The 2025 Daytona 500 is set for February 16, and with the biggest race in NASCAR approaching, now is the time to explore value in the betting market. Superspeedway races are unpredictable, making longshots a viable betting strategy. Here are three drivers offering strong value at their current odds, including a former Daytona 500 winner and a driver who has outperformed his high-profile teammates on similar tracks.
Austin Cindric To Win (+2000, BetMGM)
The Daytona 500 is one of the most famous events in the United States, and chances are that you have heard about it even if you know nothing about NASCAR. Seeing as how it is coming up quickly here on February 16, I thought I would give out some of the future bets that I have sprinkled for the upcoming race.
The first racer that I think has some good value is Austin Cindric at 20/1 on BetMGM. I’m not sure why he is listed this high here, as he is 18/1 at Caesars and 16/1 at several other books, so we are offering quite a bit of value right now at this price. You may not have heard of Cindric, but he has already won this race once before, so he has a successful history at Daytona. One of his best qualities is being able to draft behind other racers, and then slingshot ahead of them.
He’s probably top-5 in NASCAR at this ability, which is crucial on a track like this, and I think a number this high for a guy who has already won here before brings some substantial value.
Alex Bowman To Win (+3000, BetMGM)
Bowman has historically been successful at Daytona, and nearly won his group yet again last year, finishing just a few milliseconds behind William Byron. Since 2022, there have been a total of 12 races on either Daytona or Talladega, two very similar tracks. Bowman missed one of these races with an injury, but in the other 11 races, he has actually outclassed his Hendrick Motorsport teammates. These include Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Larson. In 11 races, he has finished ahead of them four times, compared to Byron who has won it four times in 12 races, and Elliott who has won it three times. Larson has won it just a single time.
Yet, Bowman is well behind all three of them to win this race, when historically he has performed better here than any of them. At 30/1 odds, I think he is worth some baby peanuts to take it home.
Chris Buescher To Win (+1800, BetMGM)
Since 2022, Buescher already has a superspeedway win under his belt, and at 18/1, I think there is value in him taking this one as well. Some other places have him as low as 15/1 to win the race, so BetMGM is giving us a good discount here at 18/1. Like the other racers I have mentioned in this article, he has been fantastic when it comes to his ability to draft, which is critical to success at these superspeedways.
When it comes to these wagers, finding value is the key, and this line has already moved in favor of Buescher. He was 25/1 not long ago, and then some sharp action came in on him to move the line way down. I’ll follow that steam and tail for a sprinkle.