The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series is about to get fired up with the running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February, 20. The entire NASCAR slate of series starts that week with the Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Racing Series all competing during the season-opening speed week at the track.
This will be the 63 rd running of the top race on the schedule and people are wondering if last year’s winner can defend his crown. Probably not according to oddsmakers as Michael McDowell comes in at +6000 which is way down the list considering that the favorite, Denny Hamlin is at +850.
So how do the other drivers shake out – including defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson? I think the best way to start evaluating the favorites is to go right down the list. Let’s take a look at the top-five favorites on the odds list and the reasons I think they are sporting the odds attached to them.
There is a HUGE note that everyone needs to consider this season, at least during the first several races. This season the Cup Series is driving a brand new car. Toss all of the old notes out the window if you’re a crew chief. As a fan, all we can do is hope our favorite teams are getting their setups correct and look at old trends.
2022 Daytona 500 Top Contenders
Here are the favorites through to win the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race outright.
Denny Hamlin +850
Denny Hamlin has won the Daytona 500 the most times of all active drivers. He has won three of the last six runnings of the Great American Race. And he’s been in the hunt for the Cup Series Championship almost every season for the last 5-6 years. Hamlin is also still with his Joe Gibbs Racing team so he brings a lot of experience back to the track with him.
Chase Elliott +1000
Chase Elliott finished the 2021 season in the hunt for the Championship and was the Cup Series Champion in 2020. He has never won at Daytona International Speedway on the tri-oval track. He has won at the Daytona Road course. Oddsmakers are probably looking at his stats overall over the last two seasons. One note that might make you fade on Elliott for this race is that he’s won only one race out of 58 super-speedway starts as a Cup Driver.
Kyle Larson +1000
The defending Cup Series Champion is Kyle Larson and oddsmakers have him in a +1000 tie with Chase Elliott. Larson won ten races last season but like Elliott, he’s never won on the Daytona Super Speedway Tri-oval surface. Oddsmakers are looking at Larson’s dominating 2021 season but putting him behind Hamlin due to his lack of superspeedway wins at both Daytona, Talladega, and Pocono.
Joey Logano +1200
Joey Logano has won five times on superspeedways (Daytona, Talladega, and Pocono) and has 8 wins on tracks of 2+ miles. He won the 2015 Daytona 500. Last season Logano was one of the stronger Ford drivers in the Cup Series and made it to the Playoffs for Team Penske. Logano comes in at +1200 with a huge reason to look past him. He’s crashed out of 3 of his last 4 Daytona starts.
Ryan Blaney +1200
Ryan Blaney has probably been the best of the Ford drivers for the last several seasons when it comes to position during a race. He always seems to make it to the front, stay there for a long time, and then – something seems to happen. At least that’s the perception that many fans have. Blaney has 13 Cup Series starts at Daytona including a win, 3 T5, and 5 T10 finishes. Blaney’s huge plus is that he has 5 Superspeedway wins on his Cup Series Resume.
The Rest of the Top Ten – Good and Bad Things
Here are the rest of the top-ten drivers on the odds list for the 2022 running of the Daytona 500 with a quick note of good things and bad things that pop into my mind from a wagering and fandom point of view.
William Byron +1200: Surprising run in 2021 with a single superspeedway win on his resume which was Daytona. He also has 12 top-ten finishes on that type of track. My darkhorse favorite heading into much of the 2022 season.
Brad Keselowski +1400: Ten superspeedway wins, past Cup Champion, faded in 2021.
Darrell Wallace Jr. +1600: Improved season to season, with a well-funded team associated with Joe Gibbs Racing with good equipment, never won on a Superspeedway.
Kurt Busch +1600: Former Daytona 500 winner, past Cup Champion, with a new smaller team in 2022.
Kevin Harvick +1600: Former Daytona 500 winner, Past Cup Champion, but was dismal last season.
Past Daytona 500 Winners
Here is a breakdown of the past Daytona 500 winners by year, driver, team, and manufacture.
2021 – Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, Ford
2020 – Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
2019 – Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
2018 – Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
2017 – Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford
2016 – Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota
2015 – Joey Logano, Team Penske, Ford
2014 – Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
2013 – Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet
2012 – Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
2011 – Trevor Bayne, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford
2010 – Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet
2009 – Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford
2008 – Ryan Newman, Penske Racing Dodge
2007 – Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500
Denny Hamlin +850
Chase Elliott +1000
Kyle Larson +1000
Joey Logano +1200
William Byron +1200
Ryan Blaney +1200
Brad Keselowski +1400
Darrell Wallace Jr. +1600
Kurt Busch +1600
Kevin Harvick +1600
Alex Bowman +1600
Kyle Busch +1600
Austin Dillon +2000
Martin Truex Jr +2000
Tyler Reddick +2200
Aric Almirola +2200
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +2500
Austin Cindric +2500
Christopher Bell +2500
Chris Buescher +3300
Justin Haley +3300
AJ Allmendinger +3500
Ross Chastain +4500
Harrison Burton +4500
Chase Briscoe +5000
Cole Custer +5500
Erik Jones +6000
Daniel Suarez +6000
Michael McDowell +6000
Matt Dibenedetto +7000
Kaz Grala +10000
Noah Gragson +10000
Ty Dillon +10000
Landon Cassill +12500
Corey Lajoie +12500
Todd Gilliland +15000
BJ McLeod +25000
Garrett Smithley +25000
Cody Ware +25000
Josh Bilicki +25000
Quinn Houff +25000
Check out our 2022 NASCAR rookies preview next.
