The NASCAR Cup Series kicks off Sunday, Feb. 20 with the 2022 Daytona 500 from Daytona International Speedway. The race runs 200 laps, with the 2022 running being the 64th edition of the event. The green flag drops at 2:30 p.m. ET and three-time winner Denny Hamlin is the 9-1 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook. Other contenders in the 2022 Daytona 500 odds include Chase Elliott (10-1) and Kyle Larson (10-1).

Our proven projection model has simulated the race 10,000 times and came up with a surprising leaderboard.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction computer model takes into account a slew of factors including track history and recent results.

In the 2021 season, McClure nailed Martin Truex Jr. to win at Martinsville for a strong 3-1 payout. The model also nailed Kyle Larson winning the NASCAR All-Star Race at 5-2 in Texas and hit Larson again at the Ally 400 for another 5-2 payout. Then called Chase Elliott to win at Road America for a 5-2 payout.

It also called Larson's win at Texas for an 11-4 payout and his win at Kansas for a 9-4 payout in back-to-back weeks before nailing Larson to win the season finale in Phoenix to claim the 2021 NASCAR Cup Championship. In total, it called five of Larson's wins during a historic season. Anyone who followed its lead on those plays saw HUGE returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2022 Daytona 500 and released its projections. 

We can tell you the model is high on William Byron, even though he's a 15-1 long shot in the latest 2022 NASCAR at Daytona odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a HUGE payday. And a massive shocker: Hamlin, the top Vegas favorite at 9-1, stumbles big-time and barely cracks the top five! There are far better values in this open 2022 Daytona 500 field.

The model is also targeting four other drivers with 2022 Daytona 500 odds of 14-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag! Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it BIG. You ABSOLUTELY need to see who they are before locking in any NASCAR picks.

So who wins the 2022 Daytona 500? And which long shots are a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the full projected NASCAR at Daytona leaderboard, all from the model that nailed five of Kyle Larson's wins last season!