With the 2024 Daytona 500 only 34 days away as we type this, we got our staff together and asked 2 simple questions. Who’s your Daytona 500 pick? Who’s your Daytona 500 dark horse pick? (No, not just Ford Performance drivers. Get it???)

Photographers

Dylan A. – Dylan’s Daytona 500 winner is none other than King Kyle himself, Kyle Busch. Busch really only has 1 box to check off his list in NASCAR’s top series. That’s the 500. His dark horse? Christopher Buescher.

Christopher F. – Chris also went with Kyle Busch as his pick, with Carson Hocevar as his dark horse choice.

Cody W. – Cody’s Daytona 500 pick is Bubba Wallace. A two-time runer-up finisher of the 500, Bubba has been in contention late in the 500 multiple times in his career. Is it his time? Cody’s dark horse? Young Willy B! Byron has not had spectacular luck in the 500, but he has won at Daytona more than once in his National Series career.

Contributors

Christian S. – Christian is our newest addition to the Seriously Fast family. His he welcome? This question. His pick is Michigan’s own Brad Keselowski. Brad has been so close to this win. So close he could taste it, but he’s not gotten that legendary trophy yet. Christian’s dark horse pick is Brad’s teammate in the 60, David Ragan.

Nick H. – Nick’s Daytona 500 pick is, as he put it, KFB. Kyle “F***ing” Busch. His dark horse pick is a name that no one else used in this list, Noah Gragson.

Stephanie M. – Although Stephanie did not have a dark horse pick, she went with the man himself. Kyle Busch to win the 2024 Daytona 500.

Writers

Tyler S. – Tyler went with Kyle Busch as the winner of the 500. His dark horse, on the other hand, is a previous Daytona 500 winner, Joey Logano. Logano won the 500 in 2015 and has been chasing a second ever since. Logano has had 3 Top 5 finishes at the Great American Race, including a runner-up finish last season.

Evan M. – Once again, we get Kyle Busch as a race-win pick. Evan’s the next one with an offbeat dark horse choice. Evan has Daniel Hemrick as his dark horse pick in his first race back in the Cup Series.

Blaine Z. – Blane goes the route of a Ford Performance driver for his Daytona 500 pick. Reigning Champion Ryan Blaney is his pick for Daytona 500 winner. Corey LaJoie makes his debut on our picks list as Blaine’s dark horse pick.

Sean M-C. – Sean went with the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion as his Daytona 500 champion pick. Martin Truex Jr. is best known in the 500 as coming second by mere inches to Denny Hamlin in 2016. Sean’s dark horse pick is none other than Bubba Wallace.

Matt L. – Matt is the only staff member who picked Joey Logano as their Daytona 500 pick. His dark horse pick goes back to Michigan with Erik Jones. Jones has 2 Daytona wins with a Clash and a Coke Zero 400 win. Can a return back to TRD help drive Jones to the promised land?

Lyle T. – Lyle thinks that Ricky Stenhouse Jr will go back to back as the winner of the Great American Race. You can never count him out when he’s still got a car on track, that’s for sure. Lyle’s dark horse pick? Todd Gilliland. Todd is a solid superspeedway racer, so not a terrible choice, Lyle.

Editor’s Pick

Tom L. – Tom has seen him come close to that win that would lock him into history; Bubba Wallace is the boss Daytona 500 pick, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as his dark horse pick to potentially go back to back in the 500.

Conclusion

I think it’s pretty obvious our conclusion. The staff pick for the winner of the 2024 Daytona 500 is none other than Kyle Busch!

Image: DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 19: Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, lead the field to start the NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)