The NASCAR season formally kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 15, with the 2026 Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway. William Byron enters because the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, whereas Kyle Larson appears to be like to defend his NASCAR season championship. Ryan Blaney is the favourite at +850 within the newest 2026 Daytona 500 odds, with Joey Logano proper behind at +1000. Logano enters the common season coming off a seventh-place end in final yr’s standings. He gained the season championship in 2018, 2022 and 2024. Blaney completed sixth in final yr’s season standings.
Different favorites embody Byron at +1300, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott at +1400 and Brad Keselowski at +1700. The 200-lap race from the two.5-mile asphalt observe is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. Earlier than making any 2026 Daytona 500 picks or NASCAR predictions, it’s worthwhile to see the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s confirmed mannequin.
McClure is a legendary skilled DFS participant with greater than $2 million in profession winnings. He makes use of a strong prediction mannequin that simulates each lap of NASCAR motion 10,000 occasions. All instructed, the mannequin has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021 and hit 11 winners in 2025. Anybody following his NASCAR betting picks at their favourite sportsbooks may have seen big returns.
Now, McClure has turned his consideration to the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500. He is solely sharing his finest bets at SportsLine.
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2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 knowledgeable picks
For the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, McClure is fading Logano, who’s the +1000 second favourite. The mannequin says he would not even crack the highest 5, making him a driver to keep away from. Blaney was the runner-up within the 2020 Daytona 500, however he has not completed increased than fourth (2022) since, so the mannequin would not love his worth as a co-favorite.
One other shock: The mannequin is excessive on Kyle Busch at +1800, calling him a top-five contender and giving him a greater likelihood to win than his odds indicate. Busch has been a top-six finisher twice since 2019, and he completed final season with 10 top-10 finishes, together with fifth within the season finale in Phoenix. See which different drivers he is backing at SportsLine.
New customers can goal the DraftKings promo code, which gives $300 in bonus bets in case your wager wins:
Methods to make 2026 Daytona 500 predictions
McClure can also be excessive on two different NASCAR Daytona 500 longshots of +2000 or increased, doubtlessly netting any backer an enormous payday. You’ll be able to solely see who they’re right here.
So who wins the 2026 Daytona 500 and which huge longshots may stun NASCAR? Go to SportsLine now to see the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 picks and finest bets from a NASCAR insider, and discover out.
2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 odds, lineup
See full NASCAR Daytona 500 picks at SportsLine
(Odds from FanDuel, topic to alter)
Ryan Blaney +850
Joey Logano +1000
William Byron +1300
Kyle Larson +1400
Chase Elliott +1400
Brad Keselowski +1700
Austin Cindric +1700
Denny Hamlin +1800
Kyle Busch +1800
Bubba Wallace +1900
Chris Buescher +1900
Christopher Bell +2000
Tyler Reddick +2200
Chase Briscoe +2200
Ryan Preece +2700
Alex Bowman +2700
Ross Chastain +3000
Connor Zilisch +3000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +3000
Carson Hocevar +3000
Josh Berry +3300
Erik Jones +3500
Ty Gibbs +3500
Michael McDowell +4000
Austin Dillon +4500
Todd Gilliland +4500
Daniel Suarez +4500
AJ Allmendinger +5000
Shane Van Gisbergen +5500
Justin Allgaier +5500
Cole Custer +5500
Noah Gragson +6000
John Hunter Nemechek +6000
Zane Smith +6500
Ty Dillon +6500
Riley Herbst +7500
Cody Ware +10000
BJ McLeod +12500
Austin Hill +12500
JJ Yeley +12500
