Legal NASCAR betting is available in a growing number of states, provided by mobile apps and retail sportsbooks that are reputable and licensed. Today, finding a place to bet on NASCAR online is easier than ever before.

Fans of the fastest sport in America can read on for a list of the best NASCAR betting sites, an explanation of where it is legal to bet online, and some pointers on how to get started.

Best NASCAR Betting Sites

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The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn PASPA in 2018 freed states to regulate sports betting as they wish. Many states have since taken advantage of the opportunity. Some states have legalized mobile betting apps and retail sportsbooks, while others have authorized one or the other.

The following map shows where sports betting is legal and in which formats (retail, online, or both). BettingUSA updates this map regularly, so readers in states without legal sports betting can check back occasionally to see if anything has changed.

Map Key

  • Blue: NASCAR betting online is legal
  • Green: Land-based sportsbooks only (no online betting)
  • Red: NASCAR betting coming soon; legislation fully passed but waiting for implementation
States with Legal Sports Betting Placeholder
States with Legal Sports Betting

Can I Bet On NASCAR If Sports Betting Is Not Legal In My State?

Readers who live in states without legal sportsbooks should refrain from betting on NASCAR until local laws change.

Daily fantasy sports are the next best alternative and provide a similar experience. Leading fantasy operators FanDuel and DraftKings hold NASCAR contests for races throughout the year and are legal in most states.

Most notably, DFS NASCAR contests can pay significant sums to winners. For example, it is not uncommon for players to log in to DraftKings and find NASCAR fantasy contests with nearly half a million in guaranteed prize pool money, including $100,000+ for the first-place finisher.

With that in mind, BettingUSA encourages readers to keep it legal. Safe and legal sports betting will likely come to most states sooner or later. Visiting offshore betting sites entails legal, financial, and privacy risks because unlicensed operators are not subject to strong consumer protection measures.

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What To Look For In NASCAR Betting Apps

Identifying the best NASCAR betting apps begins with ensuring the legitimacy of all potential sportsbooks. BettingUSA strongly urges readers to start by only considering mobile sportsbooks that are legal in the USA.

Fans can begin by viewing BettingUSA’s state-specific sportsbook recommendations. BettingUSA only recommends legal online sportsbooks to ensure the security of bettors’ funds and personal information.

Additionally, NASCAR bettors can check the websites of their state-level gaming regulators. Every state with legal sports betting publishes a list of licensed online sportsbooks somewhere on its regulatory website. For example, New Jersey residents can visit this page on the Division of Gaming Enforcement website to view all licensed betting sites.

Regulators in most states are highly demanding when it comes to approving online betting sites. Potential licensees must demonstrate they are reputable, well-funded, and have the technical expertise to ensure the safety of customers’ funds.

When it comes to NASCAR betting in particular, fans can consider additional factors when choosing their sportsbooks. Listed below are several ranking components that BettingUSA takes into account when recommending NASCAR betting sites.

Event Coverage And Betting Markets

For one, not all sportsbooks cover NASCAR to the same extent. While most sportsbooks cover the major sports such as football and basketball in detail, they don’t always give NASCAR the same treatment.

Some NASCAR betting sites give auto racing a bare minimum of coverage, mainly offering outright winner wagers only. However, it has gotten to the point where most betting apps at least offer some lines for all NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and NASCAR Truck events. Additionally, futures are usually available for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, regardless of the sportsbook.

Other online sportsbooks have greatly expanded their NASCAR online betting markets to include head-to-head matchups, top x finishers, stage winners, and various prop bets. These are the betting sites that NASCAR fans will want to spend the majority of their time perusing.

Online Sportsbooks With NASCAR Partnerships

Bettors can consider online sportsbooks partnered with NASCAR for live data and special promotions. For instance, BetMGM Sportsbook is partnered with NASCAR to launch unique betting promotions and provide an expanded in-play betting menu.

NASCAR Betting Odds

The house edge on NASCAR wagers is organically higher than other professional sports leagues like the NFL due to it being a less efficient market. That doesn’t mean NASCAR betting fans should merely accept being price gouged. Luckily, legal sportsbooks tend to cap their house edge at a reasonable rate.

In fact, NASCAR betting odds really don’t vary too much among major sportsbooks. But some sportsbooks undoubtedly offer fairer lines than others. The difference between a head-to-head moneyline with a 5% house edge vs. a 6% edge can save bettors hundreds over the long run.

NASCAR props, group matchups, and futures are subject to even higher vigorish than moneyline wagers. Sportsbooks that keep the house edge from spiraling out of control are more worthy of a bettor’s action because they know that the key to retention is keeping their loyal patrons in the race.

Withdrawal Methods and Payout Speeds

When legal online sports betting first became accessible, it changed the way bettors perceived the handling of funds. Prior to 2018, they’d either have to be paid through a local bookie or take their chances requesting payouts from illicit offshore books.

Either way, their prospects of receiving funds were uncertain. Not only did legalization open up a whole slew of new depositing methods, but it guarantees that bettors will receive their payouts in a timely fashion.

However, in the past several years the legal industry has evolved, and it’s simply not good enough for online sportsbooks to only accept credit/debit card and checking account deposits. The very best NASCAR betting sites also take PayPal, Venmo, Play+ prepaid debit cards, and cash. Additionally, some sportsbooks are now honoring withdrawal requests within one day, or even instantaneously, as opposed to the 3-5 business days it used to take to receive funds.

Best NASCAR Betting Apps

Finding the best NASCAR betting apps begins with understanding which sites are licensed and narrowing down based on objective criteria and personal preferences.

To get bettors started on their NASCAR betting journey, here are the apps that BettingUSA strongly recommends:

Caesars Sportsbook NASCAR Betting

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  • Standout features: Head-to-head matchups, prop menu, odds boosts, Caesars Rewards

As far as NASCAR betting apps go, Caesars Sportsbook takes the pole position. Caesars ranks in the top five for most betting markets, but its NASCAR market is far and away the most comprehensive, despite the app not being partnered with NASCAR in any significant capacity.

Event coverage is widespread. Caesars offers lines on virtually all NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and NASCAR Truck events, with futures offered well in advance for all Championship races. There’s even a futures bet on which NASCAR Cup drivers will make the Championship 4.

Most major sportsbooks post dozens of lines for the biggest events on the NASCAR calendar, but Caesars goes a step further. Each event, from the Daytona 500 down to the smallest mid-season Xfinity race, has a ton of betting markets.

Bettors can wager on outright winners, top X, head-to-head matchups, and group matchups, along with more niche props like the Over/Under on the winning car number, whether the winner of Stage 1/2 will win the race, the exacta, and quinellas.

NASCAR fans can also place wagers on “Any of” or “Either” to win a race, and whether there will be overtime. The options truly feel endless.

The vigorish on popular head-to-head NASCAR betting markets is fair, clocking in at around 5-6%. However, the house edge on 4- and 5-way group matchups is high, often exceeding 15%. That and the rather unwieldy betting interface are the only real drawbacks of an otherwise perfect NASCAR betting experience.

Caesars Sportsbook also makes it easy for bettors to build a bankroll and bolster their Caesars Rewards status, thanks to a generous welcome bonus.

Another money maker is Caesars’ regular NASCAR odds boosts, which have high $100 limits and are often substantial enough to flip the house edge in favor of the bettor.

BetMGM NASCAR Betting

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  • Standout features: NASCAR promotions, BetMGM Rewards, in-play betting, some pricing

BetMGM Sportsbook has played a major role in bringing live motorsports betting to the masses, largely thanks to its status as an Authorized Gaming Operator of NASCAR.

As part of the agreement, BetMGM has worked with Genius Sports to greatly strengthen the appeal of in-play NASCAR betting. Whether it’s been completely successful or not is an open question, but there’s little debate that bettors will find the best live NASCAR betting experience at BetMGM.

In addition, the partnership enables BetMGM to offer NASCAR-focused promotions. For instance, the app’s 3-Wide Challenge is a free-to-play promo where bettors are assigned three random drivers to win each week’s race. Bettors with the best performers are entered into a sweepstakes to win a variety of prizes, including a trip to the Daytona 500 and $3,000 in withdrawable bonus dollars.

BetMGM doesn’t offer a ton of NASCAR betting markets for most events but steps its game up for notables like the Daytona 500 and Cup Championship. Futures are offered for all three NASCAR divisions (Cup/Xfinity/Trucks), and bettors can also wager on which drivers will make the Championship 4.

The pricing is a mixed bag. However, BetMGM is one of the few NASCAR sportsbooks online that will take positions on head-to-head matchups, making it a great sportsbook for line shoppers. Bettors will also sometimes find NASCAR moneylines that are priced extremely well. The average vigorish on 2-way moneylines may be about 6%, but it’s fairly common to find wagers with a house edge well below 5%.

Bet365 NASCAR Betting

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  • Standout features: Betting markets, bet boosts, qualifier bets, group matchup pricing

Bet365 Sportsbook certainly isn’t a one-stop-shop for NASCAR bettors, but it does excel in several areas.

Most notably, Bet365 has the best pricing on group matchups. The margin on 4-driver group bets may still seem high at 9-10%, but considering that most books take a 12%+ vig, it’s actually a bargain. It’s too bad that Bet365 isn’t as generous with its head-to-head lines, which are taxed at roughly 6.5%. That’s nearly 0.5% above the mean.

However, Bet365 does offer some tax relief on futures. Bettors can bet on select drivers to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at boosted odds. The boosts aren’t huge, but taking a line from +600 to +700 is fairly significant, as it lowers the implied odds by nearly 13%. Does that completely offset the high house edge on NASCAR futures? No, but it comes fairly close.

Bet365 will post dozens of lines for high-profile events, and a decent number for less hyped races. Notably, it sometimes offers bets on qualifiers, like who will win the pole position.

BetRivers NASCAR Betting

BetRivers SportsbookSecond Chance Bet Up To $500BetRivers Bonus Code: BUSAGet Bonus
  • Standout features: Strong prop menu, qualifier bets, special promotions, iRush Rewards

BetRivers Sportsbook is another well-rounded option for NASCAR Bettors, that offers odds on outright winners, and the Top 3, 5, and 10 finishers of all NASCAR Cup Series events. Odds are also posted for head-to-head and group matchups and the rather niche “Team of Race Winner” prop.

There are two props found on BetRivers that are relatively obscure and hard to find elsewhere. The first is an Over/Under on the grid position of the race winner. BetRivers not only posts a primary line for this wager but a slew of alternative lines. The other is a wager on whether the winner of Stages 1 & 2 will win the race. Naturally, a “Yes” bet on this wager pays handsomely, usually at +500 or more.

BetRivers is also only one of a few sportsbooks that take odds on the highly uncertain qualifier market.

Only Caesars Sportsbook offers more props than BetRivers, and while Caesars may have better overall pricing, BetRivers offers better odds on group matchup props. The vigorish on these bets is roughly 11%, which is a shade better than industry standards. Head-to-head lines are also roughly average, taxed at approximately 6%.

However, NASCAR bettors can offset a large chunk of the house edge by regularly participating in promotional events. BetRivers is known for targeting promos toward every type of bettor, and NASCAR fans are no exception.

In particular, bettors who reach Level 7 of BetRivers’ stellar iRush Rewards VIP program will be treated to a slew of profit boosts, bet & get offers, and deposit match bonuses. In addition, all NASCAR wagers will earn bettors valuable Bonus Store points which can be redeemed for bet boosts, bonus money, wheel spins, and scratch cards.

Becoming a VIP on BetRivers is arguably easier than it is on nearly every other online NASCAR betting app, only requiring a moderate amount of monthly action. Loyalty kickbacks and promotions are what elevate BetRivers beyond other Kambi-powered sites.

FanDuel NASCAR Betting

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  • Standout features: Head-to-head pricing

FanDuel Sportsbook is the online sports betting industry’s market share leader and ranks in the top 3 sportsbooks for nearly every betting market.

However, its NASCAR betting menu feels somewhat underwhelming. Only a limited number of futures are offered, and while FanDuel does provide coverage of most NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and NASCAR Truck events, the betting menus are somewhat bare.

Bettors can bet on the outright winner, or for a driver to finish in the Top 3 or Top 10. They can also wager on the winning manufacturer and a few head-to-head and group matchups. That’s about it. For more prestigious events, FanDuel will open up the market, but even then there still aren’t many wagers that can’t be found on numerous other sites.

What FanDuel does extremely well is take care of its NASCAR head-to-head bettors. The average house edge on these wagers is an industry-best 5.4% FanDuel’s pricing is also very consistent, with low-profile matchups priced about the same as superstar pairings. For this reason, FanDuel should be on every NASCAR bettor’s smartphone.

Is DraftKings Sportsbook Good For Nascar Betting?

DraftKings Sportsbook receives top marks for most professional markets, especially ones that generate lots of betting handle like NFL, MLB, and NBA. It’s also an outstanding betting app for fight fans and PGA bettors.

However, its NASCAR online betting markets are simply not up to snuff. The head-to-head lines are poor, there aren’t many futures or props offered, and there’s significant downtime between qualifiers and official race starts.

DraftKings does offer favorable odds on group matchups, the interface is great, and its Dynasty Rewards program is second to none. So when it does fully embrace NASCAR, BettingUSA expects it to be a top option. It’s just that its time hasn’t arrived yet.

Keep using DraftKings for almost any other market, but skip it for NASCAR for now.

NASCAR Betting Bonuses and Promotions

BetMGM SportsbookUp to $1000 in NASCAR Bonus BetsGet Bonus
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BetRivers Sportsbook2nd Chance NASCAR Bet up to $500Get Bonus

The days of sportsbooks pulling all stops to acquire new customers have passed. However, new customer bonuses can still be quite lucrative, and the best NASCAR betting promos allow fans to generate hundreds of dollars in expected value.

In addition, fans with existing accounts can claim recurrent promotions such as odds boosts and lost wager refunds in the days before important races. And for frequent bettors, online betting loyalty programs provide ongoing value through exclusive promotions, VIP points redeemable for high-end merchandise, and more.

Although NASCAR-specific betting promos are relatively infrequent these days, there’s plenty of value to be had from welcome bonuses, loyalty programs, all-purpose promotions, and the occasional promo for major races.

The key to extracting the most value from NASCAR betting promos is understanding how they work, being familiar with their most common formats, and giving every offer’s terms a look before jumping in. The overwhelming majority of NASCAR betting bonuses and promotions take one of the following forms.

New Customer NASCAR Betting Bonuses

Bettors should seek NASCAR betting apps that offer signup packages with high monetary caps, low wagering requirements, and few caveats or restrictions. Fans can get a sense of the best NASCAR bonuses by keeping up with BettingUSA’s online betting bonuses page.

Most NASCAR betting bonuses fit under one of three categories, each with pros and cons that determine their suitability for any individual bettor.

Second Chance NASCAR Bets

Second chance NASCAR bets welcome new customers by promising to refund their first wager if it loses. They’re almost like insurance, except they pay refunds as bonus bets instead of cash.

Consider a customer who signs up for an account to bet on the Daytona 500 online. If that customer places a $100 wager on the winning driver at +330, there are two possible outcomes.

  • The bet wins: the customer receives a $430 payout, and the promotion ends there
  • The bet loses: the customer gets a $100 bonus bet to try again

Pros:

  • The biggest type of welcome bonus; max refunds of up to $1,000
  • Easy to understand
  • Refunds usually have no wagering requirements; bettors can withdraw their winnings immediately

Cons:

  • Refunds are paid as non-withdrawable bonus bets, not cash
  • Bettors only see a tangible benefit if their first wager loses

NASCAR Deposit Bonuses

Sportsbook deposit bonuses issue site credit to new users after funding their accounts. The size of the customer’s first deposit determines how much they receive in bonus funds, expressed as a percentage.

NASCAR betting apps typically market these promotions using language like “get a 100% up to $200 bonus on your first deposit.” In that case, a customer who deposits $50 would receive an additional $50 in site credit or bonus bets. Likewise, a customer who deposits $200 or more would max out the offer and receive $200 in bonus funds.

Pros:

  • All new customers receive the bonus, regardless of the outcome of their first wager
  • Bettors have complete control over how much bonus money they receive; nothing is left to chance like with second chance bets
  • Most deposit bonuses issue site credit, so fans can spread the bonus across multiple NASCAR wagers if they want

Cons:

  • First deposit bonuses either have low match rates and high maximums or high match rates and low maximums
  • Most NASCAR betting deposit bonuses have high wagering requirements compared to other types of welcome offers
  • Some deposit bonuses are withdrawable, but some only allow bettors to withdraw whatever they win with their bonus funds

NASCAR Bet & Get Bonuses

Bet & get bonuses welcome new customers by giving them bonus bets in return for placing their first wager. Unlike first deposit bonuses, bet & get promos have fixed bonus amounts.

For example, a sportsbook may offer $200 in bonus bets to all new users who register and place a first wager of at least $20 on any NASCAR market.

Pros:

  • Favorable risk:reward ratio; the bonus often far outpaces the minimum qualifying wager
  • Fixed bonus amount means customers don’t have to make large deposits to max out the offer
  • NASCAR bet & get promos rarely impose wagering requirements on customers; their winnings are immediately withdrawable

Cons:

  • Bonus bets are not withdrawable; bettors may only withdraw the net winnings from bonus bets
  • Bet & get promos have lower maximums than second chance bet bonuses

Recurrent NASCAR Betting Promotions

Just as NASCAR betting apps have cut back on their customer acquisition expenditures, some have also decreased their recurrent promotional spending. Some, but not all.

There are still some online sportsbooks that offer dedicated NASCAR promotions. These often coincide with NASCAR’s biggest events, like the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. However, the more aggressive NASCAR betting sites offer promotional incentives for every Cup Series event.

Additionally, legal betting sites regularly launch nonspecific promotions compatible with all sports, NSCAR included. All-sport odds boosts, bet refunds, and bonus bets are standard fare among online sportsbooks.

Between the various event-specific NASCAR betting promotions and all-sport offers, fans usually have at least one or two bonuses worth considering before every race.

The most common NASCAR betting promos take the following formats:

  • NASCAR Bonus Bets: Online sportsbooks offer all-purpose and NASCAR-specific bonus bets at somewhat frequent but unpredictable intervals. Sometimes, sportsbooks run modest bet & get promos for existing customers who bet on specific races. In other instances, sportsbooks offer all-purpose bonus bets to customers who log in on a specific day or complete other challenges like placing a wager on a different sport.
  • NASCAR Insurance Bets: Insurance NASCAR betting promotions are like second chance welcome bonuses, except smaller and open to existing customers. For example, BetMGM offered up to $25 in bonus bets back to anyone who bet on the last Daytona 500 and lost.
  • NASCAR Odds Boosts: Odds boosts are some of the most common types of NASCAR betting promotions and benefit bettors by increasing the payouts on specific wagers. For example, a sportsbook may bump up a driver’s odds of winning from +400 to +550 for a day. Even better, sportsbooks occasionally issue all-sport odds boost tokens that bettors can apply to any wager.
  • Live Event NASCAR Betting Promos: Live event promotions are exceedingly rare but always worth keeping an eye out for because they provide immense value. For example, BetMGM once held a free-to-enter NASCAR betting contest that awarded a top prize of tickets to the Daytona 500 and $3,000 in travel and spending money.

NASCAR Betting Rewards Programs

One area where NASCAR sportsbooks have increased their efforts is in providing customers with loyalty-based perks and promotions.

Companies like MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, and PENN Entertainment have all extended their award-winning rewards programs to encompass online play.

Other operators, like DraftKings and BetRivers, have launched online-only loyalty programs that are just as multi-dimensional and rewarding to NASCAR bettors as the best land-based programs.

These days, if an online sportsbook doesn’t offer some sort of rewards program, it probably isn’t in the top tier of NASCAR betting sites.

To learn more, see these reviews of the best NASCAR betting rewards programs:

How To Bet On NASCAR Online

Auto racing is a simple sport from the casual spectator’s point of view, but the best NASCAR betting sites offer a surprisingly diverse array of wagers. The most obvious starting point for new fans is the outright bet on who will win. In addition, higher-quality sportsbooks provide additional betting options, as explained below.

One of the most straightforward bets in NASCAR is to bet on the outright winner of an upcoming race.

The goal is simple: predict which driver will finish in 1st place. The ticket cashes if the selected driver wins, and it loses if anyone else wins.

Typically, the winner is determined after the completion of Stage 3. Although, some NASCAR road and street course races no longer have stage breaks.

Additionally, several sportsbooks will allow bettors to wager on the winner of Stages 1 & 2.

Outright bets can be difficult to win, but they also provide very high payouts in many cases. Even the listed odds on a favorite can run up higher than +500.

Bettors who want to reduce their variance can bet on drivers to finish in the Top 3, 5, or 10. These wagers obviously pay out less than bets on outright winners but are significantly easier to hit.

For instance, if Kyle Busch is listed at +600 to win a race, then his Top 3 odds might be +180, and his Top 5 odds will be even shorter at +100.

Most sportsbooks will take action on Top 3 bets, but some skip over the Top 5 or Top 10.

NASCAR futures are similar to outright winner wagers in that bettors select from a vast array of options and only cash if their driver finishes first.

Many futures bets are simply outright winner bets on who will win a big race down the road, such as the NASCAR Cup Championship or the following season’s Daytona 500. Others may be more granular, like who will make the playoffs or the Championship 4 of the Cup Series.

The big problem with wagers that have many possible outcomes is that the vigorish tends to be sky-high. This is particularly true of NASCAR futures because it’s a highly uncertain, and therefore highly inefficient, market. Not to mention, futures open up sportsbooks to high liabilities, as winning bets on extremely popular longshots can hurt them badly.

For example, the house edge on a NASCAR Cup Championship future at Caesars Sportsbook is 26%. This is completely in line with industry standards. By the time the playoffs roll around the vigorish should go down since the field will be whittled down to 16, but the market will be more efficient.

Head-to-head NASCAR matchups involve picking which of two drivers will have the best race. In each matchup wager, the sportsbook lists two drivers, displays moneyline odds next to each, and has bettors select which will finish higher in the standings.

NASCAR sportsbooks grade matchup wagers regardless of where the two drivers finish relative to everyone else. All that matters is which of the two drivers has the better race.

In the case where both drivers do not complete the race, the one with the most number of full laps is declared the winner. However, in the scenario where both drivers fail on the same lap, bets will be graded per the official NASCAR result. This usually only occurs when the two drivers are involved in a race-ending crash.

Group matchups are an extension of head-to-heads, except instead of two drivers, bettors pick one driver out of four or five to have the best finish. The vigorish on these wagers is slightly higher than two-way matchups, but still significantly lower than the house edge on futures.

NASCAR Prop bets (or propositions) involve just about everything except who will win the race. Some online sports betting sites offer a decent variety of NASCAR props for every Cup race, while others only focus on the big events. A few have yet to embrace NASCAR props at all.

Certain types of prop bets can be found at multiple betting sites, allowing handicappers to shop around for the best price.

Some of the most common NASCAR prop bet examples include:

  • Which car manufacturer will the race winner be driving? Typically there are three options: Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota
  • Which drivers will win Stage 1 and/or Stage 2? This only applies to NASCAR races that have 3 stages. Some books take this prop a bit further, and post bets on if a driver will win Stage 1 & 2 as well as the race.
  • Which team will the race winner belong to? There are a bunch of NASCAR teams, so this bet resembles a future.
  • What will be the winning car number? (over/under) Some books will offer alternative lines on this wager.
  • Which driver will lead the most laps in the race? NASCAR has seen more lead changes in the final laps than ever before, making this an exciting prop.
  • Which driver will have the pole position? This is a bet on who will have the fastest lap during the qualifying round.
  • How many yellow flags will there be during the race? (over/under)

NASCAR parlays combine two or more wagers into one and provide higher payouts when bettors get every prediction correct. Most online sportsbooks allow customers to build custom parlays by adding several bets to the betting slip and then selecting “parlay” on the slip to combine them.

Parlays offer higher payouts than other types of NASCAR wagers, but they are more challenging to win because the bettor must get every selection correct. For example, a bettor who builds a three-leg parlay must get all three selections right, or else the entire bet loses. There is no room for error when placing parlays.

They’re also subject to higher vigorish because the house edge of each parlay leg is stacked. A typical two-leg parlay has a house edge in the vicinity of 9%, shooting up past 20% once 5+ legs are added.

Parlay betting is not super common in NASCAR, partially because sportsbooks have yet to include them in their Same Game Parlay betting markets. Also, NASCAR events take place over the weekend, with just one event scheduled on two or three different days. They also take hours to complete. So, bettors looking for instant gratification are out of luck.

More commonly, bettors will parlay a NASCAR wager with bets from other sporting events scheduled for the same day.

Live In-Play NASCAR Betting

In-play NASCAR betting allows fans to continue placing wagers even after the green flag drops, as sportsbooks leave their markets open and constantly update NASCAR betting odds in real time from start to finish.

With in-play betting, fans can watch the first few laps of a race, observe some pit stops, and so on before placing their bets. Bettors will often get better NASCAR odds by placing their wagers before the race, but in-play betting provides the opportunity for fans to place bets with more information at hand.

The in-play betting concept is relatively new to NASCAR, but the organization has embraced the idea and hopes to grow its in-race wagering handle. In 2019, NASCAR partnered with Genius Sports to collect live racing data and create an in-play betting product it can sell to sportsbooks worldwide.

In-play betting accounts for 80% or more of the total betting handle for sports in some countries and is quickly picking up steam in the U.S. NASCAR insiders speak highly of in-race wagering. They anticipate in-play betting continuing to ramp up in volume, potentially accounting for up to 75% of all wagers placed on NASCAR events. So far that isn’t nearly the case, but at least a few sportsbooks have begun embracing live racing bets.

In other sports, live betting is a significant opportunity to drive fan engagement. Joseph Solosky, formerly an executive for Sportradar in Europe, noted that live betting comprised up to 90% of the overall handle for certain events.

Industry experts believe that the number of NASCAR props will increase significantly in the years to come. The competition will play a big part in innovation as more sports betting groups get in on the game.

Major Nascar Betting Events

It’s almost ironic that the Super Bowl of NASCAR racing is the inaugural race of the Cup Series.

Like the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 takes place in February each year and draws massive live and televised audiences. It also offers the most incentive to drivers, thanks in large part to the event’s prestige, but also its gigantic purse.

The run-up to the Daytona 500 is probably the best time for NASCAR bettors to take advantage of lucrative promotions and odds boosts.

Other high-profile events throughout the 10-month-long, 36-race NASCAR Cup Series include:

  • Coca-Cola 600: The longest race of the NASCAR season, and the only one with four stages, takes place on Memorial Day weekend and is held at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • Geico 500: Known as NASCAR’s fastest race, the Geico 500 is held in mid-April at Talladega Superspeedway.
  • Coke Zero Sugar 400: This race can be super stressful for drivers on the fringes, as it’s the last race to qualify for the playoff rounds. It’s also the second race at Daytona, a fitting bookend to a long season. It takes place in late August.
  • Dixie Vodka 400: This critical playoff race features the final 8 qualifiers, and plays a large role in determining the Championship 4. The Dixie is held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in late October.
  • NASCAR Cup Championship: It’s “do or die” for the final four, as they duke it out for the cup in this single-elimination race held in early November at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR betting fans will certainly want to mark all of these dates on their calendar, as they present the best opportunities to generate value to bet props that they might not otherwise see.

NASCAR also supports two other series. The Xfinity Series is NASCAR’s second-tier circuit but provides just as much drama and excitement as the Cup. The Xfinity Championship takes place the day before the Cup Championship, on a Saturday.

Finally, there’s the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which as the name suggests, features pickup trucks instead of stock cars. The more aggressive NASCAR betting apps offer futures on the final event, which is also at Phoenix Raceway and takes place the Friday before the Cup Championship.

Suffice it to say, that early November is high-time for NASCAR bettors.

NASCAR Betting Strategies

NASCAR may have suffered some decline, but it’s still an enormously popular sport. However, it only accounts for a small percentage of betting handle at online sportsbooks. This leaves the market open to vulnerabilities, and savvy players can eventually learn how to pounce on them.

In the meantime, following a few simple pieces of sound advice will help NASCAR bettors sustain their bankrolls:

  • Always shop around for the best lines: Sportsbooks compensate for inefficiencies in NASCAR markets by increasing the house edge. Bettors can counter this by shopping at multiple sportsbooks. Head-to-head lines don’t vary too much, but group and futures markets have a greater degree of volatility. This is the easiest and perhaps most impactful step bettors can take toward breaking even.
  • Know the rules: Not only should bettors know each sportsbook’s NASCAR house rules, they should get an idea of how NASCAR rules work in general. They should also keep up with frequent rule changes. Due to declining viewership, NASCAR has significantly changed its approach. For instance, in 2017 races were broken up into 3-4 stages. Yet, in 2023 stage breaks were eliminated for some road and street courses because they were deemed too dangerous. Knowing when a rule change occurs is critical because oddsmakers will take time to adapt. Use that time to study the impact of the change, and bet accordingly.
  • Know what factors are already baked into NASCAR lines: Bettors often think they can flippantly browse box scores and beat the book. It’s not that easy. Many factors that bettors think will give them an edge are already accounted for in the lines. NASCAR may not be the most efficient market, but the lines aren’t posted randomly either.
  • Bet smaller markets when possible: The Xfinity and Truck circuits feature lesser-known drivers. They also don’t generate much handle or sharp action, so books are less incentivized to move the lines. It’s worth studying these markets for line discrepancies and incorrect pricing. There’s a better chance of NASCAR betting sites hanging bad lines in smaller markets. Although it may seem contradictory to the prior point, bettors should also seek out inefficiencies prior to NASCAR’s biggest events, because this is when the craziest prop bets will be offered. If a sportsbook doesn’t offer a prop regularly, then there’s a good chance the odds will be off.
  • Shrink the race: Beginning bettors shouldn’t try to complicate things by betting into high-hold markets with 40 possible winners. At first, stick to head-to-head matchups. That way, you only have to study a couple of drivers. Not to mention, the house edge on these wagers is fairly low, only about 5% at the best NASCAR betting sites.
  • Observe, observe, observe: Online NASCAR betting odds are based primarily on advanced statistics. However, statistics don’t paint the entire picture and certainly don’t delve into the psychology of a driver. Pick a driver or two and observe how they race at different tracks and under different physical and mental conditions. For example, you might ask yourself if a driver races more aggressively when they’re in serious need of points, or if are they content to stick with their usual style.

How Legal Sports Betting Impacts NASCAR

The widespread legalization of sports betting will have lasting impacts on all sports in the United States, and NASCAR is no exception.

Generally, legal sports betting benefits NASCAR in two aspects: direct financial benefits from gambling sponsorships and indirect benefits due to increased viewership.

NASCAR and all the nation’s other professional sports leagues directly benefit from legal sports betting by striking deals with gaming operators involving marketing rights and live data.

The involved parties rarely release the financial terms behind such deals, but industry insiders have valued at least one such deal at $30 million per year.

Since the legalization of sports betting, NASCAR has reached numerous deals with gaming operators. Examples include a partnership with BetMGM, another with WynnBET, and one with BettorView.

Each NASCAR sports betting agreement is unique, but they tend to share certain traits. For instance, NASCAR’s deals with BetMGM and WynnBET include collaboration on “unique sports betting experiences” and special advertising arrangements.

Coincidentally, the new opportunity for sports betting advertisers came about right as NASCAR was adjusting its approach to sponsorships. With NASCAR considering how to better leverage its relationships with advertisers, legal sports betting opens many new doors to capturing advertising dollars.

A second indirect impact legal sports betting has on NASCAR is a boost in viewership. Studies commissioned by the American Gaming Association have found time and again that people who bet on sports regularly also consume more sports content on average than people who do not.

The studies have concluded that people who frequently have money on the line tend to watch more broadcasts, watch those broadcasts for longer periods, follow social media accounts more closely, and so on. In short, bettors maintain closer relationships with their favorite sports.

Additionally, partnerships that do not directly involve NASCAR provide indirect benefits to its viewership.

For example, PointsBet’s partnership with NBC Sports led to NBC integrating betting elements to NASCAR broadcasts, including an odds ticker across the bottom of the screen.

The timing couldn’t be better for NASCAR, which struggled with declining viewership in the years leading up to the legalization of sports betting across the country. Within three years of the decision, NASCAR viewership for some events had recovered to levels not seen since 2017.

Like most leagues, NASCAR moved quickly to take advantage of the opportunities. However, NASCAR has also been proactive in protecting the integrity of the sport. In December 2018, NASCAR signed a deal with sports betting data company Sportradar to assist the league in detecting and preventing gambling-related corruption.

The multi-year deal involves leveraging Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System (FDS) to monitor global and domestic betting activity for suspicious patterns related to NASCAR’s largest championship series.

According to a press release issued at the time, NASCAR relies on Sportradar to provide “on-site workshops for NASCAR drivers, teams, officials and associated stakeholders delivered by Sportradar’s integrity and education experts. In addition, Sportradar’s Integrity Services will also help NASCAR develop a full-fledged betting integrity program, including robust betting-related rules and policies.”

Can NASCAR Capitalize On Legal Sports Betting?

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has seen a gradual decline in popularity since its peak in 2005.  But the new managing director of sports betting for the sport, Joseph Solosky, believes the expansion of legal betting in the United States is creating significant growth opportunities for NASCAR.

Solosky believes that a change in the US betting landscape means current fans are increasingly engaged, and the sport is attracting new fans through gambling.

In a media article on the official NASCAR website, Solosky said thousands of NASCAR fans are unfamiliar with betting. By educating and engaging these fans about betting opportunities, the tide can change for the sport.

Creating Stock Car Racing Fans

Engaging NASCAR fans through sports betting is the more straightforward mission. The more challenging one – but the one which promises better returns in the long run – is convincing players who bet regularly on traditional sports such as soccer, basketball, and baseball to try their hand at betting on NASCAR.

As per Solosky:

“The big slice of the pie is the people who are not watching NASCAR but who may be betting on other sports, and introducing them to in-race odds or educating them on how NASCAR betting is different from other sports. We are interested in getting them to bet on the sport and then watch the sport and then hopefully go to a race where we can acquire them as fans.”

He believes that NASCAR betting does not have to come at the expense of other sports. Rather, they can complement one another.

“In growing our handle, we’re not looking to take away from other sports, we’re looking to grow the pie,” he said. “That may be co-creating experiences for people who are betting the NFL to get them to go to NASCAR events or bet on NASCAR events. These are ways I think that we can grow our handle.”

Saving A Declining Sport

There is no doubt that the legal changes seen in US sports betting could not have come at a better time for NASCAR, which has been a target of criticism on several levels like other professional motor racing leagues.

In 1997, the sport added California and Texas Motor Speedway, essentially moving away from its more traditional tracks. As a result, many fans felt that the sport had abandoned its core market.

The popularity of NASCAR peaked in 2005 but has since been on the decline. In the ensuing years, the sport has seen record lows in TV viewership and race attendance.

Motorsports, in general, have been criticized for their environment-unfriendly elements, including fuel consumption, emissions, and lead additives.

Despite its lack of popularity, major companies, including DraftKings and FanDuel take wagers on NASCAR (which accounts for about 1% of the overall sports betting handle across the US).  Betting on fantasy NASCAR contests is also a popular pastime.

But as we saw during the sports shutdowns in 2020, there is an appetite for NASCAR betting. If it can discover innovative betting opportunities and execute the strategy from above, NASCAR is in an excellent position to capitalize on legal sports betting.

NASCAR Betting FAQ

Yes. In states that have legalized sports wagering, sportsbooks offer NASCAR wagering.

Online betting sites take a more comprehensive approach to NASCAR wagering than retail sportsbooks, which tend to offer light auto racing coverage. In comparison, online NASCAR betting sites accept wagers on the winners of individual races, which of two drivers will clock the best time, who will have the fastest lap, over/under wagers on the number of cautions, and more. NASCAR betting apps also offer long-term futures and in-play wagering.

Yes. Most major online sports betting brands offer in-play NASCAR betting. BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, BetRivers, and DraftKings are the best NASCAR betting sites for in-play wagering due to their in-depth coverage and early cash-out features.

It varies for every race and driver. An interesting thing about NASCAR betting is that the odds on any driver for a particular race tend to vary somewhat from one sportsbook to the next. As a result, fans can often find better odds on a specific driver by shopping around before the race.

However, bettors looking for a safe bet will check out the head-to-head matchup lines at FanDuel and Caesars Sportsbook. These two books tend to charge the lowest juice for this betting format.

Yes, but there are no guarantees. Licensed online sportsbooks always pay customers, so anyone who places a winning wager will receive their money. However, profitable NASCAR betting online is another matter due to the short odds on the top drivers and the unpredictable nature of the sport due to crashes, inclement weather, and so on.