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Daytona 500 betting preview: Truex, Johnson seeing sharp action

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With an extremely light schedule this weekend for bettors, NASCAR takes center stage.

Sunday marks the 62nd rendition of the Daytona 500, where 40 racers will vie for the crown on the iconic 500-mile track at Daytona International Speedway. Here, we'll dive into the odds, matchup prices, and everything you need to know before locking in your wagers.

Odds

Driver Odds
Kyle Busch 8-1
Denny Hamlin 9-1
Joey Logano 10-1
Brad Keselowski 11-1
Martin Truex Jr. 12-1
Chase Elliott 14-1
Kevin Harvick 14-1
Ryan Blaney 16-1
Kurt Busch 18-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 18-1
Alex Bowman 20-1
Matt DiBenedetto 20-1
Jimmie Johnson 22-1
William Byron 22-1
Clint Bowyer 25-1
Erik Jones 25-1
Aric Almirola 28-1
Kyle Larson 33-1
Ryan Newman 33-1
Austin Dillon 40-1
Chris Buescher 40-1
Christopher Bell 50-1
Cole Custer 50-1
Ross Chastain 50-1

Only displaying drivers with odds of 50-1 or shorter

Seven of the racers in the field have won the Daytona 500: Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano.

The average starting position of the winner over the last decade has been 11.5, and the last driver to win the Daytona 500 out of the pole position was Dale Jarrett back in 2000. That's potentially bad news for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (18-1), who will lead the pack out of the gates.

Although Kyle Busch is the favorite, Denny Hamlin (9-1) and Joey Logano (10-1) have had more success in this race - Hamlin has won twice in the last four years, while Logano has five straight top-six finishes, including a win back in 2015.

One driver who must have seen a flurry of sharp action is Martin Truex Jr., who opened 25-1 and is down to 12-1. He owns a pair of top-eight finishes over the last five years, including a runner-up to Hamlin in 2016.

Bettors also appear keen on Jimmie Johnson, who's down to 22-1 from his opener of 30-1. The 44-year-old is only one of two active racers with multiple wins in the Daytona 500 (Hamlin) but hasn't captured a victory since 2013.

The market seems to have cooled on Cole Custer, who opened 30-1 but was driven back all the way to 50-1.

Notable matchup odds

Logano -110
Keselowski -110

Logano -110
Elliott -110

Logano -110
Hamlin -110

Keselowski -110
Elliott -110

Keselowski -110
Hamlin -110

Elliott -110
Hamlin -110

Kyle Busch -110
Harvick -110

Kyle Busch -110
Blaney -110

Bowman -110
Byron -110

Matchup odds give bettors some leeway; instead of banking on a driver with long odds to win the whole thing, you can instead bet on them in a two-way market against another racer.

Logano isn't a bad starting point considering his aforementioned history in the 500, especially against someone like Keselowski, whose average finish over the last five years is 26.4.

Kyle Busch doesn't look like an ideal value pick at 8-1, but I'd recommend him in the matchup odds against Harvick, who's struggled in this spot recently. Harvick, who won the 500 in '07, has finished 26th, 33rd, and 21st over the last three events, respectively.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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