Will another underdog win? 5 longshots to pick for the 2024 Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH — We finally know when the Daytona 500 will start this weekend, after expected showers throughout the weekend. Who will win the Great American Race is another question seemingly without a sensible answer.
Four former Cup Series champions — Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. — have come empty in at least 10 previous Daytona 500s. In the last three years, Michael McDowell (66-to-1 odds), Austin Cindric (25-to-1) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (30-to-1) drove into Victory Lane and hoisted the coveted Harley J. Earl Trophy.
In short, for fans watching Sunday's — or Monday's — main event of Speedweek could be profitable for those with the courage to bet on the underdog.
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Using DraftKings odds as of Friday afternoon, here are five drivers that might be worth investing in for the 2024 Daytona 500.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Odds: 35-to-1 (+3500)
Buzz: The defending champion at 35-to-1? What is going on here?
Given his longstanding reputation within the sport, Stenhouse could just as soon ignite The Big One and get swept up in the carnage as he could win a second time. But he's as accomplished a driver on superspeedways as just about anyone in the Cup Series.
Stenhouse has 12 career top-10 finishes at Daytona and Talladega, winning at each track during the 2017 season. He's also led at least 10 laps in five of the last six Daytona 500s.
If he's at the front of the pack when it matters most, Stenhouse has the skills to seal the deal again.
Austin Dillon
Odds: 40-to-1 (+4000)
Buzz: Similar to Stenhouse in both volatility and Daytona pedigree, Dillon has four Daytona 500 top-10s since joining the Cup Series full-time in 2013. He won the title in 2018, and prevailed in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 just 18 months ago.
Sure, that's all in the past and the 2023 season was one to forget for Dillon with no wins, seven top-10s in 37 starts and a 29th-place finish in the points standings. But early returns this week were promising; he ran eighth in qualifying at 181.068 mph.
AJ Allmendinger
Odds: 45-to-1 (+4500)
Buzz: There's a gap in between, not running the 2019-22 races, but here are Allmendinger's last three finishes in the Daytona 500: sixth, 10th, third. Professionally speaking, that's pretty darn good.
He's a road-course specialist, winning at the Charlotte Roval last year and scoring top-10s at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, but Allmendinger has been in the hunt on several prior Daytona occasions. He's finished third three times on the Cup Series, twice in the 500 (2017, '09) and once in the 400 ('18).
Josh Berry
Odds: 65-to-1 (+6500)
Buzz: Of all the full-time Cup Series rookies in the field, Berry unquestionably has the best equipment, taking over Kevin Harvick's No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. The 33-year-old won five times on the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports after an accomplished career as a late model stock car driver.
Berry made five Xfinity Series starts at Daytona, and finished four of them. That's the good news; he never once cracked the top-15. And results this week have been decidedly middling; 23rd in qualifying, and starting 32nd after the Duels.
Even with all that said, Berry is among the more tempting dart throws in the bottom tier of betting favorites. He gained valuable experience last year filling in for both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman during their injury absences, turning in one top-five and three top-10s.
Todd Gilliland
Odds: 100-to-1 (+10000)
Buzz: And now let's go for pure gambling glory.
Among the drivers listed, Gilliland comfortably has the least successful Daytona track record. He's made four Cup Series starts at the World Center of Racing and exited early in every one of them, three via wreck and one due to engine failure.
However, Front Row Racing has enjoyed a good week thus far — McDowell is starting, fittingly, on the front row, and Gilliland finished with a respectable 11th-place outing in qualifying (180.339 mph).
The 23-year-old is winless in his first two Cup seasons, with just six top-10s in 73 starts. What better time than now to join the fraternity of unexpected champions?
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Who will win the Daytona 500? 5 underdogs who could win NASCAR race
