NASCAR will be at Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. It's the second and final race on the venerable 2½-mile track this season, and this time restrictor plates are installed. Brad Keselowski, who won this race in 2016, is the NASCAR at Daytona favorite at 7-1. Six other drivers are posted at 10-1, with four more at 15-1 or lower. Before you lock in any Coke Zero Sugar 400 picks, you need to see what Vegas legend Micah Roberts has to say. As a Vegas bookmaker, Roberts was the first to offer expanded NASCAR betting. Now he hands out winners to his followers.
In the 2017 playoffs, Roberts picked nine of the 10 winners. That was no fluke: In 2016, he told readers to back Denny Hamlin at 15-1 in the Daytona 500. The result: Hamlin edged Truex Jr. for the checkered flag. Roberts also nailed Hamlin at 40-1 to win at Watkins Glen later that year.
Earlier this season, Roberts was all-in on Harvick at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 despite two other drivers having the same field-leading odds. The result: Harvick dominated, leading for 181 of 325 laps and cruising to victory by 2.69 seconds.
Also this season, Roberts loved Clint Bowyer at the STP 500, a race in which he snapped a long winless streak. And at the Food City 500, he said Kyle Busch "owned" Bristol and would come away with the checkered flag -- he rallied to finish .63 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson for the checkered flag.
Now, Roberts has analyzed the 2018 NASCAR at Daytona odds and locked in his picks. You can see his entire projected leaderboard over at SportsLine.
One surprise: Roberts says Ricky Stenhouse Jr, listed at 15-1 NASCAR at Daytona odds, will make a strong run at the checkered flag.
"His only two Cup wins have come in plate races, and they both came last season," Roberts told SportsLine. "He won this race last season and, in the summer 2016 race, he was fifth. Look for another strong run Saturday night."
Another shocker: Clint Bowyer, one of the favorites at 10-1, finishes outside the top 15.
Instead, Roberts is backing a driver with success at this track and in restrictor plate races. He also has a pair of monumental long shots going deep, including a massive 100-1 underdog. Anyone who backs him could be looking at a life-changing payout.
So who wins the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400? And which monumental long shot should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the full projected leaderboard from the nation's premier NASCAR handicapper.
NASCAR at Daytona Vegas picks and predictions 2018: Fade Clint Bowyer, back Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Coke Zero Sugar 400
Micah Roberts pioneered wagering on NASCAR races and recently locked in his Coke Zero Sugar 400 picks
By
CBS Sports Staff
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2 min read