Daytona 500 Belly Up Racing Picks

The Daytona 500 has arrived, sort of. We’re just a day (or two depending on the weather) away from the green flag at the Great American Race. We understand that this is a popular race for fans and newcomers who might now know the ins and outs like us regulars. So Chris Prince and I have teamed up to deliver a preview and our thoughts on some drivers who should succeed. As well as ones who we’re being cautious of this weekend. We’ll give you the betting odds and why we’re picking them, or picking against them. Let’s get right to it!

Chris’s Picks: #9 Chase Elliott (+1400), #43 Erik Jones (+2500)

Compared to my compatriot, I feel like my first pick might’ve been a bit of a gimme type of choice. I mean Chase Elliott does drive for HMS and while they haven’t won the 500 since 2013. Hendrick Motorsports as a whole before Willy B’s accident showed a lot of speed. Plus Chase is pretty good at being able to avoid the calamity that typically we see at tracks like Daytona.

Now as for Erik Jones. I see those odds and that they’re a bit outlandish. However, Erik showed a ton of race speed in his duel. Which he needed to do especially after the poor qualifying run most of the Toyota camp put down. Erik has won at Daytona before so he knows how to get to victory lane and it appears after the first practice session where Erik was second to only Denny Hamlin the new manufacturer alliance for LMC might be just what they needed. I think Erik could shock some especially if he can avoid the chaos that is drafting-style racing.

Kaleb’s Picks: #23 Bubba Wallace (+1800), #17 Chris Buescher (+1600)

These are two of the better restrictor track racers in the sport today. Chris Buescher won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last year and finished fourth in the 500. He led 32 laps on top of that. He and teammate/boss Brad Keselowski have a knack of finding themselves up front by the end of these kinds of races and they’ll likely spend some time together up front.

As for Bubba Wallace, he led a LOT of laps in the second duel on Thursday night. If not for an unfortunate wreck to Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and others ahead of him, he may have had a better finish. But regardless he saved his car, suffered minimal damage, and will look to repeat the same effort come race day. I put $10 on the 23 to win it, and he’ll have a great shot at it. Last year at the 500 he finished 20th after getting involved in a wreck. At the 400, he finished 12th with a sixth-place finish at the end of stage one. 23XI Racing is in prime position to become a staple team in NASCAR, and they’ll surely do so with a big Daytona 500 win from Bubba Wallace.

Chris’s Fade: #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr (+3000)

Yes, I know he has won the 500 before. He’s arguably one of the best drafting style drivers in the field depending on who you ask. However, I’m going to stay away from him because I think he’s going to get too aggressive too soon. Will I probably eat this choice next week now? Most likely but in the Daytona 500 the timing can be everything and Ricky has been known to be too aggressive too soon. Also once Ricky was put back in the pack in his duel, he didn’t seem to have quite the car he probably wishes he had handling-wise at least from what I could see.

Kaleb’s Fade: #24 William Byron (+1800)

The image you see above is why I’m very skeptical about the former Championship Four driver. William Byron was involved in that nasty wreck in the first duel on Thursday night. It sent the #12 of Ryan Blaney into flames, Kyle Busch got wrecked, and it wasn’t a great outing. If you missed it, here’s the tweet below.

Ryan Blaney, what a hit. Very glad to see him OK.
pic.twitter.com/h190DH6f1d

— Austin Konenski (@AustinKonenski) February 16, 2024

This sent Byron and others into backup cars, which isn’t always a death sentence, but Byron on top of this doesn’t have an amazing track record at Daytona. He does have a win at the 400 in 2020, but at the Daytona 500 more often than not, luck doesn’t seem to be on his side. Just one finish inside the top 25. I’ll fade Byron on this one, but anything can happen as we’ve seen.

If you enjoyed this content, or hate it and want to argue with me, follow me on Twitter @KalebEmcee! Also, read up on the rest of the NASCAR content Belly Up Sports has to offer here! Heck, for all your other sports needs, follow the main page. If you love racing of any shape or form, find Chris on Twitter, and let’s talk!