NASCAR Odds: The Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night, Feb. 14 on FOX begins the 2015 NASCAR season. The first race is a 75-lap non-points restrictor plate race at Daytona International Speedway that it is a precursor to next weekend’s Daytona 500. Let’s take a look at the odds to win this race, the format and NASCAR predictions.
Odds to Win the Sprint Unlimited
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10-1
- Kevin Harvick 10-1
- Kyle Busch 10-1
- Denny Hamlin 12-1
- Matt Kenseth 12-1
- Brad Keselowski 12-1
- Carl Edwards 12-1
- Jeff Gordon 12-1
- Jimmie Johnson 12-1
- Joey Logano 12-1
- Tony Stewart 12-1
- Kurt Busch 15-1
- Kyle Larson 15-1
- Jamie McMurray 20-1
- Kasey Kahne 20-1
- Greg Biffle 25-1
- Ryan Newman 25-1
- Austin Dillon 25-1
- Martin Truex Jr. 40-1
- Field 8-1
Quick 75 Lap Race
This race has two segments with the first being 25 laps while the second is 50 laps. There is a mandatory caution in the middle that will last ten minutes. There are only 25 drivers in the field so it won’t look exactly like next week’s Daytona 500 that has a field of 43 drivers but all of the big name drivers are in the field competing for a prize purse of $1 million dollars. Drivers who qualify are pole winners from last season, past Sprint Unlimited winners who raced full time last season, anyone that made last year’s Chase and past Daytona 500 pole winners who raced full time last season.
Handicapping the Race
This race favors those drivers who do well in restrictor plate races and those who don’t need to make adjustments since it is only a 75-lap sprint. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won this race twice and he should be a contender to win again and Kevin Harvick has won this race three times. Starting near the front is helpful as a driver from the front row has won the race in three of the last five years.
Denny Hamlin won from the pole last year while Kyle Busch won from the front row three years ago. The driver with the highest rating for this race is Tony Stewart but it is hard to take him based on his mental state. Jamie McMurray has done well in this race and could be a nice longshot with odds of 20-1. Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Busch are also logical contenders based on how they have done in this race and you can never ignore Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin.
NASCAR Predictions
I will avoid the favorites and instead go with Carl Edwards at odds of 12-1 and Jamie McMurray at odds of 20-1.
