NASCAR Betting Markets
NASCAR is an action-packed motor marathon, consisting of hundreds of laps and hours of concentrated driving from competitors. The TV viewership in the United States for NASCAR is second only to the NFL. An enjoyable way to watch and participate in NASCAR is by placing a wager (like most other sporting events), and top sportsbooks have capitalised on this, offering plenty of markets for bettors to get stuck into.
The following article will highlight a few of the different NASCAR markets available.
To Win Market
This market allows you to decide on who will win the upcoming race. Sportsbooks will offer odds on the majority of drivers. Due to the large number of drivers competing, sportsbooks will tend to group together the bigger underdogs and label them ‘the field.’ If you back ‘the field,’ your bet will be successful if any of the unnamed drivers win the race.
A typical win market will look as follows:
Race – Ford City 500 – To Win
- Kyle Busch +500
- Kyle Larson +650
- Denny Hamlin +700
- Martin Truex, Jr +900
- Joey Logano +950
- Brad Keselowski +1000
- The Field +1500
From the above odds, every driver is classified as an underdog – this is the case for every race in NASCAR. This is because of the number of drivers competing. The closer the odds are to +100, the more favored the driver is. In the case above, Kyle Busch is classed as the favorite as his odds are the lowest compared to the competition. To fully understand how to read types of bets, please refer to our Betting Types Guide at GamblersBet.
"To Place" Market
Sportsbooks will also offer you the chance to determine whether a driver will finish in the top 3 (a podium finish). This market is more attractive to bettors as it increases the probability of winning your bet.
Using the example above (to win market), a place market may appear as follows:
Race – Ford City 500 – To Place
- Kyle Busch +200
- Kyle Larson +250
- Denny Hamlin +275
- Martin Truex, Jr +275
The only downside to this market (shown above), is that the odds offered for each driver will be much lower, causing the overall pay-out to reduce as well.
Driver Head to Head Market
Another fun market offered by your bookmaker, will be the head to head market. You will be offered a contest between two drivers, and it is up to you to decide who will place higher. Drivers are usually paired together based on their price and ability, which leads to very little difference in the odds. Please see below for an example of a head to head match-up:
Kyle Busch -110
Denny Hamlin -110
If you were to place a bet on either of these drivers, a $110 bet will return a profit of $100.
Over/Under Market
The over/under market is well liked in NASCAR betting. Although it isn’t the conventional over/under a number of points scored by a team like in football and basketball, it refers to the overall finishing position of a driver. For example:
Coca-Cola 600 – Martin Truex Jr. – Finishing Position – 6.5
- Over 6.5 (+110)
- Under 6.5 (-120)
If you think Treux Jr. will finish in 6thplace or above, then you would place a wager on under 6.5 – a $120 bet would return a profit of $100.
If you believe Treux Jr. is out of form and will finish anywhere from 7thposition or below, you would bet on the over. Here, a $100 bet would return a profit of $110.
Proposition Markets
Proposition (Prop) betting has become a fan favorite with bettors involving all kinds of sporting events, especially NASCAR.
Sportsbooks offer a number of prop bets for you to place a wager on. A few of them are highlighted below.
Fastest Lap
Which driver do you think will record the fastest lap during the race. It doesn’t matter whether your driver even finishes the race, as long as they record the fastest lap at any point during their time on the track.
Pole Position
Bettors can get in on the action leading up to the actual race day. Sportsbooks offer markets on which driver will take pole position and start at the front of the grid come race day.
Number of Drivers Finishing the Race
Many things can happen during a NASCAR race that can lead to a driver not finishing it. Whether they are involved in a crash or disqualified from the race, not all drivers will finish the race. Therefore, sportsbooks offer a market on how many drivers will finish.
Futures Betting
Along with the other 4 major sporting competitions throughout America, you are able to place bets on certain markets which focus on the end of season championship. These markets include the following:
- Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – this is the top professional racing competition in NASCAR.
- Top Manufacturer – there are three manufacturers all competing for the end of season manufacturers championship – Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet.
Live NASCAR Betting
Live betting during sporting events have become extremely popular, and this is definitely the case when it comes to NASCAR betting.
Sportsbooks now offer bettors the opportunity to place wagers during a race, creating a new fun and exciting way of sports betting. You are able to place in-play bets on the majority of markets mentioned above. However, keep a close eye on the odds and their volatility.
