2014 NASCAR Daytona 500 Picks & Prediction: Who will win on Sunday?
by ATSSportsline.com
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (ATS CONSULTANTS) – The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets started today. Who is going to walk away with the win in the Daytona 500?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, six different drivers are favored to win Sunday’s race, as Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth are all 10/1 favorites for the 500-mile race.
Kenseth and Hamlin come into the race riding the biggest wave of momentum, as each won their respective Budweiser Duel race on Thursday. Hamlin also picked up a win in the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race last weekend at this track.
Below are our predictions for the 2014 Daytona 500:
Matt Kenseth 10/1
As we said, Kenseth is coming in off a win on Thursday and is one of the favorites to win the race. Kenseth is a two-time winner at Daytona and is starting up front. He showed a lot of consistency last season, nearly winning the Sprint Cup title, and he should find himself out front come the end of today’s race.
Austin Dillon 30/1
Dillon is going to start in the lead and he could end up finishing in the lead. He has only competed in one Daytona 500, but he had success at the track in his Nationwide career, earning three top 5s in four races. Nine drivers have won the Daytona 500 from the pole, with Dale Jarrett being the last to do so in 2000. Dillon will be driving the infamous No. 3 and it would be a perfect story for him to walk away with the win.
Live Long Shot
Paul Menard 40/1
Menard would be a shocker, but there are reasons to believe it could happen. Menard finished fifth in his duel on Thursday and will start 10th today. Menard finished 21st in last year’s Daytona 500 and was sixth in 2012. While it would take a little bit of luck, Menard is someone that will be in position to win if he gets a good break during the race.
2014 Daytona 500 Information
Race Date: Sunday, February 23
Location: Daytona International Speedway; Daytona Beach, FL
Pre-Race: Noon ET
Green Flag: 1PM ET
TV Coverage: FOX
Track Type: Speedway (200 laps)
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