We can’t wait for the 2020 Daytona 500. It will mark the start of the new NASCAR Cup Series season and will have fans seeing their favorite drivers burn rubber again. The favorites are getting the attention of bettors, but other drivers should be getting attention, too. Read on for three sleepers you should be considering for your wager.
Kurt Busch can often be overshadowed by his younger sibling, Kyle Busch, but that shouldn’t be a reason for bettors to sleep too hard on the 41-year-old driver of Team Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix. For one, Busch has been to the top of the Daytona 500 before. He won the 2017 edition of the race. He knows what it takes to win in Daytona Beach. Prior to that victory, he had three top 10 finishes in four races. If his performance the last time he raced at the Daytona International Speedway was an indication, he could have another strong showing there this coming weekend. Busch placed 20th in the 2019 The Coke Zero Sugar 400. Busch has 37 career races at the Daytona International Speedway, recording 13 top 5s and 18 top 10s.
Erik Jones (+2200)
Jones has had better success at the Daytona International Speedway in his young career than most other veterans in the circuit. Jones has only raced six times at the said track but has already won there, winning the 2018 The Coke Zero Sugar 400. He followed that up with a third-place finish in last year’s Daytona 500. Jones has an average finish of 18.5 at the track with two top 5s and three top 10s.
Bowyer is entering his 15th season in the NASCAR Cup series after debuting in 2006. Bowyer didn’t win a race in 2019, but was able to sneak his way into the playoffs. Bowyer’s recent history at the Daytona International Speedway has been filled with unfortunate events, figuring in three straight accident-related finishes over the last two years. Had it not for those accidents, Bowyer could have had a shot to win it all, considering his position in the races prior to those accidents. Bowyer has four top 5s in 28 career appearances in Daytona Beach.
Writer’s Prediction
A sleeper actually wins the 2020 Daytona 500. His name, is Erik Jones.
