NASCAR: New Daytona 500 favorite identified with starting lineup set

Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch became the betting favorite to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway following Wednesday night's single-car qualifying session, taking over from Team Penske's Ryan Blaney.

Now the full starting lineup is set following Thursday night's Bluegreen Vacations Duels, and Busch is set to start in 34th place behind the wheel of his No. 8 Chevrolet. Blaney is set to start in 32nd behind the wheel of his No. 12 Ford. Both competed in the second Duel and were involved in a crash that ended their race.

FanDuel Sportsbook, which is offering fans a $150 bonus on any winning $5 bet (effectively a +3000 odds boost), now lists Team Penske's Joey Logano as the favorite to win the 66th annual "Great American Race".

Joey Logano the new Daytona 500 favorite

The driver of the No. 22 Ford, who secured the pole position in Wednesday's session, is listed at +900 to win the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval.

Starting position is not usually a huge factor in superspeedway races, and that is particularly true in the Daytona 500. Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman became the first polesitter to finish the race in the top five since 2001 with a fifth place finish last year. No polesitter has won the race since Dale Jarrett took the checkered flag in 2000.

Still, it is a bit surprising that it took until after the Bluegreen Vacations Duels for Logano to become the favorite. The 2015 Daytona 500 winner had already secured the pole position heading into Thursday night; he simply needed to keep his car in one piece to avoid having to go to a backup car so that he could retain the top spot.

Logano finished the Daytona 500 in second place last year. Reigning winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of JTG Daugherty Racing is set to start in 35th place behind the wheel of his No. 47 Chevrolet. He started in 31st last year.

Fox is set to broadcast the Daytona 500 live from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, February 18, though be on the lookout for potential schedule changes due to inclement weather. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action, regardless of when it happens!