NASCAR betting fans expect urgency at Daytona International Speedway, given how many drivers are capable of winning on the superspeedway. Expect more than usual Saturday night, when the summertime Coke Zero Sugar 400 caps the Cup Series regular season for the first time.

Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin is the odds favorite at +600, but the shorter 400 is anybody’s game. Consider that last year’s winner was Xfinity regular Justin Haley, with Erik Jones and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking checkered flags in the two seasons prior to that. The takeaway: if there’s one race where history indicates you should look beyond the favorites, this is it.

The sport’s top drivers have already clinched playoff berths, leaving the drama among five drivers — Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron, Jimmie Johnson and Jones — who are vying for the final three spots. Check out our seven best bets for NASCAR’s regular-season finale.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Odds & Best Bets

NASCAR odds listed are current as of publication and subject to change.

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Aric Almirola to Win (+2000)

This is the race to go big, right? Haley was a field bet last season and Jones had never won before his triumph in 2018. Almirola compares to 2017 winner Stenhouse — he excels on superspeedways, with a record that includes a summer Daytona victory in 2014 and another at Talladega.

The Stewart-Haas driver is also running well this season, clinching a playoff berth thanks to top-10s in 11 of his last 13 starts on ovals. Make the bet at DraftKings:

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Denny Hamlin Top 3 (+190)

Hamlin is the man at Daytona these days, with three victories in a 13-race stretch that also includes eight finishes of sixth or better. But sweeping the season at Daytona is hard — just five drivers have done it — and all of Hamlin’s victories have come in the 500, as opposed to the shorter and more chaotic summertime event.

Taking the favorite here allows bettors to hedge by wagering on a driver with more favorable odds to win. Make the bet at Unibet:

Ryan Blaney Top 3 (+350)

Outside of Hamlin, it’s hard to find another elite driver with sustained success at Daytona. Kevin Harvick has crashed out of five of his last eight Daytona starts; Brad Keselowski has crashed out of six of his last seven and Chase Elliott has crashed out of four of his last five.

That unpredictability leaves room for someone like Blaney, runner-up to Hamlin in the Daytona 500, and another good superspeedway driver who won at Talladega earlier this year. Make the bet at PointsBet:

Jimmie Johnson Top 10 (+125)

After taking a step back in performance following his coronavirus diagnosis, Johnson has once again found the speed in his No. 48 car — evident in a fourth-place run at the Daytona road course, and seventh- and third-place finishes in last week’s Dover doubleheader.

Johnson has finished top-10 in two of his last three Daytona starts and he needs to race his way into the playoff Saturday night. Headed for retirement, “Seven-Time” doesn’t want to just play out the string. Make the bet at BetAmerica:

Stewart-Haas Racing to Win (+450)

While Harvick doesn’t have the best recent record at Daytona, he’s still a two-time winner at the track who finished fifth in the 500. He’s also sizzling right now, winning three of his last five starts heading to the 2.5-mile oval.

Taking Stewart-Haas to win allows bettors to cover both Harvick and his longer-odds teammate Almirola with a single wager, one that offers superior value compared to favorite Joe Gibbs Racing (+275). Make the bet at FOX Bet:

Ford Winning Manufacturer (+125)

Harvick’s victory last weekend in the closing half of the Dover doubleheader marked the 14th victory in 24 Cup Series races for the blue oval, which snapped a modest two-race losing streak to reestablish its position as the preeminent manufacturer in the sport.

Ford also took the most recent superspeedway event, won by Blaney at Talladega. A wager here adds a deep stable of top-tier options Harvick and Keselowski to potential upstarts like Blaney and Almirola. Make the bet at BetMGM:

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Top 10 (+125)

While Stenhouse has struggled this season with his smaller JTG-Daugherty Racing operation, he remains a legitimate contender on fast tracks. His two career wins have come at Talladega and in the Daytona 400-miler, and he owns 12 career top-10s on NASCAR’s two biggest venues combined.

Stenhouse was runner-up to Blaney at Talladega in June and has just one top-10 since, so superspeedway races are everything for this team. Make the bet at DraftKings.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race & TV Information

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida

TV: NBC