The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season will begin on Monday, Feb. 19 with the 2024 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. It's the biggest stock car race on the planet and NASCAR's biggest spectacle will set the tone for what should be another thrilling season of racing. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the defending winner of The Great American Race, but he's a 30-1 longshot in the 2024 Daytona 500 odds. Brad Keselowski is the 19-2 favorite in the 2024 Daytona 500 odds, followed by Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin at 10-1 in the 2024 NASCAR at Daytona odds. In 2023, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. walked into Daytona International Speedway without a Cup Series victory in nearly six years, but walked out a NASCAR at Daytona champion.

The green flag drops at 4 p.m. ET following a one-day delay due to weather and our proven projection model has simulated the 2024 Daytona 500 10,000 times and come up with a surprising leaderboard. Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model takes into account a slew of factors including track history and recent results.

McClure's model was red-hot in the 2023 season, nailing Martin Truex Jr.'s Clash win (20-1) as well as his win in New Hampshire (11-2), Joey Logano's Duel win (8-1), Kyle Busch's Fontana victory (10-1), Denny Hamlin's triumph in Kansas (6-1) and Kyle Larson's wins at Martinsville (6-1) and the NASCAR All-Star Race (13-2). The model correctly predicted winners in two playoff races as well, with Ryan Blaney scoring a 12-1 payout at Talladega and Larson winning at 9-2 in Las Vegas. It also impressively nailed five of Larson's wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 15 winners since 2021 and nine last year alone! Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks saw HUGE returns.

Now, the model has dialed in on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship and released its projections.

Daytona International Speedway is hallowed ground in racing and the 2.5-mile oval has hosted the Daytona 500 since 1959 when Lee Petty took the checkered flag. His son, Richard Petty, would go on to win the race a record seven times. His rival, Cale Yarborough, is the only other driver to reach four Daytona 500 wins. Denny Hamlin's three victories at the Daytona 500 lead active drivers, but a win by any Hendrick Motorsports driver could tie Petty's Enterprise's all-time record for team victories at nine.

For the 2024 Daytona 500, we can tell you the model is high on Ross Chastain, even though he's a 28-1 longshot in the latest 2024 NASCAR at Daytona odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a HUGE payday. And a massive shocker: Chris Buescher, one of the Vegas favorites, stumbles big-time and barely cracks the top 10! There are far better values in the 2024 Daytona 500 starting lineup.

The model is also targeting TWO OTHER drivers with 2024 NASCAR at Daytona odds of 15-1 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 2024 Daytona 500, and which EPIC longshots are a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the full projected NASCAR at Daytona leaderboard, all from the model that called the winners of nine races in 2023!