2026 Daytona 500 Betting Preview: Odds, Predictions, Best Bets

2026 Daytona 500 Betting Preview: Odds, Predictions, Best Bets

It is race week, and the latest 2026 Daytona 500 odds have a three-way tie at the top! Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric (all Team Penske drivers) are tied at 10-1 odds to win this year’s Daytona 500. Will they dominate or is someone else poised to win?

I explore the latest odds and the favorites, highlight a few promising sleepers, and share my Daytona 500 predictions and best bets, including some props.


2026 Daytona 500 Winner Odds

Driver Daytona 500 Odds Team
Ryan Blaney +1000 Team Penske
Joey Logano +1000 Team Penske
Austin Cindric +1000 Team Penske
William Byron +1200 Hendrick Motorsports
Denny Hamlin +1400 Joe Gibbs Racing
Chase Elliott +1400 Hendrick Motorsports
Kyle Larson +1600 Hendrick Motorsports
Brad Keselowski +1600 RFK Racing
Christopher Bell +1800 Joe Gibbs Racing
Kyle Busch +2000 Richard Childress Racing
Connor Zilisch +2000 Trackhouse Racing
Tyler Reddick +2000 23XI Racing

Team Penske has three drivers, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric, tied at +1000 odds to win the Daytona 500. Last year, Blaney and Cindric finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Logano, on the other hand, retired from the race after a crash on the 186th lap.

William Byron, who won this race last year, has the next-best odds at +1200. He is followed closely by Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott, who are tied for the fifth-best odds at 14-1 each.

Shop up-to-the-minute Daytona 500 winner odds by going to BetUS and navigating to NASCAR > Futures > Daytona 500 Outright.

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Daytona 500 Favorites in 2026

Keep reading for a closer look at the top favorites to win the 2026 Daytona 500, courtesy of the best NASCAR betting sites.

Ryan Blaney (+1000)

    • Team: Team Penske
    • Manufacturer: Ford
    • Crew Chief: Jonathan Hassler
    • Final 2025 Rank: 6th

Ryan Blaney is one of three Team Penske drivers who are tied at +1000 odds to win the 2026 Daytona 500. Blaney has finished in the top five three times at Daytona, including twice being the runner-up, but has never won.

Blaney was one of nine cars involved in a crash on lap 186 last year. He was able to finish the race but could not regain the momentum he had built early in the race.

After finishing in the top three of the first two stages, including leading stage two, Blaney fell to seventh in the final stage. On the other hand, he did lead for 23 laps in last year’s race, more than double William Byron (10), who won the event.

Blaney picked up momentum toward the end of last season, with three of his four wins coming in the final 11 races. He even won the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400, which was held at Daytona International Speedway. If he can repeat that performance, he may win his first Daytona 500. Still, I see a better option among the favorites.

Joey Logano (+1000)

    • Team: Team Penske
    • Manufacturer: Ford
    • Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe
    • Final 2025 Rank: 7th

Another Team Penske driver listed at 10-1 odds to win the 2026 Daytona 500 is Joey Logano. This is Logano’s 18th Daytona 500, and he won this race in 2015. More recently, though, he has only finished in the top 10 once since 2020, when he came in second in 2023.

Logano only recorded one win last year, taking home the top spot in the 2025 Würth 400. On the bright side, he had 13 finishes in the top 10 last season.

Like Blaney, Logano was involved in the crash on lap 186. Logano attempted to pass Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., leading to a massive collision, and Logano was unable to finish the race.

His record in this race and the overall struggles last year give me enough reasons to pass on Logano’s odds.

Austin Cindric (+1000)

    • Team: Team Penske
    • Manufacturer: Ford
    • Crew Chief: Brian Wilson
    • Final 2025 Rank: 14th

Rounding out the three favorites is Austin Cindric, who finished eighth last year. Despite the disappointing finish, Cindric impressed by leading for a race-high 59 laps. It was also his best finish in the Daytona 500 since winning the race in 2022.

Cindric had the lead late in the race, assuming the top spot on lap 198. However, he was unable to hold the lead as he was caught in an 11-car wreck before reaching the finish line.

He can be a major threat this year if Cindric can earn another strong start and avoid a late-race crash. Including his eighth-place finish at Daytona, Cindric had five top 10 finishes last year. His only win of the season came during the 2025 Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Still, the guy usually does well in Daytona, making him my prime favorite for the win.

William Byron (+1200)

    • Team: Hendrick Motorsports
    • Manufacturer: Chevrolet
    • Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
    • Final 2025 Rank: 4th

William Byron took advantage of the fourth and final wreck in last year’s Daytona 500 to win the race. After avoiding the chaos, Byron edged out Tyler Reddick to win the race. He became the first back-to-back winner since Denny Hamlin (2019, 2020).

Another win this year would put Byron in rarefied air. Only 14 drivers have three or more Daytona 500 wins, and no one has won three in a row. Richard Petty came close, with three of his seven Daytona 500 wins coming in a four-year span.

In addition to winning the Daytona 500, Byron also won the 2025 Iowa Corn 500 and the 2025 Xfinity 500. He ended the season with 16 top 10 finishes and 11 top five finishes. His record in Daytona is strong, but he was very lucky last season, so that should be accounted for when evaluating his performances.


Top Longshots for the Daytona 500 in 2026

Here are two dark horse candidates to consider in this year’s Daytona 500.

  1. 1. Tyler Reddick (+2000)

    Tyler Reddick fell just short of winning last year’s race, finishing second behind Byron. His second place was tied for his best result last season. Reddick did not record a win, but he did have seven top-five finishes.

    Reddick avoided multiple major crashes last year and nearly won the Daytona 500. If he can do that again, Reddick will be competing for the lead on the final lap.

  2. 2. Ryan Preece (+3000)

    Ryan Preece is also a long shot at +3000 odds to win the 2026 Daytona 500. Preece had 14 top 10 finishes last season and has 30 in his career.

    However, he is still searching for his first NASCAR Cup Series win. Preece has plenty of momentum coming into the race after winning the 2026 Cook Out Clash. The odds of +3000 look too high to ignore, so a small wager makes sense.

2026 Daytona 500 Outright Winner Prediction and Betting Pick

The Harley J. Earl Trophy is on the line this Sunday, and three Team Penske drivers are tied for the best odds to win the Daytona 500. Of the top containers, I think Austin Cindric (+1000) has the best chances to win.

Cindric led for nearly a third of the race last year before getting caught in a late-race crash. Assuming he avoids tragedy late, Cindric should push for his second Dayton 500 win.

The Bet
Austin Cindric
+1000


Best 2026 Daytona 500 Prop Bets

In addition to odds on the winner, BetUS has exciting 2026 Daytona 500 props.

Will There Be a 1st Time Winner?

    • Yes (-260)
    • No (+170)

Multi-time winners are rare for the Daytona 500, but they have been more common recently. Nine of the last 26 Daytona 500 winners had at least one win under their belt.

The odds still favor a new winner, though, with a first-time winner listed at -260, with the opposite listed at +170.

Most of the favorites have won before, so I’m happy to back a previous winner to do it again such a tasty price.

The Bet
No
+170

Total Caution Flags

    • Over 7.5 caution flags (-190)
    • Under 7.5 caution flags (+140)

You can also bet on the total number of caution flags in this year’s Daytona 500. The over/under is set at 7.5 caution flags, with the over listed as a -190 favorite.

For reference, recent Daytona 500s have included the following number of caution flags.

    • 2025 – 8 caution flags
    • 2024 – 5 caution flags
    • 2023 – 8 caution flags
    • 2022 – 7 caution flags
    • 2021 – 7 caution flags

Only two of the last five Daytona 500s have involved over 7.5 caution flags. With that in mind, I recommend taking the under on this totals prop bet. The odds should be much closer to even.

The Bet
Under 7.5 caution flags
+140

Number of Winning Car

    • Odd (-120)
    • Even (-120)

Another popular prop bet for the Daytona 500 is this wager for the number of the winning car. Instead of betting on the exact number, you simply pick whether the number will be odd or even.

Blaney (12), Logano (22), and Cindric (2) are the three co-favorites, and they all drive an even-numbered car. Byron, the two-time defending champion, also drives an even-numbered car, 24.

With so many of the top options sporting even numbers, the value is on this option.

The Bet
Even
-120


Where to Bet on the Daytona 500 in 2026

If you want to follow or face my Dayona 500 predictions, I recommend BetUS. The sportsbook has markets on all the top NASCAR races for the 2026 season, including various Daytona 500 prop bets.

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About the Author
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Shaun Stack
Writer, Sports and Casino
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Shaun Stack is a freelance writer who joined the Sports Geek in 2022 and has previously authored dozens of casino blogs. He enjoys playing any casino game, but is particularly fond of Blackjack and Texas Hold’em. He also enjoys betting on sports, especially the NFL, and is an avid PA sports fan. Shaun is a native of Kansas City, Missouri, but now lives in Pennsylvania.
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