The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway with the 68th running of the Daytona 500. The green flag for “The Great American Race” is scheduled to drop on Sunday, February 15 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time.
The opening betting odds for the Daytona 500 has the likes of Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney among the favorites to win. Meanwhile, a few former winners of the 200-lap event are longshots to win it again.
The initial odds came out prior to Daytona 500 qualifying, which takes place Wednesday night, February 11.
Denny Hamlin Opens as Favorite to Win Daytona 500
In the opening betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbooks, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin is the odds-on favorite at +900. The driver of the #11 has the most Daytona 500 wins among active drivers with wins in 2016, 2019, and 2020.
Close behind Hamlin is Ryan Blaney with +1000 odds to win. The driver of the #12 has never won the Daytona 500 but has been the victor in the Daytona fall race twice, including last season. Blaney’s best finish in the Daytona 500 is second in 2020.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson are both at +1100 odds to win. Byron is the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion and aims to become the first driver in history to win “The Great American Race” three straight times.
Larson, meanwhile, enters as the defending Cup Series champion. The driver of the #5 has struggled at Daytona, however, with only six top-10 finishes in 23 starts. His best finish in the Daytona 500 is seventh twice, coming in 2016 and 2019.
Joey Logano has the next-best odds at +1200 to win. The driver of the #22 is the 2015 Daytona 500 and finished runner-up in 2023. In last year’s race, the three-time Cup Series champion led 43 laps prior to finishing 35th due to getting collected in a crash.
Former Daytona 500 Winners Enter as Longshots
Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are among past Daytona 500 winners who are longshots to win “The Great American Race” for a second time. Stenhouse enters at +4000 to win, while Dillon sits at +5500 to win.
Stenhouse captured the victory in the 2023 Daytona 500, the longest race in the history of the event at 212 laps. The driver of the #47 has two top-five finishes and three top-1o finishes at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
Dillon, meanwhile, won the 2018 Daytona 500 in what was his second career NASCAR Cup win. The driver of the #3 also won the fall Daytona race in 2022. However, Dillon has finished outside the top 10 in his last six Daytona starts.
Jimmie Johnson is another former Daytona 500 winner who enters as a longshot at +7000 to win. The driver of the #84 captured two Daytona 500 victories during his full-time NASCAR career in 2006 and 2013.
Last year, Johnson avoided a last-lap crash to finish third in the Daytona 500.
Daytona 500 Kicks Off 2026 NASCAR Season
The 68th running of the Daytona 500 is set to take place on Sunday, February 13. Scheduled for 200 laps and 500 miles, the race kicks off the 78th season of NASCAR racing.
The race can be watched on FOX or listened to on the Motor Racing Network. This year’s Daytona 500 is made up into three stages of 65 laps, 65 laps, and 70 laps.
NASCAR Odds: Previous Winner Favored to Take Daytona 500