +550 |
| Joey Logano | +700 | +800 | +800 | +650 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +750 | +800 | +800 | +650 |
| Kyle Larson | +900 | +1000 | +1100 | +1200 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1200 | +1400 | +1400 | +1000 |
| Alex Bowman | +2500 | +2400 | +3500 | +2000 |
Short odds are also assigned to Kevin Harvick, the champion of the 2014 season, who is listed at +550 to +600. Additionally, Hamlin and Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion, have relatively low odds ranging from +700 to +900.
In the 2020 season, Harvick, the reigning Cup Series champion of 2014, secured an impressive record with 20 top 5 finishes and 27 top 10 finishes. However, despite his remarkable performances, he has been striving to clinch a victory at Daytona, widely recognized as the pinnacle event of Stock Car Racing, since 2007.
Kyle Larson, who was previously let go by Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020 due to his use of a racial slur during an iRacing event, has gained favor among oddsmakers. The 28-year-old has been reinstated by NASCAR and will now be competing for Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. With odds ranging between +900 and +1,200, Larson is considered a top contender for the season championship.
2021 NASCAR in Virginia
NASCAR enthusiasts won’t have to wait long to witness the thrilling race in Virginia.
In fact, the month of April will serve as a platform to showcase the tracks in the region.
On April 10, the Martinsville Speedway will host the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500. The subsequent event, the Toyota Owners 400, will be held at Richmond Raceway on April 18.
The inaugural Food City Dirt Race will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway, preceding the Virginia swing. NASCAR is transforming the renowned short track, located on the border of Tennessee and Virginia, into a dirt oval for the very first time in the history of the Cup Series.
On September 11, the Cup Series will make its way back to Richmond for the Federated Auto Parts 400. This race marks the second event out of ten in the NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs, which concludes the year.
On October 31st, Martinsville will be hosting the Xfinity 500, serving as the second-to-last race of the season.
During the reshuffled 2020 pandemic season, Truex Jr. and Elliott emerged as winners in Martinsville. In the same vein, Keselowski secured victory in the only race held at Richmond in 2020.
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