NASCAR's premier drivers are back in action on Wednesday, when 40 cars will fill the starting grid for the 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway. This is the second race for the NASCAR Cup Series this week, as Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag at The Real Heroes 400 on Sunday. Because the 2020 Toyota 500 starting grid was locked in by partially inverting the leaderboard from Sunday's race, 750-1 longshot Ryan Preece will start from the pole for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career.

Harvick is the 9-2 favorite to win again at Darlington, even though he takes the green flag starting 20th. Kyle Busch is 6-1 and Denny Hamlin is 13-2 in the latest 2020 NASCAR at Darlington odds at William Hill. The race begins at 6 p.m. ET, moved up due to rain in the Darlington weather forecast. Before finalizing any 2020 Toyota 500 picks, be sure to see the latest NASCAR at Darlington predictions and projected leaderboard from the team at SportsLine. 

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.

The model began the 2020 NASCAR by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. It got off to a hot start on its NASCAR picks following the coronavirus hiatus as well, calling seven of the top 10 drivers at The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model simulated the NASCAR at Darlington 2020 race on Wednesday, May 20, 10,000 times. Head here now to see the complete projected leaderboard.

Top 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington predictions 

For Wednesday, the model is high on Kurt Busch, even though he's a 12-1 long shot in the latest Darlington NASCAR odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Busch raced well in The Real Heroes 400 last Sunday at Darlington, moving from his 22nd-place position at the start all the way to a third-place finish. 

Busch was also driving well before the coronavirus pandemic paused the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. He finished third at the Auto Club 400 in California and sixth at the FanShield 500 at Phoenix before the break. Although Busch doesn't count Darlington among his 31 Cup Series victories, he has driven the track well consistently during his 20-year career, finishing as high as second in 2003 among his 10 top-10 finishes there. With experience and a strong recent history at Darlington, it is easy to see why Busch could rise up the 2020 Toyota 500 leaderboard.

And a massive shocker: Martin Truex Jr., one of the top Vegas favorites at 13-2, stumbles and barely cracks the top five. Truex Jr. had a decent run on Sunday at Darlington, finishing sixth in The Real Heroes 400, but that was his first top-10 finish at Darlington since 2017. Overall, his career average finish position at Darlington of 11.2 ranks just seventh among active drivers. 

Truex Jr. also was struggling before the hiatus, finishing no higher than No. 14 overall in the four points Cup Series races. He's led just 14 total laps this season, marking a stark contrast to his dominant 2019 campaign in which he led 1,371 laps, piled up seven wins, 15 top-fives and 24 top-10s. He's tied for the third-lowest odds on Wednesday, but the model indicates there are far better values in this loaded NASCAR at Darlington 2 lineup. 

How to make 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington NASCAR picks

The model is also targeting two other drivers with NASCAR at Darlington odds of 12-1 or longer to make a serious run at winning it all. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big.

So who wins the Toyota 500 2020? And which long shots stun NASCAR? Check out the latest odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2020 NASCAR at Darlington 2 leaderboard, all from the model that has crushed its NASCAR picks and nailed the Daytona 500. 

2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington odds 

Kevin Harvick 9-2
Kyle Busch 6-1
Martin Truex Jr. 13-2
Denny Hamlin 13-2
Alex Bowman 17-2
Chase Elliott 9-1
Brad Keselowski 10-1
Kurt Busch 12-1
Joey Logano 14-1
William Byron 17-1
Jimmie Johnson 18-1
Erik Jones 20-1
Ryan Blaney 22-1
Matt Kenseth 30-1
Tyler Reddick 50-1
Matt DiBenedetto 60-1
Aric Almirola 60-1
Clint Bowyer 60-1
Chris Buescher 125-1
Cole Custer 125-1
Ryan Newman 125-1
Austin Dillon 125-1
Christopher Bell 150-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 200-1
John Hunter Nemechek 300-1
Bubba Wallace 500-1
Michael McDowell 750-1
Ryan Preece 750-1
Ty Dillon 750-1
Daniel Suarez 1000-1
Quin Houff 2500-1
BJ McLeod 2500-1
Timmy Hill 2500-1
Joey Gase 2500-1
Reed Sorenson 2500-1
Corey Lajoie 2500-1
Brennan Poole 2500-1
JJ Yelay 2500-1