Women and Gents, we’re again. The Daytona 500 formally kicks off the 2025 NASCAR season and kicks off the weekly BellyUp Racing picks! After a brief low season with quite a few modifications of drivers, crew chiefs, and rulebooks. We’re again in motion at Daytona Seashore! The Nice American Race is a spectacle. We’re assured of high-speed chaos, wrecks, and every thing that makes NASCAR particular. The largest race of the 12 months kicks off a NASCAR season we’ve all been ready for. However Chris and I’ve some enterprise to deal with earlier than we get there. Let’s kick off this season of bets proper, and ship our official 2025 Daytona 500 picks!
Kaleb’s Picks: #8 Kyle Busch (+1100) & #48 Alex Bowman (+2800)
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One thing in my intestine simply tells me Kyle Busch will get the job completed. After a brutal 2024, leaving questions on whether or not the 2x Cup Collection champion nonetheless has it, Rowdy has one thing to show. He got here near profitable the August Daytona race final season earlier than Harrison Burton swiped it away, simply as I predicted. However Busch had pace that evening. Daytona may’ve been his greatest displaying in all of 2024. That storyline is on prime of the Daytona 500 being the one topped jewel race he hasn’t received but. This may very well be a Cinderella story for Busch, and superspeedway odds are all the time loopy. If in case you have the identical intestine feeling I do, throw your cash on Kyle Busch.
As for Alex Bowman, he’s additionally rock stable right here, particularly on the Daytona 500. He’s introduced the #48 automobile to 2 straight prime fives in The Nice American Race, together with a P2 final 12 months to teammate William Byron. Had the warning lights come on only a few seconds later, Bowman would’ve collected essentially the most sought-after checkered flag in North America. +2800 for Bowman looks like a superb guess and for those who don’t wish to decide to a win, he’s +800 for a prime three and +360 for a prime 5.
Chris’s Picks: #9 Chase Elliott (+1000) & #17 Chris Buescher (+2500)
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While you take a look at stats Chase hasn’t had a horrible run just lately within the Daytona 500. Properly, minus the 2023 season the place he wrecked and completed thirty eighth. Within the final 5 Daytona 500s, he solely has one end exterior the highest fifteen. At +1000 it received’t be an enormous cash maker however at Daytona, earning money as a gambler must be thought of a win alone. Everyone knows the massive wreck goes to occur, it’s simply who can get fortunate sufficient to get via it and Chase has been fortunate most of the time.
I seemed twice after I noticed the percentages for Chris. Chris has been as stable a drafting racer as anybody since Brad turned an element proprietor again in 2022. The efficiency of Chris at Daytona too is superior. Within the final three Daytona 500 races Chris has not completed exterior the highest twenty. At +2500 I like these odds. Chris is a kind of drivers who simply appears to know when issues are going to go unhealthy on most of these tracks and may keep away from the catastrophe most of the time. So on a monitor the place we should always all the time count on the sudden why not take a driver nobody else is anticipating to complete effectively.
Kaleb’s Wildcard: #51 Cody Ware (+360 High 10)
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Cody Ware is again within the Cup Collection full-time after some off-track troubles, and all of it begins right here on the Daytona 500. Oddly sufficient, Ware has a extremely good common end at this monitor with a ten.3. That’s third amongst lively drivers with 3 or extra races within the Subsequent-Gen period behind Kyle Busch and #23 Bubba Wallace. He introduced residence a P4 end within the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 and a P6 within the 2022 model of that race. Within the 500, it was simply inside the highest 15 at P14 in 2024. However Ware finds a approach to keep out of bother at these races and end within the prime half of the sphere. +360 for only a prime 10 end may be very intriguing as a guess for me, and for those who wished to say screw it and go for enormous chaos, he sits at +11000 for the race win.
Chris’s Wildcard: #16 A.J. Allmendinger
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AJ is again within the Cup Collection as effectively on a full-time foundation for Kaulig as soon as once more. The veteran driver has a top-ten streak going proper now ending sixth within the final two Daytona 500 races. A.J. has been across the sport lengthy sufficient to really feel the environment of a race shift for the mistaken causes and will get out of the world. At +220 to complete within the prime ten, it virtually is just too good to not take “The Dinger”.
If you happen to loved this content material, or hate it and wish to argue with me, observe me on Twitter @KalebMcChesney! Additionally, learn up on the remainder of the NASCAR content material Stomach Up Sports activities provides right here! Heck, for all of your different sports activities wants, observe the principle web page. If you happen to love racing of any form or type, discover Chris on Twitter, and let’s discuss!