The NASCAR season officially takes the green flag on Sunday with the 2026 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. William Byron enters as the two-time defending Daytona 500 champion, while Kyle Larson will begin his defense of the NASCAR season championship. Joey Logano, who will start in third at the ‘The Great American Race,’ is the co-favorite at +1000 alongside pole sitter Kyle Busch in the latest 2026 Daytona 500 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, with Ryan Blaney right behind at +1100.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Other top 2026 Daytona 500 contenders include Chase Elliott at +1200 and Denny Hamlin and back-to-back winner Williams Byron, both at +1300. The 200-lap race from the 2.5-mile asphalt track is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET. Before making any 2026 Daytona 500 picks or NASCAR predictions,\u00a0you need to see the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s proven model<\/a>.<\/p>\n New users can also check out the latest\u00a0FanDuel promo code<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0get $100 in bonus bets instantly at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every lap of NASCAR action 10,000 times. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 29 winners since 2021 and hit 11 winners in 2025. Anyone following his NASCAR betting<\/a> picks at their favorite\u00a0sportsbooks<\/a>\u00a0could have seen huge returns.<\/p>\n Now, McClure has turned his attention to the NASCAR season-opening Daytona 500.\u00a0He’s only sharing his best bets at SportsLine<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 predictions<\/p>\n For the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, McClure is fading Logano, who is the +1000 co-favorite. The model says he doesn’t even crack the top 5, making him a driver to avoid at this price. Logano hasn’t finished higher than fifth at Daytona since 2023, and he ranks 15th among active drivers in average finish position at this track, making him a driver to avoid at this price.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another surprise: The model is high on Kyle Larson, who is a +1700 longshot. Larson will start on Row 4 in the eighth position overall, next to No. 7 Austin Dillon. Larson historically hasn’t been great at Daytona, but with a NASCAR title and three wins last year, he’s a strong value at these longer odds.\u00a0See which other drivers the model is backing at SportsLine<\/a>.<\/p>\n New users can target the\u00a0DraftKings promo code<\/a>, which offers\u00a0$300 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins<\/a>:<\/p>\n How to make 2026 Daytona 500 picks<\/p>\n McClure is also high on a +2000 longshot, potentially netting any backer a huge payday. You can only see who it is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n So who wins the 2026 Daytona 500, and which massive longshot could stun NASCAR? Visit SportsLine now to see the 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 picks and best bets from a NASCAR insider,<\/a> and find out.<\/p>\n 2026 NASCAR Daytona 500 odds, lineup<\/p>\n