How to Bet on NASCAR

NASCAR is an adrenaline-fueled motor marathon and betting on it only enhances toe action for racing fans. Drivers are literally putting their lives on the line for hours on end, lap after lap, and they can’t afford to lose focus for a split second.

Now with sports betting becoming legal in more and more states, you can put your money on the line too and in this guide we’re going to teach you exactly how to do it.

From a gambling perspective, there’s way more to betting on racing than just picking a driver, car, or team to win the race. In fact, the experienced NASCAR gambler’s work begins long before race day.

The week building up to each race has as much to do with how you should bet as historical information that stretches further into the past. And since the season is basically year-round, there are tons of opportunities to hone your betting strategies.

This article is your crash course (excuse the pun) for how to bet on NASCAR including how to read the betting lines, what sorts of wagers are available, where to find the best value, and how to research to maximize your winning potential. We’ll also cover some key betting terminology you might not be familiar with. Finally, we’ll break down our best tips and strategies step by step.

Before we get to the nuts and bolts let’s take a peek under the hood of the current legal situation surrounding betting on NASCAR in the United States.

Is NASCAR Betting Legal in the US?

The short answer is yes, but it depends where you live.

Not so long ago you could only bet legally on races from Las Vegas at one of their government-sanctioned sportsbooks. And you wouldn’t dream of ever placing a bet on a race while actually at the track like you would with horse racing. Those days, thanks to some recent changes in federal law, are now in the rearview mirror.

Until recently, sports gambling was prohibited across all of America with the exception of Nevada. This federal law, called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), was first instituted in 1992.

PASPA was in effect for more than three decades and it ultimately took a successful Supreme Court appeal by the state of New Jersey in May of 2018, to finally see the law reversed.

The landmark SCOTUS decision gives each state the liberty to choose for itself how it wishes to deal with the legalization of sports gambling.

With the doors now open to change, many states have begun to make plans to legalize gambling. States with regulated sports gambling include Illinois, Colorado, Tennessee, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Iowa, and West Virginia. Many others are finalizing plans to follow in their footsteps.

Delaware, in fact, was the first state to implement sports betting kiosks at a NASCAR track, proudly heralding Dover International Speedway as the first-speed racing venue to ever do so.

What does this mean for NASCAR betting fans in other states? Buckle up because legal betting is likely coming fast.

How Does NASCAR Betting Work?

NASCAR betting is a little bit different than the traditional betting lines we see in the four major North American sports. It shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s different, considering we’re dealing with a race rather than a game with points, runs or goals.

That said, a lot of the basic betting concepts are exactly the same as you see when you’re betting on other sports.

The most important wagering concepts to understand when it comes to NASCAR betting are the moneyline and over/under.

Moneyline Bets

If you’ve bet on other more popular sports before, chances are you’re familiar with moneyline odds. In other sports, the moneyline is a bet on which team will win the game. In NASCAR you’re betting on which driver will win the race.

The odds are also the same as in other sports and they’re usually shown in American odds, also called moneyline odds. It’s a way the casinos can control how much you win compared to how much you bet and once you learn the basics, they’re really easy to understand.

Moneyline odds are shown as a three-digit number with a plus or minus sign at the beginning. For example:

• Jeff Gordon to win (+900)

In this example, a $100 bet on Jeff Gordon will pay out $1,000 total ($900 in profit plus your original $100 bet). Skip down the page for a more detailed explanation of how moneyline odds work.

Over/Under Bets

This style of bet is also used in other sports and it’s really common in NASCAR betting. First, the sportsbook will set a line on how many times something will occur in the race and your job is to choose if you think there will be more than the line (Over) or less (Under).

A common Over/Under line for a race will list a specific driver and his or her final position. For example:

Jimmie Johnson – Finishing Position:

• Over 6.5
• Under 6.5

In both cases, the amount you win is determined by the odds which are set by oddsmakers working for the sportsbooks. If you don’t understand what the numbers mean, don’t worry, we explain in detail what the odds mean later in this guide.

Check out our full guide to over/under betting for more information.

Prop Bets

Prop bets, short for proposition bets, are a special category of wager which includes all sorts of fun bets that aren’t about which driver’s going to win.

One of the most popular props in NASCAR is what’s called a futures bet. That’s a wager on an outcome that happens much later on in the season. With NASCAR the most popular futures bet is picking who will win the Monster Energy Cup championship at the end of the season. Odds will be listed in the same manner as the other wagers except you need to wait longer for the result.

We’ll go into more detail on other NASCAR props later in this guide.

Guidelines for NASCAR Betting

In racing, selecting a winner from a large group of entrants is a challenge so you will often see quite long odds on each driver. While your chances of winning are low, the potential payout is really big.

Since Over/Under lines are set by professionals who are trying to get equal action on both sides, the odds will be the same, or close to the same, on either side. The reason the house prefers even action on both sides of a wager is because they stand to make money from taking a commission (also commonly called juice or vig) on every bet no matter the outcome.

Now that you’re ready to go and understand the options, the next step is getting an account set up and registered.

How to Sign Up for NASCAR Betting Online

When it comes to registering an online sports betting account, the first thing you need to do is find the right sportsbook. Since you are reading this, the good news is you are already in the right place. We’ve got a comprehensive list of casinos to suit your needs as well as a wide variety of bonuses and promotions to get your started off on the right track.

If you live in a state where gambling is legal, your local casino might have a sportsbook or is planning on setting one up. This is usually where the first online sportsbook will operate from. Many states are starting with live sportsbooks before launching an online casino but don’t worry, this is just part of the process.

Once the live sportsbook is fully operational they will likely follow up with a mobile app and a web-based betting platform.

In some states you have to complete your registration in person at the casino. This is done to prevent fraud and underage gambling.

Whether in person or online, the process will be simple and easy to follow. You will be ready to go within minutes.

All that will remain is making your first deposit. If you are in person, ask about their depositing options if not using cash. If the state already has an online sportsbook, it will likely accept most payment processor options including credit cards and e-wallets.

How Do Odds Work in NASCAR Betting?

We’ve covered some of the most common ways to bet on a race but there’s still one important concept to understand: The odds.

Since different bets have difference chances of winning, casinos use odds to manipulate how much each bet pays out. In the United States they’re shows in a style called American odds, also known as moneyline odds.

First, American odds always have either a plus sign (+) or a minus sign (-) in front of the numbers.

• A minus sign represents odds for a favorite or a likely result. The minus sign also tells you how much you have to bet to win $100 in profit.
• A plus sign represents odds for an underdog or an unlikely result. The plus sign also tells you how much profit you’ll win for every $100 you bet.

You can bet any amount you want. This style of odds just uses a $100 base bet to make things easy to understand.

So if a driver has +800 odds to win at the start of the race, it means a $100 wager will make $800 profit if that driver wins.

Moneyline odds are also used in other bets like over/unders.

Imagine there’s an over/under bet on the same driver to finishing in the top ten with the over and under listed with odds of -110.

That means you have to bet $110 to win $100 profit.

Remember, in NASCAR, since picking a straight up winner requires choosing from a very large cast of competitors, every driver will have positive moneyline odds on winning the race.

NASCAR Moneyline Betting

Just like in other sports, moneyline bets in NASCAR are wagers on who will win, in this case which driver will win the race. This is by far the most common and popular bet you can make.

Sportsbooks post odds for all the top drivers. Not only do the odds tell you how much you can win, they also tell you how likely the sportsbook thinks it is for that driver to win. The closer the number is to +100, the more highly favored they are. Drivers who are more unlikely to win will have bigger numbers which mean longer odds and bigger payouts.

Another important thing to notice and remember is that even though a race can have 43 drivers, not all of them are listed with odds. Every racer without odds is part of what is referred to as the “field”. Moneyline wagers on the field will win if any driver which is part of the field wins the race.

A typical race will have a dozen or so drivers with posted moneyline odds. An example could look like this:

Daytona 500 Moneyline Odds

• Brad Keselowski +500
• Denny Hamlin +800
• Joey Logano +800
• Chase Elliott +800
• Kyle Busch +1000
• Ryan Blaney +1200
• Kevin Harvick +1200
• Kyle Larson +1500
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +1500
• Martin Truex Jr +1500
• Jimmie Johnson +1500

As you can see, each driver is technically an ‘underdog’ against everyone else combined. That basically means even though the best driver is a favorite against any other individual driver, he’s still a longshot to win outright. Even the most likely winner, Brad Keselowski is +500. This is because in such a large race there’s a ton of competition.

In the example above a $100 bet on Keselowski would pay $500 profit if he wins.

As mentioned earlier, you do not need to bet $100. You can wager any amount you want.

A ticket purchased in person at a sportsbook will show you precisely how much the bet will pay if it wins. Betting online is great because if you enter the amount you want to bet you can see what it will pay out, before you have to place the actual wager.

You can adjust it and play around with the numbers. Or, if you prefer, you can input how much you hope to win and the site will automatically tell you how much you have to bet.

NASCAR Over/Under Betting

While these cars and drivers zip around the loop hundreds of times per race, there is way more to bet on than just which driver will win. Lots of the more creative bets are presented in the popular over/under style you may be familiar with from other sports.

Like we mentioned before, over/under wagers are lines set by the sportsbook on a specific outcome. You get to bet on whether you think the final outcome will be more than the line (over) or less than the line (under).

In other sports you usually find this format of bet on the total number of points scored by both teams combined. Since there’s no traditional scoring in NASCAR, these bets work a little differently.

The most popular over/under NASCAR bets are on drivers’ finishing positions.

Finishing position over/under bets start with the sportsbook setting a line on where they think a driver is most likely to finish. Then you bet on whether they’ll finish over or under that line.

Let’s look at an example:

Kyle Larson – Finishing Position – 8.5

• Over 8.5 (+105)
• Under 8.5 (-130)

If you think Larson will finish the race 8th or better, bet the under. In this example a wager of $130 would earn you a $100 profit.

If you think Larson will finish worse than 8th and he does, your $100 wager on over would win you $105 profit.

NASCAR Prop Betting

A large majority of NASCAR wagers come in the form of proposition bets or prop bets for short. The simplest explanation for this is that a long race with hundreds of laps needs to offer more action than simply betting on a winner at the end.

Prop bets pose specific questions about something happening in the race and they’re only limited by the sportsbook’s imagination.

There are lots of examples of NASCAR props including how one specific driver will fare against another or how a driver will do against the field. Other props will be posed about the race as a whole.

Here are some common examples:

“Better Than” Bets

Typically these bets put two drivers against each other and you have to pick which will finish higher. It doesn’t matter where they finish overall, just how they do against each other.

Both of the listed drivers can crash out or not finish for other reasons. So long as you correctly pick who finishes higher, you win.

How Many Drivers Remain at Finish?

This is a bet on how many drivers will make it all the way through to finish the race. If the line was set at 10.5, for example, you could take the under for 10 or less drivers to finish, or bet the over for 11 or more.

Most Laps Led by Any Driver?

This Over/Under bet will be about the total number of laps, at the end of the race, that any driver had the lead for.a typical 400-mile race could have a line somewhere near ~190.5 laps

Total Number of Cautions

The sportsbook sets the line on the total number of caution flags during a race.

Betting on Pole Position

This is a hugely popular bet that actually doesn’t deal with the race at all. It focuses on the qualifying times of drivers in the days leading up to the main race. The fastest qualifiers will lead the pack on race day which is a big advantage for many reasons.

The driver who makes it through all of the qualifying rounds and has the fastest lap time will be rewarded with the advantageous lead spot which is called ‘pole position’.

Podium Finish

This is similar to betting on a straight-up winner except your driver only needs to finish in the top three (on the podium). This is similar to a Show bet in horse racing where you win if your pony finishes first, second or third. Payouts for this bet are smaller than you’d get for betting on an outright winner.

Podium finish bets are listed like the moneyline bets on which driver will win the race. Typical lines might look like:

• Denny Hamlin +245
• Tony Stewart + 245
• Greg Biffle + 270

Since it’s a lot easier to finish in the top three than win outright, the odds are always a lot shorter and the payouts are smaller compared to betting on the winner.

Fastest Lap

This is a fun prop if you think a team has a really fast car but the driver doesn’t have the experience or stamina to pull out a victory. All the driver has to do is have the quickest single lap.

It doesn’t matter when this lap happens or even if the driver doesn’t end up finishing the race. All that matters at the end of the day is which driver completed the fastest single lap.

Fastest lap bets are listed with the same moneyline odds for each driver as we see with winner and podium finish bets.

With prop betting it is important to keep in mind that there are bets you should avoid and there are spots to find tremendous value. It may take you some time to identify the difference. At the beginning, trust your gut. If it feels like a sucker’s bet, it’s best to avoid it. The long odds are often their to lure people in.

On the flip side, since prop bets are gaining in popularity, sportsbook will often overextend themselves by offering too many different props. In doing so the oddsmakers will have less time to set accurate lines and are prone to mistakes in judgement.

This is where a keen eye can earn you top dollar. Do your homework!

NASCAR Futures Betting

Futures bets in NASCAR tend to focus on the end of season championship. The earlier in the season that you place your wagers, the longer the odds tend to be. Sometimes end of seasons futures bets will be available mid-season but the odds will be adjusted according to how the season has been progressing.

Generally speaking, the lines available will be for the top tier drivers and posted as moneyline bets.

An example from mid-November 2018 in accordance with the standings:

• Kevin Harvick +200
• Kyle Busch +250
• Martin Truex Jr +300
• Joey Logano +400
• Chase Elliott +1,500
• Clint Bowyer +3,000
• Kurt Busch +4,000

NASCAR Betting Rules for Overtime

In NASCAR, a new rule has been implemented to ensure the race gets finished in an exciting, yet safe, manner. Often times the competitive ending of a race will lead to a crash and the yellow caution flag. Having the race end on a caution is something NASCAR wants to avoid as much as possible as it puts a damper on a lengthy competition. To counteract this they have created overtime rules

These new rules play an important role in how bets are graded and decided.

The main idea is that they want the race to finish on a green flag under a green and white checkered flag.

• Green flag means go.
• Green and White checkered flag indicates the end of a race stage once the first ten drivers cross the finish line.

In the case of a yellow caution flag at the final stage of a race, the race will restart and if the drivers make it to a designated line on the track called the “overtime line” without another caution, then the race can continue with a finish and be considered official.

In some instances they may need to repeat this overtime process until they achieve an official finish and have a winner.

How Does Live NASCAR Betting Work?

It used to be that people placed a bet on who they thought would win and then sat back to enjoy the race. If your bet won at the end of the race, you cashed in your ticket and received your winnings. Nowadays there are tons of bets you can make while the race is going on. This is called live betting and it’s revolutionized the way betting and spectating work together.

NASCAR races are broken down into three stages which makes for tons of betting opportunities. The reason for these stages is to implement a scoring system used to rank the drivers and teams at the end of the season.

For example, the Daytona 500, which is a 200-lap race, consists of two 60-lap stages and a final 80-lap stage. At the end of each stage, the top drivers are awarded points depending on their positions.

Both the drivers and the teams are incentivized to finish in good quality positions throughout the race, not just the end. This means a lot of strategizing takes place as drivers and teams need to make tough decisions at lots of different points in the event.

From the punter’s perspective, each race can be seen as three separate events with each segment opening the door for separate wagers. As the story of the race develops, the live betting odds set by oddsmakers will be adjusted accordingly on the fly.

Since oddsmakers have to make decisions fast, there’s a better chance that they will make mistakes. Keep an eye on the odds as they change and if you think they’re off-base, make a play to exploit their mistake.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when live betting on NASCAR:

• Remember the pre-race odds (or write them down). Being able to compare new lines on the fly is vital and can tell you what the oddsmakers think is playing out and why. Do you agree with them or do you see something different?
• How many laps remain? How are the cars? Is there any damage or other issues to consider?
• What are some of the key team needs? In NASCAR you must consider more than just the driver’s perspective. Teams may often sacrifice one driver’s positioning in order to benefit another or help the team as a whole. If you understand how the team’s other drivers fit into the plan you can make more informed predictions.
• Has there been anything unusual in the starting stages that wasn’t expected? If so, check to see how much the line has moved because of it. Sometimes oddsmakers overreact to early surprises and move the line too far. This can be a great opportunity to find value.
• Like in all outdoor sports, the weather is crucial. In the case of NASCAR, you need to consider how the weather may impact the road and the vehicle, in particular the tires. Also, some driver’s perform better or worse in specific conditions.
• Has the weather changed during the race? Has the weather changed on race day compared to the days of qualifying?

Different sportsbooks will offer different types and options for live betting. If this is an aspect you are particularly fond of, be sure to do your research on which sites specialize in it. Check our reviews for the betting options available in your state to see what’s available.

Successful NASCAR Betting Strategies

The key to successful NASCAR betting is research, plain and simple.

The best approach combines a strong understanding of the sport, historical trends and recent events leading up to the race.

Not only do you have to know the history, you also have to follow everything that happens in the week leading up to the race including what’s going on for each driver, each team, the specific race track, and the weather conditions.

Let’s take a closer look at the most important parts of NASCAR betting strategy.

Following the Odds

Many people will make their wagers on race day without factoring in anything that’s happened in the week leading up to it. Big mistake. There are heaps of vital information to be had leading into the day of the race.

Oddsmakers will lay odds before qualifying to lure early punters into reckless betting only to remove those odds, observe qualifying speeds, times, performances and pole positions, and place newly adjusted odds the day before the race. You definitely want to wait for these later lines because a lot can change in qualifying.

It is highly recommended to check the publicly available practice-lap times on Speed Channel. Sometimes drivers can put up blistering times that may lead to them having a ‘fastest lap’ time which can earn you a big win on a prop bet.

Sometimes that driver may have little-to-no chance of winning the full race but might still be the one to put up the fastest single lap time of the day.

Driver Behavior and Tendencies

The same way certain athletes have their comfort zones in traditional non-racing sports, so too do drivers. Like a pitcher who always plays his best in a specific ballpark or a quarterback who excels in a certain stadium, some drivers perform their best in different circumstances or places. If you are on top of this knowledge you can gain an edge.

This holds true not just for location but also for weather, pole position, and track type.

Team Goals and Decision Making

Since NASCAR races have stages, and because points are accumulated all season long, sometimes a driver and a team will have ulterior motives aside from strictly winning the race.

In some situations, for example, it may be that a driver needs to win a stage in a race and will expend all of their efforts early on to achieve this while sacrificing their vehicle for the long haul.

At other times one teammate might sacrifice something in their own performance to help another driver on the team.

Whatever the circumstance, you should never go into a NASCAR wager without knowing that a team might have an ideal approach to a race that could ultimately cost you on your ticket. Do your research and find out first.

Track Type and Special Factors

Just like different stadiums in baseball, track types play a huge role in NASCAR racing outcomes. Each speedway has its own characteristics and they are a big factor in driver and vehicle performance.

For example, is the track one-groove or multiple-groove? A groove line is the part of the track where the cars can go their fastest. On smaller tracks with just one groove line, it is harder for cars to pass and either they need to expend more resources to make positional moves or we see more accidents.

Groove lines alone can play a huge role in qualifying times because cars want to be at the front of the pack and not struggling to pass everyone.

Larger tracks with multiple groove lines allow more space for passing and accelerating so drivers and teams may not go all-out in qualifying.

Another important factor for each racetrack is where and how the pit stalls are located. In a tightly congested pit it can be a huge benefit to have good pole positioning so that you can choose the ideal pit placement. A lot of jam ups can happen on tracks that have tights pit stalls or few exit ways.

Weather

Driving at ludicrous speed amongst more than three dozen other racers trying to pass you is already hard enough without having to worry about the weather. Rain or other inclement conditions can make a big difference. From a betting perspective it’s crucial to pay attention to the weather and how it may affect the race.

Weather poses driving challenges both physically to the car as well as visually for the driver. Surely we know that slick conditions are going to cause problems but what about the heat?

If it’s going to be extra hot on race day, expect a lot of slippage as tires lose their grip. A cooler day will help drivers stay the course.

As a savvy punter, you want to factor in the weather on race day but also the weather on qualifying days. Was it the same or different? How will that impact race day performance?

NASCAR Betting Strategy Summary

Overall, remember that in order to win in the short and long term you need to have a well thought out plan and solid strategy. The more information you can gather going into the race the more likely you are to make informed and intelligent wagers.

It isn’t always about swinging for the fences. You want to find value in your bets. For NASCAR, just as with every sport, you should compare odds across multiple sportsbooks because you don’t want to leave value on the table by paying a higher price for the same bet. You wouldn’t take 3:1 odds from one person when someone else is offering you the same bet at 5:1, would you?

When it comes to specific statistical research for races, our best advice is to look up the specific tracks recent results per driver. Find out how many races they’ve had there, the number of wins, podium placements, top-10s, and finishes. These numbers are usually also given with a driver performance rating at a given track.

Ideally, you also want to find out how each team has historically done at the track and include that in your evaluation.

NASCAR Betting Markets

In sports betting a market is another word for a specific bet.

The main markets for NASCAR betting are the straight-up winner, podium finish, and head-to-head. Some of the most popular NASCAR bets, however, are prop bets and those can get more in-depth and are a lot of fun for punters.

Straight Winner Markets

Betting on an outright winner is the most basic bet you can make and traditionally the most popular. Bet on a driver. If they win, you win. That’s it.

With large fields of competitors, even the most highly favored drivers offer long odds because winning is so challenging. Bettors can also make field bets which are wagers on every driver outside of the listed group of favorites.

Place Markets (Podium Finishes)

If you’ve ever bet on horses or dogs, betting on a driver to place will already be familiar to you.

NASCAR wagering offers podium finish bets that require your driver to finish anywhere in the top three. While easier than a straight winner bet, these bets payout less as you now have a small cushion for driver to not win the race but still win your bet.

It is important to note that your wager will payout the same regardless if your driver finishes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

Head to Head Markets

NASCAR has a lot of rivalry and one of the ways oddsmakers like to entice more action from bettors is from lines that put two drivers against each other.

With these bets you simply need your driver to finish higher than the other driver and it doesn’t matter if one or both drivers doesn’t make it to the finish line. Wherever they wind up in the final standings is the official result. Your ticket will pay out according to these standings.

NASCAR recently added stages to their races and in so doing they’ve opened the door to a lot more strategy per team and a lot more betting opportunity for the public. With races segmented into three parts we now see betting that poses questions pertaining to each specific stage rather than just the race as a whole.

NASCAR Prop Betting Market

With the progression and development of online sports betting, sportsbooks are getting more and more advanced and interesting with their offerings. NASCAR prop bets get going even before race day.

You can get in on the action with qualifying time wagers and predicting who will earn pole position. This bet is neat because it is seeing which drivers can go fastest on an empty track.

The following are some examples of popular prop bets in NASCAR:

• Betting on the fastest lap of the race is an interest wager because some cars are built for short term speed but generally run into problems over the course of a long race.
• Props will also pose questions about how teams will fare against each other or how many laps a team or driver will lead for. What’s fun about these bets is that over the course of several hours the outcome can sway back and forth.
• Other prop bets might not even be specific to drivers or teams but rather ask questions of the race as a whole like will there be a crash or how many caution flags will be lifted.
• As well, you may wish to bet on the end of season winner and not just on the upcoming race. This is called a Futures bet and is usually juiciest at the start of the season when the oddsmakers have the toughest time setting accurate lines.

NASCAR Betting in Vegas

Betting on NASCAR in Las Vegas is awesome. Not only are you in the most historic and experienced part of the country in terms of taking and offering sports bets, you are also in the mecca of sports gambling where people come from all over the country, and the world, to cheer and boast loudly for their favorites.

When you’re in a busy sportsbook on the day of a big race, the energy in the room is electric. The drinks are flowing, the bets are flying and the engines are roaring.

As a beginner, however, walking into a live sportsbook in Las Vegas can be intimidating. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be.

Follow these simple steps to get started betting NASCAR the next time you’re in Sin City.

• You can use a printed sheet or the big board to find all of the available bets. If you find the board a bit overwhelming or difficult to read, feel free to grab a bet sheet and a pencil that they have on site. It will list all of that day’s events and have a section dedicated to NASCAR. In some sportsbooks there will be a separate betting sheet entirely just for NASCAR wagers.
• Each specific bet will have a number written next to it. You can use this at the desk to place the bet if it helps you organize things. If not you can just tell the cashier what you want to bet on and they’ll take care of the paperwork.
• Depending on what sort of wager you wish to make, you need to find it on the sheet. There will be a category with a title at the top and a list of choices below. Each choice will have the corresponding odds next to it.

As explained above, the odds payouts are posted based on $100 measures but you are free to wager any amount you want. The ticket slip will show you your precise potential payout no matter what amount you bet.

If you aren’t sure about the math and how much it might pay, feel free to ask an attendant at the desk.

Let’s look at a moneyline bet example:

Say you wanted to bet that Kyle Busch would win the race outright. Find the bet on the betting sheet or the board.

• Kyle Busch +600

From our earlier lesson, you know that a $100 bet on Busch will pay out $700 total if he wins. That’s $600 profit plus your original $100 bet back.

To make the bet in a live sportsbook, simply visit the bet desk and say, “Kyle Busch to win the race on the moneyline for $100 dollars.”

Other bets might be a bit more complex but you place them the exact same way. If there are other bets that you don’t understand on the sheet, don’t feel too shy to ask for help.

Usually it will be fairly self-explanatory but if you don’t get it, that’s ok. It’s the staff’s job to explain everything and make sure you place the bet you want for the right amount.

After you’ve made your bet you’ll receive a ticket that clearly shows how much you can win. Hold on to the ticket! You’ll need it to collect your winnings if the bet pays off. Also remember that if the odds change after you place your bet it won’t affect your ticket.

NASCAR Betting Resources

You may think that NASCAR is just a bunch of guys driving around a track in circles. In terms of complexity and data analysis, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Since the beginning of auto racing, the science and mathematics behind driving and engineering has evolved dramatically.

Every millimeter of every part of every vehicle is scrutinized and evaluated. The smallest adjustment can lead to huge gains in speeds, reductions in times, improved performances, and ultimately huge amounts of revenue.

NASCAR is a multi-billion dollar sport with a lot on the line. While the individual teams use the research to improve their cars and drivers, savvy gamblers can use the same data to help pick winners and earn profits.

Nowadays the resources and the data analytics are free, readily available, and accessible via the click of a button online. You can learn about anything. If you want to know which tires performed best on a specific track, it’s there. You want to see which drivers performed at maximum output for the longest coming out of a pit? It’s there. You think there is value in knowing what weather factors led to the most cautions at Bristol Raceway, the data is there. You just have to take the time to look for it.

Winning teams in race car driving try to learn as much relevant information as possible and use it to improve. The same goes for betting. It requires homework and problem solving to succeed.

The exact same thing is true for sports bettors.

• Make a list of podcasters, bloggers, vloggers, professional analysts, and dedicated websites that offer free or paid NASCAR information services.
• Head to Twitter and Youtube and subscribe or follow people who are passionate about NASCAR. Ask these people questions. Send them tweets or post on their videos. Start a dialogue.

A couple of top forums and sites we recommend are:

• www.rotogrinders.com/threads/category/nascar.
• https://www.numberfire.com/nascar

Even with a focus on fantasy sports, they are still an excellent source of data that can be used for your NASCAR betting research.

Over time you will develop a group of people and websites you trust that can help you make smarter bets. NASCAR season is long and with so many races there are lots of opportunities for smart betting if you put in the work.

Thrills, Spills and Dollar Bills

People who aren’t into the sport just think NASCAR is just high-stakes bumper cars, driving around in circles and occasionally smashing into each other.

What they fail to see is all the work, dedication, research, science, and training that is goes into it.

There is so much that goes into competitive racing from a training standpoint that it stands to reason that as much effort should go into serious NASCAR gambling and profitability.

The popularity of NASCAR racing combined with their nearly year-long schedule makes it a fantastic sports betting niche. Sportsbooks don’t consider it a major sport, and it attracts a relatively small amount of betting action compared to the NFL and NBA for example. That means they spend less time setting super accurate lines. If you can become more knowledgeable about the sport, you can find an edge.

If you live in a state where sports betting is already legal, use our reviews and recommended sites to sign up and start making NASCAR bets right now.

If legal sports betting hasn’t yet arrived where you live, sit tight. With the recent landmark US Supreme Court decision, chances are you won’t have to wait long.

For the latest news, bookmark our US legal sports betting page for state by state guides to the changing sports betting laws in the United States.