The NASCAR season formally takes the inexperienced flag on Sunday with the 2026 Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway. William Byron enters because the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, whereas Kyle Larson will start his protection of the NASCAR season championship. Joey Logano, who will begin in third on the ‘The Nice American Race,’ is the co-favorite at +1000 alongside pole sitter Kyle Busch within the newest 2026 Daytona 500 odds through FanDuel Sportsbook, with Ryan Blaney proper behind at +1100.
Different high 2026 Daytona 500 contenders embrace Chase Elliott at +1200 and Denny Hamlin and back-to-back winner Williams Byron, each at +1300. The 200-lap race from the two.5-mile asphalt monitor is scheduled to start out at 2:30 p.m. ET. Earlier than making any 2026 Daytona 500 picks or NASCAR predictions, it is advisable see the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s confirmed mannequin.
New customers may take a look at the most recent FanDuel promo code and get $100 in bonus bets immediately at FanDuel in case your $5 guess wins.
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 instances. 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.
2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 predictions
For the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, McClure is fading Logano, who’s the +1000 co-favorite. The mannequin says he would not even crack the highest 5, making him a driver to keep away from at this value. Logano hasn’t completed increased than fifth at Daytona since 2023, and he ranks fifteenth amongst energetic drivers in common end place at this monitor, making him a driver to keep away from at this value.
One other shock: The mannequin is excessive on Kyle Larson, who’s a +1700 longshot. Larson will begin on Row 4 within the eighth place general, subsequent to No. 7 Austin Dillon. Larson traditionally hasn’t been nice at Daytona, however with a NASCAR title and three wins final yr, he is a robust worth at these longer odds. See which different drivers the mannequin is backing at SportsLine.
New customers can goal the DraftKings promo code, which presents $300 in bonus bets in case your $5+ guess wins:
The right way to make 2026 Daytona 500 picks
McClure can be excessive on a +2000 longshot, doubtlessly netting any backer an enormous payday. You possibly can solely see who it’s right here.
So who wins the 2026 Daytona 500, and which huge longshot 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 vary)
Kyle Busch +1000
Joey Logano +1000
Ryan Blaney +1100
Chase Elliott +1200
Denny Hamlin +1300
William Byron +1300
Austin Cindric +1400
Kyle Larson +1700
Brad Keselowski +2000
Chase Briscoe +2000
Christopher Bell +2200
Alex Bowman +2200
Ryan Preece +2500
Bubba Wallace +2500
Chris Buescher +2500
Josh Berry +2500
Carson Hocevar +2700
Erik Jones +3000
Ross Chastain +3300
Connor Zilisch +3300
Tyler Reddick +3500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +3500
Ty Gibbs +4000
Daniel Suarez +4500
Austin Dillon +5000
Michael McDowell +5000
John Hunter Nemechek +5000
Justin Allgaier +5000
Jimmie Johnson +5500
Noah Gragson +6000
Todd Gilliland +6000
Zane Smith +6000
AJ Allmendinger +6000
Shane Van Gisbergen +7000
Ty Dillon +7000
Cole Custer +7000
Corey Heim +7000
Riley Herbst +7500
Cody Ware +12500
BJ McLeod +17500
Casey Mears +17500
