It’s that time of the year where legends are made and the first chapters are written.

The 65^th running of the great American race, the Daytona 500, kicks off yet another NASCAR Cup Series season.

The high banks of this 2.5-mile superspeedway will see drivers fighting to put their name in the history books.

With that in mind, here is a look at some picks to keep your eyes on over the course of the 200 laps.

 

Denny Hamlin: +1400 to win/ -125 to finish top 10

It would not be a list of those to watch at the Daytona 500 without including the man that has the most wins of the great race of anyone in the field.

Denny Hamlin has had his name etched into the Harvey J. Earl Trophy three times previous in 2016, 2019 and 2020.

The 42 year-old has developed a knack of putting himself in the right place at the right time when the checkered flag falls, achieving an average finish of 16.8 in 34 starts at Daytona.

With Toyota’s proficiency at setting up superspeedway packages, Hamlin will definitely be within a shout of the win come the dropping of the green flag.

 

Chase Elliott: +1200 to win/-125 to finish top 10

The 2020 Cup Series champion will be looking to add Daytona 500 winner to his growing resume.

One of the favourites to win, the Dawsonville, Georgia native has a 11.3 average finish on the 2.5-mile oval since 2020, a massive improvement from the 20.9 mark for his career.

Along with that, his also been able to keep himself out of trouble, only accruing one DNF over the same timespan.

His improvement at the superspeedways, along with Hendrick Motorsports’ ability to be consistently fast, gives Elliott a chance at victory should he continue to keep his nose clean.

 

Joey Logano: +1600 to win/+120 to finish top 10

The defending Cup Series champion and 2015 Daytona 500 winner has a shot to start this year off as well as the last ended.

The 32 year-old is looking to take home the Harvey J. Earl trophy for a second time and has always looked stronger at the superspeedway than his 18.0 average finish will show.

Logano’s biggest issue is keeping out of trouble, whether he be bystander or culprit.

With seven DNFs to his name across his 28 starts and a reputation of making overly aggressive blocks and moves, the Middletown, Connecticut native’s biggest hurdle to overcome may be himself.

 

Bubba Wallace: +1800 to win/+120 to finish top 10

Another superspeedway picks list, another appearance for the man from Mobile, Alabama.

Bubba Wallace’s proficiency at Daytona is well documented, with him having the highest average finish of any driver in field with 10 or more starts, sitting at an impressive 12.4.

Despite this, along with four top five’s and four top 10’s, he has yet to grab a victory.

The 29 year-old is looking to finally break the duck, having two previous runner ups in the great American race in 2018 and 2022, getting beat out by Austin Dillon and Austin Cindric respectively.

Wallace looks to capitalize on Toyota’s consistent race pace at superspeedways to finally take himself to victory lane.

 

Coverage from Daytona begins February 19 at 2:30 P.M. EST on TSN1.