Daytona 500 Betting Odds

Online sports betting is not yet active in Florida. This page will be updated with the latest promos, news and odds once Florida sportsbooks launch.

There are millions of dollars bet on the Daytona 500 every year, and legal sports betting in Florida is sure to increase the handle on Daytona even more.

NASCAR has partnered with the Genius betting platform to make betting on races even more enthralling. Genius provides live, up-to-the-second information that improves the ability to live-bet on the race. You can certainly bet on the winner of the race prior to the first lap, but there are plenty of other ways to get involved.

Below are the best ways to bet on the Daytona 500 right here in Florida. We’ll start with live odds for the top drivers, plus a full betting breakdown.

Daytona 500 odds

As soon as they’re released, you’ll find the latest odds on the Daytona 500 betting favorites below. Simply click any of the listed odds to place your bets.

What can you bet on for Daytona 500?

If you want to bet on the Daytona 500, there are plenty of ways to get in the action. There are numerous markets and lines posted, so everyone can find something to wager on. Here are some of the more common markets to be found at FL online sportsbooks.

  • Which Driver Will Win: In the weeks leading up to the race, you can bet on which driver you think will win the Daytona 500. Odds shift as the race approaches, so if you see a good number in the weeks before the race, you might want to pounce and beat the market movement. Most drivers offer substantial payouts as big plus-money underdogs.
  • In-Race Bets: Similar to live betting in other sports, you can bet on the race after it has already started. Maybe a driver is off to a slow start and you expect him to make up ground on the field and compete for the win. You can bet them at their adjusted Daytona 500 betting odds mid-race.
  • Driver Props: You can bet prop bets based on specific drivers. For example, you can bet over or under how many laps you think Denny Hamlin will lead during the race. You can also bet over or under a specific time for their fastest lap. If you don’t have the whole field handicapped but feel comfortable with your knowledge of a specific driver, this is an appealing market.
  • Manufacturer Props: You can bet which car manufacturer you think will win the race. You can also bet which driver you think will finish first among all drivers of a certain manufacturer.
  • Top 3/Top 5 Finish: This is similar to a win/place/show bet in horse racing. Maybe you think a certain driver will perform well but aren’t sure he will win. You can bet on drivers to finish in either the top three or top five of the race. These payouts aren’t as good as the odds on the driver to win the race, but it allows for a higher chance of winning your bet.
  • Pole Position: The pole position goes to the driver who posts the fastest lap during qualifying. Rather than betting on who you think will win the race, you’re betting on who you think will post the fastest lap during qualifying in order to claim pole position.
  • Lap Times: You can bet on which racer you think will post the fastest lap during the race. His final position in the race doesn’t matter as long as he posts the fastest overall lap. A driver can post the fastest lap and then crash his car on the very next lap and you’d still win your bet.
  • Driver Head-To-Head Matchups: You’ll often find similar markets in golf. You simply pick which of the two drivers will finish in a higher position. If you think Kurt Busch will have a better race than Danny Hamlin, you can bet Busch head-to-head. As long as Busch finishes ahead of Hamlin, you’ll win your bet even if they are the two last place finishers.
  • Driver vs. Group Matchups: This market is similar to the head-to-head matchups. However, instead of handicapping a driver against one other driver, you are handicapping which driver will finish atop a group.

Daytona specialty/prop bets

Sometimes you might not have a strong conviction on a winner but still want the action. Daytona is perfect for this. Check out its myriad prop bets.

You can root for chaos by prop betting on:

  • The number of crashes in the race
  • The number of drivers to actually finish
  • Total number of caution flags

If you want to keep your Daytona 500 betting tied to the results of the race, you can bet on markets such as which manufacturer you think will win. Additionally, you can bet on the fastest lap, pole position winner and head-to-head matchups between specific drivers.

Daytona live betting

Much like in other sports, NASCAR betting does not have to end once the race begins. Through live betting, you can get involved in the action whether the race has just begun, they’re in the middle stages or the drivers are approaching the finish line.

If you had high hopes for Joey Logano but struggled to make passes early in the race, you might look to him in the live-betting market. Once the race opens up, he could make the push he needs. If he’s struggling early, you can likely get better odds in a live bet than pre-race.

In addition to betting on a live winner, peruse lap-to-lap markets and other situational bets.

What should you bet on for Daytona 500?

With its vast options, betting on the Daytona 500 can be overwhelming to someone who isn’t familiar with betting on sports, or particularly betting on NASCAR.

If you simply want to dip your toe in the water, pick a few drivers you think will do well and bet on them to win. With high odds on most drivers, your chance of coming out of the race with a profit is promising should one of your drivers win. Additionally, rooting for a winner is simple. While watching the race to see if your selected driver wins, you can pick up some of the intricacies and nuances of the event, so you have more information for next time.

If you have decent knowledge of NASCAR, you might look to bet toward certain drivers to finish in the top five. Picking the specific winner of a race is very hard. Thus, you have a better chance of winning your bet if your selected driver has a good race and finishes on the podium or in the top five. Additionally, you can bet on head-to-head matchups between certain drivers.

If you know NASCAR well and feel like you might have an edge, dive deeper into markets and try to exploit some less-adjusted odds. Only if you have strong research skills or expanded knowledge of the sport would I venture into betting-specific markets such as fastest lap or number of caution flags.

Why bet on Daytona 500?

There are plenty of reasons to bet on the Daytona 500, even if you aren’t a racing fan.

The race occurs on a Sunday in late February, so there’s not much else on in terms of sports. Football is over, and hockey and basketball are in the dog-days of their regular seasons. Baseball is still over a month away. With the cold weather in most cities and lack of other sports, Daytona betting provides entertainment and an escape.

Outside of that, Daytona is the first race of the new season for NASCAR. If you’ve been keeping up with the offseason moves and speculation, you can find edges in a market that might be soft. As bookmakers get more data from races, the large edges will disappear. If you’ve done your homework during the off-season, you can profit early in the season before they catch up.

When are Daytona odds set and when are lines released?

Odds for the Daytona 500 are set when the qualifying drivers are known. It’s not possible for sportsbooks to release odds before we know how many drivers and which drivers will participate.

The field is often set a few weeks before the race. Odds and betting lines are released quickly.

Sportsbook rules for betting Daytona 500

Sportsbooks have a few rules to protect themselves and the bettor when it comes to NASCAR betting.

The race must be completed within a week of the listed start time, or all bets are voided. If a race is abandoned or suspended, it’s up to NASCAR to announce whether there is a winner. If no winner is announced within a week, bets are voided. Finally, if the venue changes, all bets are void.

Daytona 500 FAQ

When is the Daytona 500?

The Daytona 500 is fittingly named—a 500-mile-long NASCAR Cup Series race that occurs annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona 500 is regarded as the most prestigious race on the NASCAR circuit, carrying its largest prize, too.

In short, Daytona is an iconic destination and a Floridian institution that sparks the local economy. The race happens in February each year, the first race on the NASCAR calendar and usually one of the most highly contested events in professional sports.

The 2022 iteration of the Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 20. As always, the event will occur at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The venue can hold up to 167,785 people if you include those on the infield.

In most years, there are between 40 and 50 cars in the Daytona 500. In 2021, there were 44 cars.

What time does the Daytona 500 start?

The Daytona 500 usually starts around 1 p.m. Eastern Time, but it has been adjusted in the past to grab the West Coast viewer. Additionally, races are often delayed due to weather.

How can I watch the Daytona 500 online?

FOX is the exclusive rights holder for the Daytona 500. It’s owned the rights since 2007, and the contract runs through 2024. You can stream it through the Fox Sports app. You will need login information for a cable provider.

How many laps are there in the Daytona 500?

There are 200 laps in the Daytona 500 for a total of 500 miles.

Who has won the Daytona 500s in history?

Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 seven times in his career. He won the race in 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1981.

Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500 four times between 1968 and 1984. Bobby Allison, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin have won the race three times each.

How much is bet on the Daytona 500 every year?

The Daytona 500 is one of the premier auto racing events of the year. With many states, including Florida, now legalizing sports betting, wagering totals on the race should continue to increase.

While the Daytona isn’t as popular as events such as the Super Bowl or March Madness, it’s estimated that across all legal states, there are tens of millions of dollars bet on the Daytona 500.

How many people come to Daytona 500?

The Daytona 500 often sees crowds of over 150,000 people with many of these people coming from across the country and the world to watch the race. With the race occurring in February, many are eager to escape the cold of their home states to spend a few days in warm Florida.

Tourists don’t only come for the race. They go to the beach, stay in hotels, visit other attractions and eat at local restaurants. Estimates say the Daytona 500 generates nearly 2 billion dollars annually for Florida’s economy.