Daytona 500 starts NASCAR Season
Since football season is over, it’s that time of the year when we watch cars go around in circles again.
And in case you didn’t get that, the 2010 NASCAR season is kicking off on Valentine’s Day weekend with the Daytona 500. For all ya’ll who didn’t know, they say the Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s equivalent to the Super Bowl. I still have no idea why they have this race to kick off their season though.
Still, NASCAR will have the annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway to generate some hype for the whole year. And since this sport really doesn’t have anything else to offer other than cars going around in circles for three freaking hours, they need all the hype they can get.
So with the 52nd Daytona 500 kicking off the brand new season, what’s in store for NASCAR racing fans this year? Well, for one, NASCAR has made headlines over the last couple of weeks following several rules changes that will take place this season. These changes will encourage more aggressive driving from drivers AND more importantly, to captivate fans.
The recent changes have been made due to the continual poor ratings that racing received last year.
Chariman of NASCAR, Brian France said that he wants drivers not to be afraid to ”open it up.” Bump-drafting will now be permitted at Daytona during the race. France went on to say that he would like to see some of the drivers on the circuit show more emotion at times.
This new policy on the rules should make for an interesting race, when the Daytona 500 begins.
There will be 43 drivers in the field, and leading the pack as favorites for the Daytona 500 is Tony Stewart. Stewart has 43 career victories and 226 top-10 finishes. He has never won the Daytona 500, but oddsmakers have installed him as a +700 favorite to claim his first victory in the race.
At the second spot is Kyle Busch. Busch was the 2004 Busch Series rookie of the year and the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Rookie of the Year. He won the 2009 Nationwide Series Championship. Last year, after starting in fourth, Busch led 88 laps at Daytona, which was the most for any driver. However, his car was taken out in the 125th lap and he was not able to recover. This year, Busch has been installed as a +800 favorite to find success at Daytona and drive away with the title.
Jimmie Johnson ranks third heading to the opening race of the NASCAR season this year. The four-time Sprint Cup champion is the only driver in history to win four consecutive year-long championships, which he did last season. He will look to begin this year in similar fashion. The last time he won at Daytona was 2006 and he will try and end his three-year drought on Valentine’s Day. Johnson is currently going off at +1000.
Who will win the Daytona 500? SPORTSBETTING.com has the odds.
Tony Stewart 7/1
Kyle Busch 8/1
Jeff Gordon 9/1
Want more odds? Visit SPORTSBETTING.com for more NASCAR betting odds. Want to watch NASCAR live? Get NASCAR tickets online now.
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