NASCAR Cup Series drivers don’t have far to travel following a rain-delayed but exciting Daytona 500. Their next event is also at Daytona but this time they’ll race around the Daytona International Speedway Road Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253.
This is just the second time the NASCAR Cup Series has competed on this track and when looking at the Daytona Road Course odds, it is Chase Elliott who is listed as the favorite.
Online sportsbook [Sportsbook not available for your region] has released Daytona Road Course odds and has Elliott as the chalk at +200. He’s followed by Martin Truex Jr. at +550, Kyle Busch at +700, Ryan Blaney at +750 and A.J. Allmendinger at +800 to round out the top five drivers on the oddsboard.
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Daytona Road Course Odds: O’Reilly Auto Parts 253
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | +200 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +550 |
| Kyle Busch | +700 |
| Ryan Blaney | +750 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | +800 |
| Denny Hamlin | +800 |
| Kevin Harvick | +950 |
| Joey Logano | +1500 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1800 |
| William Byron | +1800 |
| Alex Bowman | +2000 |
| Kurt Busch | +2200 |
| Chase Briscoe | +2800 |
| Kyle Larson | +2800 |
| Erik Jones | +4400 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | +4400 |
| Christopher Bell | +5000 |
| Aric Almirola | +5500 |
| Cole Custer | +5500 |
| Michael McDowell | +7000 |
| Tyler Reddick | +7700 |
| Ross Chastain | +8800 |
| Anthony Alfredo | +10000 |
| Darrell Wallace Jr. | +10000 |
| Ryan Newman | +10000 |
| Austin Dillon | +12500 |
| Chris Buescher | +12500 |
| Justin Haley | +25000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +27500 |
| James Davison | +75000 |
| Ryan Preece | +75000 |
| Daniel Suarez | +80000 |
| Josh Bilicki | +80000 |
| Ty Dillon | +100000 |
| Josey Gase | +175000 |
| Timmy Hill | +200000 |
| BJ McLeod | +225000 |
| Cody Ware | +225000 |
| Corey LaJoie | +225000 |
| Quin Houff | +225000 |
Odds as of February 18 courtesy of [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Why is Elliott the Favorite in Daytona Road Course Odds?
As mentioned off the top, this is just the second-ever running for the Cup Series at the Daytona Road Course. Who won the inaugural race last August? Chase Elliott. Furthermore, the reigning Cup champion has been the one to beat when it comes to road courses over the last three seasons. Five of his 11 career wins have come at road courses and he has won five of the last eight Cup races at this style of track.
Elliott is coming off a second-place finish last week at the Daytona 500 and will be leading the field to the green flag as he is on the pole for this week’s race. Given that he’ll get to jump out in front early and dial his car in, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be the favorite in the Daytona Road Course odds.
Daytona Road Course Picks
For each race, I will provide my two favorite picks along with a sleeper that is providing tremendous value.
Chase Elliott +200: As much as I don’t like betting on a driver to win a race at +200, because the value simply isn’t good enough, backing Elliott on any road course is a no-brainer. Honestly, the only way he doesn’t pick up the checkered flag this week is if he has some sort of mechanical failure or gets caught up in an accident.
Denny Hamlin +800: Looking at the sixth man on the oddsboard for my second pick, I was surprised he wasn’t further up on the list. Hamlin was the runner-up last year at this track, leading the second-most laps behind Elliott, and he will be starting from the second row for this race. He is coming off a fifth-place finish last week.
Daytona Road Course Sleeper Pick
Michael McDowell +7000: The 2021 Daytona 500 Sportsbook is providing tremendous value to win on consecutive weekends. Yes, last week’s victory was the first in his career and just his fourth career top-five finish. However, he will be starting this race on the outside of row 1 and he had a 10th-place finish in last year’s running at this track, so perhaps a top-10 or top-five wager on him may be a less risky option for you.
