NASCAR: 5 drivers most likely to win the regular season finale at Daytona

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is set to come to an end this Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. Who will close it out with a win?

Daytona International Speedway’s annual summer NASCAR Cup Series race had traditionally been held on Independence Day weekend prior to 2020, when it was shifted to late August so that it could serve as the regular season finale.

Having a race at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval determine the 16-driver playoff field increased the stakes in what was already a chaotic and unpredictable race, as superspeedway races generally are.

Given the fact that these drafting races are viewed as “wild card” events that level the playing field in a way, it is often hard to come up with a list of favorites to win. And, of course, the favorites to win these equalizer-type events usually have much longer odds to win than the favorites to win any other oval races do.

FanDuel Sportsbook, which is giving fans a guaranteed $200 just for signing up and betting $5, lists Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott as the +1100 favorite to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Here are the top five favorites.

As usual, there are no clear favorites to win this particular NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona, with nobody listed with odds shorter than +1100.

For context, Cup Series favorites are generally listed in the +400 to +600 range. Elliott is as good of a pick as any to be the official “favorite”, given that he is a three-time superspeedway race winner who already has two such wins in the Next Gen era. But he is still seeking that elusive Daytona win.

Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch went 15 years between superspeedway wins before his April win at Talladega Superspeedway. Can he repeat his 2008 success and win at both Talladega and Daytona in the same year?

As for the other favorites, it is no surprise to see Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney toward the top, given their respective histories of superspeedway success.

The same can be said for RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, the two winningest active drivers in superspeedway races.

Odds and availability subject to change. Don’t miss your chance to lock in your $200!

The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is scheduled to be broadcast live on NBC from Daytona International Speedway starting at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 26. Be sure to take advantage of FuboTV’s free trial offer today and tune in!