The 2011 Daytona 500 is almost here and can be watched on FOX television. Kurt Busch will start on the pole for this Sunday’s race, and will be attempting to win again after having taken last week’s Bud Shootout, as well as the first ever Gatorade Duel this past Thursday. Can he do it again at Daytona?

Despite Busch’s recent winning streak, he is not the odds-on favorite to win the Daytona 500. Currently, Kevin Harvick is the 7-1 favorite. He had previously won the race in 2007. But the field is wide open, with 4 of the drivers having single-digit odds.

Online Betting

Last year, the odds were no different, and long-shot Jamie McMurray came out of nowhere and won. McMurray, like Matt Kenseth from two years ago, won against double-digit odds. And in 2008, another long-shot, Ryan Newman, won the Daytona 500.

This year, the four drivers listed with double digit odds are Kevin Harvick (7-1), Tony Stewart (9-1), Kyle Busch (9-1), and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (9-1). The winner from 2010, James McMurray, will be looking to repeat at Daytona, a feat which has not been accomplished since Sterling Manning in 1994-1995. Currently, McMurray is listed at 10-1.

Betting on Sports

Pole position and starting position mean little at Daytona. Kurt Busch will be starting on the pole, but the last pole position winner was Dale Jarrett in 2000, over a decade ago. Out of 52 Daytona 500 races, only 9 have won after starting on the pole, and half of the winners have not started even in the top 5 position.

In both the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels, racers who had another driver they felt comfortable with proved to make the difference in having a high performance or not. The Kurt Busch-David Ragan team and the Jeff Burton-Clint Bowyer team have been the best performers so far.