At long last, NASCAR’s back! The 2017 season is about to get underway with the 59th running of the Daytona 500. The usual names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. are unsurprisingly the favorites to take the checkered flag, but Daytona has a way of coming up with the unexpected. With that in mind, here are three drivers to look out for who might be worth a bet to win the season-opening race.
Martin Truex Jr. had without question the best season of his career in 2016. After winning just three races through his first decade in NASCAR, Truex won four last season, including two in the first three races of The Chase. However, it quickly fell apart for him as he was eliminated in the next round. Nevertheless, Truex should be a trendy sleeper pick to start this season strong. He’s had some very good success in Daytona in recent years. After finishing 8th in 2015, Truex finished 2nd to Denny Hamlin in a razor close finish in last year’s race.
Daniel who? Suarez is a 25-year-old rookie who’ll get his first taste of top-flight NASCAR action at the Daytona 500. Rookies don’t normally go out and win the biggest race in the sport on their very first try, but Suarez does know a thing or two about racing. He had 67 races in the Xfinity Series, and came up with 44 top-10 finishes, including three wins. He also had 17 top-10s in 26 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. With that sort of track record, don’t at all be surprised if he does take the checkered flag and his +2,000 odds pay out.
Dillon has yet to pick up a win in 121 career Sprint/Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races, so you’d think it’d be a long shot for him to get win No. 1 at Daytona. But don’t sleep on the 26-year-old, though. One of his three career poles came at Daytona International Speedway back in 2014, as well as two of his 22 career top-10 finishes. That includes last year’s 9th-place finish. It’s admittedly a bit of a stretch, but Dillon should still be considered a dark horse thanks to his decent history in Daytona.
