Kurt Busch on pole, now looks like one to beat for Daytona 500

Currently Kurt Busch is 14/1 on Bodog to win Sunday’s Daytona 500 and bettors might want to jump on those odds now before they are lowered – and after Saturday’s and Thursday’s results at Daytona, they are bound to be.

On Saturday night, Busch won the Budweiser Shootout, ending Kevin Harvick’s bid for a threepeat. That’s not necessarily a good thing when it comes to winning the Great American Race. Only five drivers have won the Shootout and the Daytona 500 in the same year: Bobby Allison in 1982, Bill Elliott in 1987, Dale Jarrett in 1996 and 2000, and Jeff Gordon in 1997.

While some thought Busch’s win was just a fluke or courtesy of the funky setup in the Shootout, Thursday’s win in the first Gatorade Duel seemingly put that to rest. Busch beat Regan Smith to the finish to capture the first race in the Gatorade Duels and will now have the pole for Sunday’s race because of a penalty against Dale Earnhardt Jr., who will have to go to a backup car after an accident in practice on Wednesdasy. Before that penalty Busch would have started third.

“It’s just amazing to do this in the double-deuce right now,” said Busch, who has never won a race at Daytona (including the July race) but has nine Top 5 finishes.

With a record 20 lead changes among nine drivers, Busch took the lead on the first lap of a green-white-checkered restart and led when he needed to thanks, in part, to the push from Smith in the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevy, whose effort earned him a third row starting spot in the Daytona 500.

Despite a handful of technical changes to the cars — including a smaller carburetor restrictor plate — to lessen the opportunity of two-car packs at the repaved and faster Datyona, the two-car draft continued as it did in the shootout. Seldom did teammates run together. Instead, it was a friendship of convenience and proximity. Busch also used a drafting partner to win the Shootout.

Bill Elliott, a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1985, 1987), earned his 29th start in the Great American Race by capturing one of two coveted transfer spots that earned him a berth in the 43-car field.

Related posts:
Motorsports - Kevin Harvick is man to beat at Daytona Shootout (James Payton) 0
Motorsports - NASCAR betting: Daytona 500 preview (James Payton) 0
Motorsports - Does Daytona 500 pole mean Junior is back? (James Payton) 0
Motorsports - Don’t bet against Kyle Busch at Jeff Byrd 500 (James Payton) 0
NASCAR - Waltrip to honor Earnhardt Sr. at Daytona 500 (James Payton) 0

Comments