Jimmie Johnson kick-starts his pursuit of another Sprint Cup win as a favorite in early 2011 Daytona 500 odds.
The Great American Race at Daytona will take place on Valentine's Day February 14th, but there is action before that with the Daytona Shootout on the sixth and the Gatorade Duel 1 and 2 on the 11th.
[ CLICK HERE FOR THIS SEASON'S ODDSSHARK NASCAR DAYTONA 500 BETTING PREVIEW ]
Last year Jamie McMurray won the Daytona 500, but this year Kevin Harvick has the best odds to win it at +600 at Sportsbook. Harvick won the Daytona 500 back in 2007 and also won the Daytona Shootout last season so he knows how to win on the track.
Kyle Busch came in 14th last season at this race and he also had 13 series wins and is poised for a big year. He has the car and the crew to win it and he came in third at the Gatorade Duel 1 last season. Tony Stewart is at +800 and Stewart Haas only finished last year's event in 22nd place, but there is a lot of talk about his car this season.
Last season's Sportsbook Jamie McMurray is at +1000 at Sportsbook, but after qualifying for the Sprint Cup title last season he only had two top-10 finishes in the race for the cup. Also, there has not been a repeat Sportsbook at the Daytona 500 since Sterling Marlin won in 1994 and 1995.
Denny Hamlin along with Jimmy Johnson are both at +1200 at Sportsbook and these two drivers finished first and second in last year's Sprint Cup title. Hamlin finished 17th in last year's Daytona 500, but finished fifth and 12th in the Gatorade Duels. It may be all or nothing with Hamlin, as after blowing last season's Sprint Cup Championship he may get off to a slow start in this race.
One guy who knows how to win this race is Jeff Gordon, as he has won it three times in 1997, 1999, and 2005. He may be poised for a comeback this year after finishing a disappointing 26th in last year's Daytona 500. Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr - last season's second-place finisher in the Daytona 500 - are both at +1200.
Here are the odds at Sportsbook to win the Daytona 500 as of January 12:
Kevin Harvick +600
Kyle Busch +800
Tony Stewart +800
Jamie McMurray +1000
Denny Hamlin +1200
Jimmie Johnson +1200
Dale Earnhardt Jr +1200
Jeff Gordon +1200
Clint Bowyer +1200
Carl Edwards +1500
Kurt Busch +1500
Joey Logano +2000
Mark Martin +2000
Juan Montoya +2000
zx Field (Any Other Driver) +2500
Jeff Burton +2500
David Reutimann +3000
David Ragan +3000
Paul Menard +3000
Kasey Kahne +3000
Greg Biffle +3000
Ryan Newman +3000
Brian Vickers +3000
Matt Kenseth +3000
Martin Truex Jr +3000
AJ Allmendinger +4000
Brad Keselowski +5000
Marcos Ambrose +6000
Regan Smith +10000
Bobby Labonte +10000
