NASCAR Betting Odds & Lines

NASCAR is one of the most popular motorsports in the world and is especially popular in the United States.

Just about every weekend throughout the year, there’s a race on the schedule, all leading up to the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, where the top drivers duke it out for the prestige that comes with hoisting the trophy.

And just like any sport that is popular among viewers, NASCAR is also a big deal in the sports betting world. As such, it’s extremely easy to find NASCAR betting odds on any bookie you visit, allowing anyone to start betting on America’s premier racing event.

But while finding NASCAR Vegas odds might be easy, you should know a thing or two about how to bet on NASCAR before you place your first bet. This article takes a look at everything you need to know about NASCAR betting and how to make smart betting picks.

NASCAR History

The National Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) was established way back on February 21, 1948, and has since grown to become one of America’s most popular sports and the world’s largest industry. But while NASCAR was established in 1948, the first race did not happen until June 19, 1949, at the Charlotte Speedway, when over 13,000 fans watched Glenn Dunnaway claim the first NASCAR victory in his Ford.

Interestingly, the first NASCAR race ended in controversy as Dunnaway got disqualified for using an illegal rear spring. As a result, Jim Roper won the race and collected $2,000 (≈ $23,600 today) in winnings. Since that race, NASCAR continued to attract more viewers and soon grew to become one of the nation’s biggest and most popular sports.

And even now, over seven decades later, NASCAR is still highly popular across the United States and the rest of the world.

Main Events During The Year

The NASCAR season does not have events as you would find in some other sports, but it’s instead formatted as a season and divided into two parts – regular season and Playoffs. During the regular season, NASCAR drivers compete for points that they earn based on their placement in each race, which are then used to determine which drivers enter the playoffs.

NASCAR Championship

The NASCAR Championship is the same thing as the regular season, so if you find NASCAR odds on the NASCAR championship title, know that you’re betting on which driver will win the regular season. Its name derives from the NASCAR Cup Series Championship title, awarded to the most successful driver of the season.

Remember that a driver can win the championship but not the NASCAR Cup Series Trophy, which is awarded to the driver who performs the best in the playoffs. Think of it like in the NBA, where a team can win their Conference, but not the NBA title.

Finals

Following the conclusion of the NASCAR regular season, the top 16 drivers of the regular season enter the playoffs. Often referred to as the “Chase for the Cup,” the playoffs are divided into four stages: Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8, and Round of 4.

After each Round, four drivers get eliminated from the playoffs until there are only four left. The final four drivers then travel to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, the last race of the season, where the winner gets crowned the new NASCAR champion.

As you can bet on any other race of the season, you can also bet on the final race in the exact same way. In some ways, betting on the winner of this race is the same as placing a future wager on the NASCAR champion, so expect the NASCAR Vegas odds on the two markets to be the same.

BetUS NASCAR Offer

BetUS is the leading provider of NASCAR odds and betting markets, with some of the most competitive prices, generous selections of bet types, and special promotions and bonuses. On BetUS, you will be able to find odds on NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and even NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, providing everything a NASCAR fan would want from an online sportsbook.

NASCAR Betting Strategy

There are many betting strategies and systems you can follow, and there is no clear answer to which is the best. Instead, you have to find one that suits you, your style of betting, and the available bankroll. Still, there are a few tips you can follow when betting on NASCAR.

The most important thing is to find a sportsbook that can provide you with the best NASCAR betting odds, and if you’re reading this article, you won’t have to look far to find them. BetUS is one of the leading NASCAR bookies with some of the most competitive NASCAR odds and a large selection of betting markets.

The selection of betting markets brings us to the second key thing you should know – betting on race winners is the simplest way to approach wagering on NASCAR. Still, you can find a lot of value in alternative markets such as propositions. These offer an alternative way to bet on NASCAR and can expand your options, which is always a positive thing when looking for value.

Props Bets

Props or proposition bets are common in all sports, and while they differ from sport to sport, they have one thing in common. A Prop bet is a bet made regarding an occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific event in a race that isn’t necessarily related to who will win. These can get as exotic as the bookies make them, but the most common props in NASCAR include:

• Finishing position (Top-3/5/10)
• Group Betting
• Head-to-Head

Teams To Play

You can bet on which driver will win a race, and you can also bet on teams or even car manufacturers. The NASCAR betting odds you will find in this market are often very generous because there is no clear gap between the different teams.

So if you believe Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott will do well in the next race, you can bet on Hendrick Motorsports to win the race. Likewise, if you believe Daniel Hemric or A. J. Allmendinger will win the next race and can’t decide who to bet on; you can always bet on their team, Kaulig Racing, to come out ahead.

Unlike other sports, such as basketball, football, or hockey, which offer a wide range of different betting markets, NASCAR betting is somewhat limited to only a handful of bet types. Still, while there aren’t as many options, there are plenty enough for anyone to find the right bet.

Race Winner

This is the most straightforward way you can bet on NASCAR. As the name would suggest, a race winner bet is a wager on which driver you believe will win the next race, and there is nothing more to it.

The offered NASCAR betting odds on this market will be based heavily on the driver’s current form, his track record, and public perception. The fans will often bet on more well-known or more liked drivers, which will see their NASCAR odds drop, even though his chances of winning might not be as high as the odds suggest.

Futures

Like in any other sport, future betting is a wager on a future event, and in NASCAR, it’s a bet on which driver will win the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the season. Even though betting on futures means you will have to tie your wager for a long time, they’re still very popular, mainly due to the generous NASCAR odds this market provides.

And you don’t have to place a future bet before the season starts either. You can wait for a few races to go by and then decide which driver you believe will win the season but know that the future NASCAR Vegas odds will fluctuate throughout the year – depending on how drivers are performing.

Head-to-Head

Head-to-head betting is a form of prop betting in NASCAR, very similar to the same bet type you can find betting on golf. It’s simple to understand since its name explains it all, and most importantly, the NASCAR betting odds on this market are usually very generous.

The head-to-head pits two drivers against each other, and you, as a bettor, can then decide which of the two will perform better in the next race. The driver you pick doesn’t need to win the entire race – he only needs to finish it ahead of the other driver.

Race Finish Props

You can bet on which driver will win any given race, but what if you believe that a certain driver will perform well but might not claim the checkered flag? In that case, you can bet on the driver with finish props, allowing you to predict where the driver will end the race.

Most commonly, the bookies will offer NASCAR odds on a top-3, top-5, and top-10 finish, which allow you to predict which drivers will end the next race inside the top-3, top-5, or top-10. This bet type is usually used to bet on the underdogs, who might not be able to win, but the bettors believe are good enough to put up a fight and compete for a strong finish.