Hot off a successful 2023 Cup Series season, the NASCAR Ford teams are already looking ahead to the 2024 Daytona 500, which is just over two months away. In fact, NASCAR recently released its opening odds for The Great American Race on its website, showing where The Blue Oval racers stack up against the competition – and which drivers are a safe bet for the win, and which ones might be a longshot.
It’s important to note that all drivers on this list are currently signed on for full-time Cup Series competition in 2024. That said, it’s no surprise that defending champion Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Mustang, has the best odds of the bunch at 9-1, having won not only the overall title, but three individual races during his 2023 campaign. Meanwhile, Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Mustang, shouldn’t be overlooked, with 11-1 odds for the 2024 Daytona 500. Don’t sleep on his boss, Brad Keselowski, either. The driver of the No. 6 Mustang is a superspeedway master, earning him 11-1 odds as well.
2022 Cup Series champion Joey Logano’s No. 22 NASCAR Ford is a safe bet for the win at 14-1 odds, and he knows his way around Daytona, having won the Daytona 500 in 2015. Austin Cindric took the win in 2022, and he and the No. 2 Mustang have 25-1 odds of doing it again. Rookie Josh Berry was a maestro at Daytona in his Xfinity Series career, and he could very well take the No. 4 Mustang to the win, sharing 28-1 odds with Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mustang.
On the riskier side of the things, Michael McDowell’s No. 34 Mustang was a surprise victor at Daytona in 2021, and his odds are 40-1 of making it happen again in 2024. Other longshots in the NASCAR Ford stable include Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Mustang (45-1); Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Mustang (65-1); and Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 21 Mustang (80-1).
It’s also worth noting that the 2024 Daytona 500 – which is scheduled for February 18th, 2024 – will be the first point-paying event for the new NASCAR Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which represents a complete overhaul compared to the outgoing sixth-generation Mustang racer.
Subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford racing news, NASCAR news, and ongoing Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet