How to Bet on NASCAR: The basics

NASCAR events are held at various venues, each with a unique track layout, distance, and features. The climate also plays a significant role in the outcome of a NASCAR event, so it’s important to consider the weather forecast before tuning into an event.

All of these aspects play into a sportsbook’s pricing of NASCAR odds, a driver’s form, their history of racing at a particular track, and their pre-race preparations.

Suppose you bet on NASCAR at an American online sportsbook. In that case, the odds will be presented in the American format, with odds shown as a whole number, affixed with a plus or minus sign to indicate the favorite and underdog.

Now that we’ve run through the basics let’s take a closer look at some of your NASCAR betting options with easy-to-understand examples.

NASCAR Betting Options

While most sports bettors turn their attention to sports like football, baseball, and basketball, the reality is that there are lots of NASCAR markets available to motorsport enthusiasts. So, when you’re just starting, here are some of the best NASCAR betting options to consider:

Race Winner

Picking the race winner in NASCAR is undoubtedly the easiest way to place a bet. A sportsbook will set the odds for an upcoming race based on the form of the drivers, as well as track history and conditions. Therefore, it helps to have a rudimentary understanding of NASCAR before picking a winner. Here’s an example of race winner odds that you might see before an upcoming NASCAR event:

Joey Logano +650

Ross Chastain +800

Chase Elliott +1,000

Denny Hamlin +1,200

William Byron +1,300

For the upcoming race, the sportsbook has picked Joey Logano as the favorite, as he has the shortest odds in the field. At +650, the odds indicate that a $100 winning bet on Logano would return a profit of $650, plus your stake back.

You don’t have to bet in $100 increments and can adjust the odds accordingly. So, for instance, a $10 bet would return $65, and so on. If you’re new to NASCAR, picking the winner of an upcoming race is undoubtedly the best way to get started with betting on this popular motorsport.

Head-to-Head

To spice things up, you can also place a head-to-head bet on NASCAR. Instead of backing a specific driver against the entire field, a head-to-head allows you to back your favorite competitor against another driver in the field. This is a great way to narrow the field and focus your attention on one particular battle out on the track. Here’s an example of a NASCAR head-to-head bet:

Chase Briscoe (-140) vs. Alex Bowman (+145)

Chase Briscoe is the favorite in this head-to-head bet, as exemplified by his negative odds. His odds show us that we would need to place a $140 bet to return a profit of $100. In contrast, a winning $100 bet on Alex Bowman will return a profit of $145. If you’re placing a NASCAR head-to-head bet, be sure to study form and qualification to ensure that you’re not caught out.

Finish props

As a NASCAR fan, you might have a good feeling about a driver without being super confident that they will finish first in a race. In this situation, you can opt for a finish prop bet instead of choosing the outright race winner.

Like an each-way bet in golf, for instance, a finish prop enables you to select a racer to finish in the top 3, top 5, or top 10. Of course, the odds will be shorter than the outright winner market, but it can be an excellent way to back outsiders. Here’s what the odds might look like:

Racer

Top 3

Top 5

Top 10

Joey Logano

+250

+170

-250

Ryan Blaney

+375

+200

-200

Christopher Bell

+400

+210

-180

Kyle Larson

+430

+220

-150

Daniel Suarez

+500

+300

-100

Race props

While race props aren’t available for every event on the calendar, sportsbooks will offer NASCAR race props to crank things up a notch for big events like the Daytona 500. Race props are bets that aren’t tied to the race’s outcome and refer to events that may or may not occur out on the track. Some NASCAR race prop bets might include:

Number of crashes recorded

Number of caution flags

Driver to hit the pit first

Futures

If you want to broaden your betting horizons, you can look long into the future when betting on NASCAR, as opposed to betting on an upcoming race. A typical futures bet in NASCAR offers you the chance to bet on the driver to win the Cup Series Championship.

These odds change significantly throughout the season, and it’s always best to place a futures bet as early as possible if you want the shortest odds. Here’s what a futures bet might look like in NASCAR:

NASCAR Cup Series Championship Winner:

Chase Elliott +400

Denny Hamlin +600

Joey Logano +630

Kyle Busch +800

Martin Turex Jr. +1,000

Manufacturer bets

Unique to motorsport, you can bet on which manufacturer you think the winning racer will be driving. This is a great option if you’re not sure which driver will triumph but you have a good feeling about the manufacturer’s success in the field. NASCAR manufacturer odds might look something like this:

Chevrolet +120

Toyota +220

Ford +250

As you can see, there are many ways to bet on NASCAR events throughout the season, which is a great way to back your favorite drivers. But what about NASCAR betting tips? How can you develop a good NASCAR betting strategy? Let’s take a look.

NASCAR Betting Tips

Picking a winner in any sport can be challenging, particularly if you don’t have a strategy. You can use the following three NASCAR betting tips to pick weekly winners and avoid betting with your heart over your head.

Track suitability

If you’re new to NASCAR, you must realize that sure drivers are better suited to specific tracks. Some perform better on superspeedways, while others have a better chance of winning on short-oval tracks. So, research and find out which track best suits your selection before placing a bet.

Momentum and form

As in all sports, drivers take momentum into each race. As such, it’s common for NASCAR drivers to have streaks of form throughout the season, carding several Top 5s in a row, for instance. This is helpful to know when you’re planning a finish prop bet, so it makes sense to study NASCAR form before placing a wager.

Driver motivation

It might surprise you to hear that not all NASCAR drivers race to win! Depending on where a driver currently ranks in the race for the playoffs, they might set out on a race with the objective of accumulating points instead of winning the race outfight. Staying on the track and completing the race can be enough sometimes, and it’s less risky than going for the win.

Recap: How to Bet on NASCAR

NASCAR is super popular with motorsports fans in the United States and further afield. While the Daytona 500 draws the biggest crowds, races occur practically every week from February through November, meaning that you can build NASCAR bets throughout the year.

We hope you now have all the information you need to bet on NASCAR successfully, and we wish you luck as you pick your weekly winners on America’s best-loved motorsport.

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