The 2025 Daytona 500 is set to start the NASCAR season this Sunday. Seven past winners will race, including William Byron, last year’s champion. At just 27, Byron has already won 13 times in the Cup Series and has made 104 top-10 finishes since his debut in the 2018 Daytona 500. He has raced 252 times in the last seven years with Hendrick Motorsports.
Other former Daytona winners in the lineup include Denny Hamlin (2016, 2019, 2020), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2023), Austin Cindric (2022), Michael McDowell (2021), Austin Dillon (2018), and Joey Logano (2015). The forecast for Sunday predicts rain, with temperatures in the 80s. Chase Briscoe will start from the pole position.
Brad Keselowski is currently favored to win at +1000. He’s followed closely by Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Ryan Blaney, all at +1200. The race is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. Before you make any picks, it’s a good idea to check out insights from NASCAR expert Steven Taranto.
Taranto, a dedicated NASCAR fan since 2001, is also a skilled sim racer with 20 career wins in iRacing. He’s the lead NASCAR writer for CBSSports.com and has an impressive track record of accurate race predictions, even calling out the breakthroughs of Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez in 2022.
Last season, Taranto had a standout performance, correctly predicting 17 race winners, including Byron at Daytona and Chase Elliott at Texas. He’s now analyzed the starting lineup and odds for Sunday’s race and shared his top bets.
For the Daytona 500, Taranto is particularly optimistic about Todd Gilliland, a longshot at 20-1. The young driver has shown potential, leading for 16 laps last year before finishing 35th. Even in his early career, he has already completed 108 races, with 10 top-10 finishes.
Gilliland has had a solid background. In the ARCA Menards Series West, he raced 30 times, scoring 13 wins and 28 top-10 finishes. Similarly, he earned seven wins in the ARCA Menards Series East and achieved considerable success in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with three wins and 53 top-10s over 94 races.
In contrast, Taranto is less confident about Michael McDowell. Although he won the Daytona 500 in 2021, McDowell struggled last season after switching teams, which may affect his performance. With 501 NASCAR Cup races under his belt, he needs to bounce back after a disappointing finish last year.
Taranto has highlighted other drivers for potential bets, including a surprising longshot over 70-1 that could yield a big payout. Keep an eye out for his analysis to make informed predictions for this thrilling race.
