Denny Hamlin pushed ahead of the field on the final lap and edged Martin Truex Jr. by about a half a foot at the finish line to take his first Daytona 500 win Sunday in the closest finish in race history.
Hamlin, who was getting 10/1 (or longer) odds at most sports books by the weekend, had been at 14/1 early last week before bets started piling up on the 34-year-old who was a popular pick among analysts.
Writing for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Micah Roberts pegged the Joe Gibbs Toyota team for a big day and singled out Hamlin among them as having the best chance to win.
It was a tough day for crowd and betting favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr., who crashed on lap 170. William Hill US reported that 14 percent of money wagered was coming in on the 9/2 favorite last week, and by race time, he had moved from 6/1 to 4/1 at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Similarly Chase Elliott, the rookie polesitter and a public favorite among the long shots, saw his day end early when he crashed on lap 20.
AROUND THE WEB
- Bettors took a hit when Kimbo Slice defeated Dhafir (Dada 5000) Harris in Friday night’s Bellator 149 MMA fight. Action was so heavy on the underdog Harris that multiple books took the fight down last week, but Slice won via third-round “knockout.” Harris was reportedly in pretty bad shape after the fight, but his family said Saturday he was resting in stable condition.
- A thought-provoking piece here notes that with an aggressive interpretation all these DFS bills making their way through various state legislatures at the moment could be opening the door to all sorts of legalized prop betting.
- The legal issues are mounting for Joseph Randle, the troubled former running back for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s been arrested for the fifth time in 17 months, this time charged with battery (among other charges) after allegedly striking three people with his vehicle.
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
“I don’t know what is happening on FantasyHub’s side but at least one third party has been working with them on a deal all weekend. There’s definitely potential. I’ve been in regular communication with the third party and I’m trying to get more insight from Hub.”—RotoGrinders founder Cal Spears, providing an update of sorts on FantasyHub. The DFS operator “temporarily suspended operations” on Friday with players reportedly unable to access their funds.
ODDS & ENDS
- Bookmakers in Britain bringing in profits with fixed-odd betting machines that allow users to play various roulette and slots-style games.
- Which countries had the most suspicious tennis matches last year?
- DFS bill in Nebraska gets shelved for the year.