The NASCAR Cup Series remains at Daytona International Speedway, but this Sunday’s race will be on the Daytona Road Course for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at 3 p.m. ET. Below we analyze the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 NASCAR odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and tips with odds from BetMGM sportsbook.

O’Reilly Auto Parts 253: What you need to know

O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 (Daytona) NASCAR Preview and Fantasy Predictions By Tom Bowles, 2/20/21, 1:00 PM EST Daytona's road course the first of many changes on the 2021 NASCAR schedule. Daytona 500 Sleeper Pick. Extreme sleeper – Bubba Wallace +1500: Now this one may come a little bit out of left field, given that Wallace has exactly zero wins and just three top-fives in his career. That said, two of those top-fives have come at Daytona, including a runner-up finish in the 2018 Daytona 500.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 2 a.m. ET.

Unlike last weekend’s Daytona 500, weather isn’t expected to be a factor as the forecast calls for temperatures in the 60’s with partly cloudy conditions and very little chance of precipitation.

Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports) won the Busch Pole Award for Sunday’s race with Daytona 500 champ Michael McDowell (Front Row Motorsports) starting next to him on Row 1. Elliott edged Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin by 0.202 seconds for last year’s win on the road course – it was the inaugural race on the new Daytona configuration. Elliott led 34 of the 65 laps last year with JGR’s

Daytona Predictions

Martin Truex Jr. finishing third.Remember A.J. Allmendinger? He is starting 34th for Kaulig Racing, doing a one-off in the No. 16 car for Sunday’s road-course race.Since 2018, Truex Jr. has two wins in eight road-course starts with seven top-10 finishes. His Average-Finish Position (AFP) of 4.63 leads all active drivers during the span. Elliott is next with five wins, 231 laps led and a 6.5 AFP with one DNF skewing his average.23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace has been a disaster in road-course racing. In eight road starts since February 2018, Wallace hasn’t finished better than 21st and owns a dismal 26.8 AFP.

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Who is going to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253?

ELLIOTT (+200) is the chalk, and rightly so. If not for a 37th-place finish last season at Sonoma, his road-course numbers would be even more ridiculous. As it stands, he has five victories in the past eight road-course starts, and he is on the pole. What’s not to like?

Elliott has ended up with six top-5 finishes, and seven top-10 runs in the past eight road-course starts with 231 laps led. He also has a 5.4 Average-Start Position, and he will lower that Sunday when he goes off from the inside of Row 1.

TRUEX JR. (+400) is one of the most consistent road-course drivers. It wasn’t always that way for the New Jersey native, but since February 2018, he has finished 14th or better with 142 laps led with a Driver Rating Average of 122.1.

Daytona Predictions 2018 Football

HAMLIN (+1000) has a little bit longer of odds than Truex and Elliott. That likely can be attributed to the fact he hasn’t won in his past eight road-course starts. He was a runner-up on this configuration last season, and he has 26 laps led during the eight-race span with a 9.9 AFP.

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O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 long-shot bet

CHRIS BUESCHER (+12500) of Roush Fenway Racing is a long shot, but if you’re looking to invest a small amount for a potential big pay day, look to Buescher. In his past eight road-course starts, Buescher has been 20th or better, registering one top 5 and one top 10, while turning in a respectable 15.1 AFP. He finished fifth in this race a year ago and is worth a roll of the dice Sunday.

Daytona Predictions 2018 2019

MATT DIBENEDETTO (+5000) of Wood Brothers Racing doesn’t have nearly the same type of odds as Buescher, but he is a long shot nonetheless, and a good value. Like Buescher, DiBenedetto has a 15.1 AFP across his past eight road-course starts, ending up in the top 10 twice with one top 5. He was 15th at the inaugural Daytona road-course race last season.

Daytona Predictions 2018 Predictions

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