2026 Daytona 500 Betting Preview

The 2026 NASCAR season opens up today at Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500. William Byron returns to defend his title at the 200 laps / 500 miles track as he tries to become the first driver ever to win the Daytona 500 in three consecutive years.

DAYTONA 500 RACE START TIME & RACE INFO

• Event: Daytona 500
• Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
• When: Sunday, February 15 at 1:30 PM ET
• TV: FOX

DAYTONA 500 RACE FAVORITES

• Denny Hamlin (Odds to Win: +900)

• Kyle Busch (Odds to Win: +900)

• Joey Logano (Odds to Win: +1000)

• Ryan Blaney (Odds to Win: +1200)

• Kyle Larson (Odds to Win: +1200)

DUNKEL INDEX TOP 10

Here are the Top 10 drivers for this event, according to the Dunkel Index:

WINNER: WILLIAM BYRON (+1400)

Byron became just the fifth driver in history to win back-to-back Daytona 500s last year and will try for an unpredented third straight today.  Rated No. 1 in the Dunkel Index, Byron (+1400) is our pick to take the checkered flag at Daytona again on Sunday.

BEST ODDS TOP 5 FINISH: CHASE ELLIOTT (+160)

Rated No. 4 in the Dunkel Index

BEST ODDS TOP 10 FINISH: AUSTIN CINDRIC (-105)

Rated No. 9 in the Dunkel Index