The Daytona 500 leads off the 2026 NASCAR season on Sunday afternoon.
The Great American Race drops the flag in the biggest race of the season. Kyle Larson looks to defend his NASCAR Cup Series championship, although he has never captured the checkered flag at Daytona in 41 career races.
William Byron took home the Daytona 500 for the second straight year last February after winning once on this track in his first six years on the circuit.
With NASCAR's biggest race of the year around the corner, let's look at our Daytona 500 picks for PrizePicks — where you can earn money with your race predictions — for the race at Daytona International Speedway, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
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Daytona 500 Picks, Payouts, Favorites for PrizePicks
Joey Logano is the current favorite to win the Daytona 500, returning a 7.69x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if he wins outright.
Ryan Blaney is right behind him with a 9.09x payout if he wins, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Joey Logano 7.69x
- Ryan Blaney 9.09x
- Kyle Busch 10x
- Denny Hamlin 10x
- William Byron 11.11x
- Austin Cindric 11.11x
- Kyle Larson 14.28x
- Chase Elliott 14.28x
- Christopher Bell 14.28x
- Ross Chastain 14.28x
- Chris Buescher 14.28x
(Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change)
Daytona 500 Stats to Know for 2026
Here are some facts and figures to get you set for the Daytona 500 on Sunday, including insights on our Daytona 500 prediction.
- No driver has ever won three consecutive Daytona 500 races.
- Prior to William Byron’s back-to-back titles, several longshots came through at Daytona. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (2023), Austin Cindric (2022), and Michael McDowell (2021) were the three previous winners.
- Kyle Busch sits on the pole for the first time in his career at the Daytona 500. He chases first Daytona 500 title, while winning once at this track back in 2008.
- Ryan Blaney has never won the Daytona 500, but grabbed a victory at this track last August in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
- Alex Bowman finished in the top-6 in each of the last three Daytona 500 races, seeking his first win at this track.
- Favorite Joey Logano struggled in his past two Daytona 500 events, suffering accidents to close at 31st and 35th.
2026 Daytona 500 Picks & Driver Predictions
Here are four top Daytona 500 picks to target on Sunday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by four drivers: William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
To calculate NASCAR points, 1 point is received for a stage win, while the race winner picks up 40 points, second place grabs 39 points, and that number decreases by one for each descending finish.
William Byron Projection: 32.5 NASCAR Points, 11.11x to Win
- Byron finished 20th or worse in each of his first six Daytona 500 races prior to back-to-back titles.
- In his initial six Daytona 500 events, he closed with 20 or fewer NASCAR points.
- In 14 of 36 races last season, Byron racked up at least 33 NASCAR points.
- The Chevy driver failed to reach 33 points in 11 of 16 career races at Daytona International Speedway, including the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Denny Hamlin Projection: 31.5 NASCAR Points, 10x to Win
- The last driver to win consecutive years at Daytona prior to Byron was Hamlin, who accomplished the feat in 2019 and 2020.
- Hamlin finished fifth at Daytona in 2021, but hasn’t placed higher than 17th (24 or less points) in the last four years.
- The Virginia native won six races in 2025, equaling his total from the previous two years combined.
- In five of the final 14 races last season, he finished ninth or higher (32+ points).
Kyle Larson Projection: 28.5 NASCAR Points, 14.28x to Win
- Larson captured his second NASCAR Cup title last season in spite of winning only three races.
- The 33-year old has been shut out of victory at Daytona International Speedway in 23 career races. In 12 Daytona 500 events, Larson picked up at least 29 points six times.
- He racked up at least 34 points In six of his final seven races last season.
- Larson closed with 22 Top-10 finishes in 2025, the second-most of his career. He posted 26 Top-10 finishes in 2021, the year he claimed his first NASCAR Cup championship.
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Projection: 25.5 NASCAR Points, 22.22x to Win
- Stenhouse has won more Daytona 500 races (1) than Larson, Busch, and Blaney combined. He captured the checkered flag in 2023 in spite of leading only 10 laps.
- In his last 11 Daytona 500 races, Stenhouse owns a pair of Top-15 finishes. He closed 13th in 2019, while putting together an 18th-place effort last February.
- To reach 26 points, Stenhouse would have to close in 15th or higher. In 2025, he posted six Top-15 finishes in 26 races, the fewest in the last 13 seasons.
- The 38-year old owns two victories in the past eight years, with his last win coming at Talladega in 2024.
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Make NASCAR Daytona 500 Picks on PrizePicks
Another exciting NASCAR season begins on Sunday in Florida for the Daytona 500. Which driver will grab the checkered flag for the most anticipated race of 2026?
There’s never been a better time to add to the excitement of every NASCAR race than with PrizePicks.
There are numerous driver stat projections on the NASCAR board for every race; just pick at least two racer stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks. Or, make your picks on race winners or to finish top 10 on Team Picks, now available in 34 states!
Check out the Playbook throughout the season for more NASCAR picks, predictions, and news every day.
