NASCAR Betting Guide: Tips, Strategies, and Best Bets
NASCAR was founded in 1948 and has become an iconic piece of American motorsport culture throughout its nearly eight decades of operation. NASCAR is more popular with wider audiences than niche motorsports because of its various racetracks and events, such as the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR’s most iconic race, the Daytona 500.
Along with the variety of races, the wide range of drivers that can win races makes NASCAR thrilling to watch and bet on. Read our guide to NASCAR betting sites, where our betting experts explain how NASCAR odds work and what strategies to use to increase your chances of winning.
How NASCAR Betting Odds Work
NASCAR betting odds use the same systems as most other sports you’ll find, so if you know how to read odds for football or basketball, you can read NASCAR odds and understand the betting basics. But even if you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We’ve created an overview that is super easy to understand.
Understanding Moneyline Odds
Moneyline betting in NASCAR is straightforward. You only need to pick the driver you think will win a race. If you’re correct, you’ll receive your stake back and a profit. But if your prediction is wrong, you’ll lose your stake.
Calculating Payouts
Most of the best online sportsbooks will use American odds to display how much you can win during your NASCAR betting. In this case, you will see a three-digit number and a (+/-) symbol when you're reading NASCAR betting odds. The symbol will indicate what the three-digit number means in relation to your bet.
A minus (-) symbol before the number will indicate a favorable outcome. In this case, the three-digit number indicates how much you must bet to win $100. For example, with odds of -350, you need to place a bet of $350 to get $100 in profit. So if your bet wins, you will receive a payout of $450 ($350 stake + $100 profit).
A plus (+) symbol before the number will usually indicate a less favorable outcome (an underdog). If you have a plus sign, the number will show how to profit from placing a $100 bet. For example, a $100 winning bet on odds of +500 will pay out a whopping $500 in profit. So you’ll get a $600 payout ($100 stake + $500 profit).
If you are new to betting, you may find it a bit counterintuitive, as the negative sign indicates a favorite and the positive an underdog. So, remember this when you start your NASCAR betting journey.
Types of NASCAR Bets
Registering online means you’ll find many bet types and odds for every race. If you combine all the NASCAR races together, there are quite a lot of options. But don’t get overwhelmed, as most bets are straightforward and easy to grasp.
Our betting experts put together some of the most common NASCAR betting lines to get you started.
Race Winner
A race-winner bet is the most straightforward type of NASCAR wager, where you pick which driver you think will win the race. For example, you can bet on Bubba Wallace to win a race.
Once you select the driver you think will win, you can determine how much you want to risk before you place your wager. If the driver you picked finishes first, you’ll walk away with a profit. You'll lose your money if that driver finishes in any other position.
Instead of betting on which driver will win a race, you can also bet on which team will win. With both teams and drivers, if you bet on favorites, you will make smaller profits if you win. For example, betting on the Henderson Motorsports team, which is the most decorated team with over 312 NASCAR Cup wins, will pay you less profit than betting on a less likely contender.
Top 3/5/10 Finish
Rather than only winning your wager if your chosen driver wins, you can also bet on drivers to finish in specific position brackets. Standard position brackets are top three and top five bets, but as the field of NASCAR drivers can be as many as 40, you can also find top ten wagers at some of the best sports betting apps.
Effectively, the driver you pick must finish within the position bracket. For example, if you place a top-three bet on Kyle Larson, and he finishes first, second, or third, you’ll win your bet. However, you'll get nothing if he finishes in fourth or lower.
Head-to-Head Matchups
With head-to-head betting, the overall winner of a race doesn’t matter. Instead, you can wager on a particular driver finishing higher than another. So, you could bet on Kyle Busch finishing above Core LaJoie. It doesn’t matter about the racer’s final position other than which one completes the race before the other. You win your bet if Busch ranks higher in the standings than LaJoie.
Head-to-head matchups are slightly more challenging to follow, especially if your drivers start toward the back of the race. However, these wagers are exciting because they can add a thrill to the race aside from which driver will win.
Group Betting
Group betting doesn’t require your chosen driver to win a race like head-to-head betting. Instead, you wager on a driver to finish ahead of their competitors in a racing group.
For example, a sportsbook may have a group featuring Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliot, and Martin Truex Jr. If you pick Hamlin, you’re betting on him to finish above the other drivers in the group, regardless of his final placing.
Prop Bets
While prop bets for NASCAR races are rarer than the other bet types we’re covering, you can still find prop betting options at the best motorsport betting sites. Prop bets allow you to wager on which driver racing a car produced by a particular manufacturer will finish ahead of all the other competitors driving cars produced by the same automaker. For example, you can bet on Blaney as the top-finishing Ford.
Other prop bets allow you to wager on outcomes during a race that isn’t final driver positions, such as the number of laps a particular driver will lead or the number of caution flags in a race. The availability of prop bets will increase for the most significant NASCAR events like the Daytona 500.
Strategies for Successful NASCAR Betting
If you want to be successful with your NASCAR betting, you should look beyond betting on the driver at the top of the leaderboard before a race. You can incorporate several strategies into your NASCAR betting to increase your chances of winning, and we’ve included some of these below.
Analyzing Driver Performance
Non-fans often mock NASCAR for giving the impression that the driver with the fastest car wins week after week, but the reality is much more nuanced than that. While a car’s performance is a factor, a driver’s ability and recent form are equally important. We recommend researching a driver’s recent results before placing your bets.
For example, a NASCAR driver could lead the standings in the NASCAR Cup Series after 20 races. However, after a strong first 15 races, they may have tailed off in the most recent five. Although a casual bettor may consider this driver the best and place a wager on them, researching may encourage you to look at other options.
Another area to consider is practices. Pre-race odds are often determined by placing, which is decided by practice. If a driver has been putting in strong performances in previous practices but hasn’t reflected in the final races, the same thing may happen in an upcoming race.
Don’t just look at information from the current season. Some drivers have repeated success at specific racetracks when researching prior performances.
For example, Jimmie Johnson has won at Dover Motor Speedway a record-holding ten times. So, look out for drivers with a history of success at a racetrack, even if their current form isn’t the best.
Understanding Track Types & Conditions
There are several different race track types to consider with NASCAR, including short tracks, superspeedways, and road courses. Each track type has its challenges and benefits, and certain drivers are suited to a specific type of racing. Therefore, you should consider track type when betting.
Another factor is the weather. Weather like rain or even hot temperatures can change how drivers need to drive a race to protect tires and conserve fuel. Therefore, you should always keep an eye on the weather before betting.
Team Dynamics & Equipment
Team strategies and the drivers’ support teams are also crucial to a race's outcome. The speed of pit crews and how teams run strategies should be significant factors in your betting. Teammates will also often help others score better positions if it helps them finish higher. It’s worth noting that tandem racing, which had much more emphasis on teamwork than modern NASCAR racing, is no longer allowed.
Additionally, certain car manufacturers are more suited to particular race tracks depending on the season and the rules for that year. Look at which manufacturers have performed well on similar tracks before placing your bets.
Tips for NASCAR Betting Beginners
Every NASCAR race is unpredictable, and a driver can come from the field to win, making the sport exciting. So, while there is no way to increase your chances of winning, there are tips beginners can follow to enjoy NASCAR betting more.
Here are some tips for registering with our recommended sites.
Start with Simple Bets
If you’re not familiar with betting or NASCAR, it’s best to keep things simple at the start. Try betting on race winners, as you can very clearly follow which driver wins a race just by watching NASCAR races.
Manage Your Bankroll
While NASCAR betting is exciting, keeping strict control over your bankroll is crucial. You must follow responsible gambling practices to avoid developing bad habits like chasing losses.
Additionally, controlling your bankroll will stop you from spending money when you’re on a hot streak and encourage you to place bets based on logic and reasoning rather than because you’re feeling lucky.
Avoid Common Mistakes
Many bettors fall into common traps while betting on NASCAR, especially those who are new to the sport or betting. For example, some bettors with limited knowledge of NASCAR may back the drivers they have heard of without considering the track type or recent form, which can be a significant mistake.
Additionally, many new bettors will forget to factor in essential factors such as weather or practice performances when placing bets. Take your time and do your research before placing your bets to ensure you avoid these rookie mistakes.
Advanced NASCAR Betting Strategies
For bettors who know more about NASCAR and betting, there are some more advanced strategies you can implement into your betting to give you a better chance of success.
Data Analysis
Data is the best way to inform your NASCAR betting, as it can provide insights beyond your biases. You can use information like green flag speed, loop data box score, speed-by-segment, and more across the season or on specific racetracks to make educated guesses with your bets and give yourself the best chance of winning.
Staying Updated on NASCAR News
It may seem obvious, but keeping up-to-date with the latest NASCAR news is crucial to placing the most informed NASCAR bets. We recommend keeping track of driver and team news, including when drivers switch teams or are dropped and the reasons for these changes. For example, if a driver switches teams because they believe their new team has a better car setup, it could suggest future success.
Another area of NASCAR news to monitor is racetrack use and rule changes. The introduction of different track types may change the outlook for the season, while rule changes often provide unpredictable results, which you can benefit from in your NASCAR betting.
Resources & Tools for NASCAR Bettors
The most accurate and up-to-date information can help you make better decisions when betting on NASCAR odds. There are a few sites we recommend you use to get your NASCAR tips and information, starting with the statistics page at NASCAR’s official site. Here, you’ll find point totals and the drivers’ latest lap times.
You can also find historical stats from races at Racing References, splitting information by drivers, teams, and individual races. You can even sort the information to find the best drivers from a particular state. You can also find more detailed statistical insights at Drivers Averages, which started as a page to help NASCAR fantasy players.
Responsible Gambling on NASCAR
While you can profit if your bets are successful, NASCAR betting is not a way to make money but a form of entertainment. You should only think about having fun when betting.
All apps will provide responsible gambling tools like deposit, bet, and spend limits so you can control your play. Additionally, many sites may offer insights and tips into keeping your betting healthy, including guidelines on how much time to spend playing or advice on not playing with borrowed money.
While sportsbooks will try to provide responsible gambling support and resources, the best place to find help is through third-party organizations and charities. The National Council on Problem Gambling provides a 24/7 live chat and other resources you can use to find help. The organization also offers local help on a state-by-state basis.
Final Thoughts on NASCAR Betting
With dozens of races throughout the year across competitions like the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series and loads of bet types to enjoy on those races, there are plenty of reasons to get involved with NASCAR betting. Whether you’re a beginner to NASCAR betting or an experienced player, you can always improve your chances of winning by doing detailed research before betting.
Use some of our NASCAR tips and tricks to give yourself the best chance of winning and walking away with a profit. Remember to play responsibly and within your limits to get the most enjoyment from your NASCAR betting.
There’s never a certain way to win your NASCAR bets, as gambling is entertainment and never a safe way to make money, but doing research and coming up with a betting strategy sure makes your NASCAR betting experience more fun!
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