Daytona 500 Kicks Off NASCAR Season – February 14

Yes, it’s time for the Daytona 500 again. It’s hard to believe. It seems like we just said goodbye to the NASCAR Cup Series, but it’s back already. The Daytona 500 has been the season opener for the Cup Series every year since 1982. Last year’s NASCAR Cup Series winner, Ryan Blaney, will be in this year’s Daytona 500 qualifying field. He is among the drivers favored to win this year’s event. 

The Daytona 500 has been run at Daytona International Speedway every year since 1959. It’s a 200-lap race that covers 500 miles. Since its beginning, the Daytona 500 has been run in mid- to late-February. Since 2018, the event has been held on the third Sunday in February. Since 2022, the Daytona 500 has been held on the same day as the annual NBA All-Star game, one week after the NFL’s Super Bowl.

Sizing Up This Year’s Daytona 500

Here at Sports Hub, we are all about all sports. That includes racing, golf, tennis, and combat sports. What many bettors don’t realize is that the opportunities to win big are many in these sports. We provide the help bettors need to take advantage of events like the Daytona 500. You can read more on how to bet on motor sports here at Sports Hub. Our racing experts share all sorts of betting tips and insider knowledge on how to get the most out of betting on events like the Daytona 500.

This year, the race favorite is Denny Hamlin, who is one of six drivers that has won the Daytona 500 at least three times. Hamlin is listed at +900 to +1100 to win. Also among the favorites are Kyle Busch (+1100 to +1400), Brad Keselowski (+1200 to +1400), and Blaney (+900 to +1200). Note that these are the favorites to win. It’s common for race favorites to be given pre-race odds in the +1000 range. That’s why betting on motor sports can be pretty lucrative.

Daytona 500 Duels, CFP Model, Shaq Jersey Retired

The Daytona 500 is among our trending news today. The race will be held this Sunday, but qualifying races begin tomorrow. The Daytona Duels, held on Thursday and Friday, will serve as the qualifying races for Sunday’s main event.

The College Football Playoff committee will make a decision on how its new 12-team playoff will work. Last night, the Orlando Magic celebrated one of its best players ever. These are among the trending sports news stories for today.

Let’s check it out.

• Daytona 500 qualifying: Tomorrow, racing teams will battle in Duel #1, which will determine the inside rows for Sunday’s Daytona 500. Duel #2 will be held on Friday and will determine the outside rows for Sunday’s race.
• Shaq’s jersey retired: The Orlando Magic held a celebration last night to retire the #32 jersey worn by its first No. 1 overall draft pick, Shaquille O’Neal. He also had his jerseys retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. He is the third player in NBA history to have his jersey retired by three franchises (Lakers, Heat, and Magic).

• CFP new 5 + 7 model: The College Football Playoff committee is expected to vote on a 5 + 7 model for its new 12-team playoff. The model would take the five highest-ranked conference champions along with the next five highest-ranked teams in the CFP poll. 

Sports Hub Expert Sweep

Yesterday’s Sports Hub leaderboard was overtaken by the experts here at SH headquarters in balmy Costa Rica. The top five spots on the leaderboard were all Sports Hub exclusive handicappers. That means you’re out of luck if you are looking for their picks out there in internet land. 

The Bookie, yesterday’s leader with $500 in winnings, can only be found here at Sports Hub. The Bookie has a long history of success here at Sports Hub and you can only find his winning picks if you’re a member. Becoming a member is easy. Just click that orange button (JOIN NOW) at the top of this page to get started.

Let’s get started looking at yesterday’s leaderboard.

• The Bookie: Our leader yesterday crushed all five of his picks, 5-0 to take home $500. Over the last three days, The Bookie is 7-3 and over the last five, he’s 13-7. He is just one of many winning handicappers here at Sports Hub.
• SWJ Sports: One of our regular contributors, Scott at SWJ Sports, went 6-1 yesterday and earned a cool $470. Scott’s specialty is MMA. With another UFC weekend approaching, you may want to tail Scott’s UFC picks this weekend.
• Who doesn’t love free?: Sports Hub members have access to a variety of daily free picks. Our own Sports Hub Free Picks are always free. Yesterday, those free picks went 4-0 and earned $420. Sports Hub Free Picks are 10-5 over the last five days and 23-17 over the last two weeks. Free winning picks are even better!
• James Anderson: James is another Sports Hub expert with inside information on how the sharps are betting. He used that info last night to win five of his six picks and take home $390.
• Al Grant: The final Sports Hub expert in the Top 5 sweep yesterday was Al, who correctly predicted three college basketball games and won $300. Over the last three days, Al hasn’t missed a pick. He’s a perfect 7-0 and has added $700 to his bankroll.
• Sports Hub: Don’t forget, our handicapping software here at Sports Hub is revolutionizing the game for handicappers. The sky’s the limit with Sports Hub!

What’s on Wednesday’s Schedule

It’s a busy day for our expert handicappers here at Sports Hub. That means it should be a busy day for bettors too. A ton of NBA games are on tap as well as a number of college basketball games. Don’t know what to bet on tonight? No worries. Sports Hub’s expert handicappers have your back. Log into the SportsHub members area and check out how our cappers are picking tonight’s games.

Here’s a look at the schedule.

1. NBA: Wednesday in the NBA means a ton of games and an ESPN doubleheader. There are 13 games on the schedule. ESPN will broadcast Chicago at Cleveland beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. The late game on ESPN will be the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State.
2. NHL: There are three games on the ice tonight. TNT will carry Florida at Pittsburgh starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Minnesota has won three straight and is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The Wild play in Arizona tonight.
3. NCAAB: There are three games on the schedule tonight featuring AP Top 25-ranked teams. The biggest of those is an SEC showdown between No. 11 South Carolina and No. 13 Auburn. The Gamecocks are tied for the conference lead. Auburn is one game back. No. 1 UConn plays at DePaul and No. 8 Tennessee is at Arkansas.

4. Soccer: The UEFA Champions League has two first leg matches today. The CONCACAF Champions Cup has two second leg matches, both in Mexico today. There is a ton of South American soccer today. Check the members’ area for daily soccer picks.
5. Tennis: Round 2 will start today in the 2024 ABN Amro Open, the Delray Beach Open, and the IED+ Argentina Open on the ATP men’s tennis tour. On the WTA Tour, the third round of the 2024 Qatar Total Energies Open begins today. Top-seeded Iga Swiatek takes on No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova.