On Sunday afternoon, the Nascar season gets underway as the 2017 Daytona 500 will run at Florida's Daytona International Speedway. Last year's winner Denny Hamlin will be amongst those participating in the race and defending his championship. He'll compete against some of the best of the best in his sports field, including seven-time Sprint champion Jimmie Johnson as well as two-time winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., and one of the favorites to win it this year for the first time, Brad Keselowski. Here's a look at the driver odds ahead of Sunday's race.

Earnhardt Jr. & Keselowski lead favorites

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time winner at Daytona, will look to add a third title to his driver resume. "Little E" will be in the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. As of this report, Vegas Insider lists Earnhardt Jr. with odds of 5 to 1, making him the leader of the field with the best chances to win.

Next on the list is Brad Keselowski. The No. 2 Ford Fusion driver for Team Penske is carrying future odds of 7 to 1, and a first-time win wouldn't be too surprising for a driver of Keselowski's talent level. He would advance to the Chase last season and past the first round, but ultimately was eliminated in the second round. However, he was the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion and finished third at Daytona in 2014, showing just what he's capable of.

Other Daytona 500 favorites

After Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski, the list of contenders is a list of well-known drivers in the sport. Drivers Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr. are all 10 to 1 odds on favorites to win. Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth are at 12 to 1 odds to win this year's Daytona 500.

For those rooting for that historic first-time win for a female driver, Danica Patrick is listed with longshot odds of 100 to 1. She's joined by fellow drivers at the bottom of the list such as Ty Dillon, Casey Mears, Chris Buescher, Aric Almirola, and AJ Allmendinger.

The 2017 Daytona 500 race will be decided, if weather permits, on Sunday, February 26th from Daytona International Speedway, but who will take the checkered flag? Will it be a third historic win for Earnhardt Jr. or a first-time win for Keselowski? Time will tell!
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED