NASCAR Betting

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is one of the most popular auto racing organizations in North America. Races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and races have been held all over the world from the US to Japan. The repeal of the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) paved the way for legal NASCAR betting in certain states. If you’re looking to get clued up on the basics of NASCAR betting, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for an overview of NASCAR sanctioned events, bet types and how odds work.

Looking to bet on NASCAR events in New Jersey? We’ve got a selection of some of the best sports betting sites available to punters in the Garden State. Compare our expert reviews, scores and the bonuses on offer to help find the right sportsbook for you. All of our featured sportsbooks are legal and regulated in the state of New Jersey. All that’s left for you to do is pick your favorite sportsbook, sign up and start betting.

US States with Legal NASCAR Betting

Although the Supreme Court of the United States repealed PASPA, sports betting is not yet legal in every state. The repeal of the law made it so that each individual state can decide to legalize sports betting on their own terms. The following states have legalized sports betting and allow bettors to take a punt on NASCAR events:

•     New Jersey
•     Pennsylvania
•     Delaware
•     Rhode Island
•     Mississippi
•     West Virginia
•     Nevada
•     New Mexico
•     Arkansas
•     New York

Each state has different rules and regulations in place when it comes to sports betting. Some of these states limit sports betting to land-based casinos, as is the case in Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico and Delaware. And then you’ve got states such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania where online, mobile and land-based sports betting is permitted.

Top NASCAR series

With NASCAR being the most popular stock-car racing organization on the planet, it only makes sense that there are plenty of betting opportunities. Punters can expect to wager on several different NASCAR events. Although the auto racing body sanctions more than 1000 races a year, here are some of the most popular events on the NASCAR calendar:

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS)

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is without a doubt, the most popular NASCAR series. This racing series sees the sports best racers compete in a 36-race schedule. Winners are decided using a points-based system, with points being awarded to racers based on their finishing position in a race and how many laps they held the lead for. The MENCS races twice a year at various tracks across the nation, doubling the betting opportunities for punters. Unlike other major motorsports, the MENCS starts with the series most prestigious event, the Daytona 500.

Daytona 500

The super bowl of stock car racing, the Daytona 500 is widely considered the most important race in the MENCS, mainly because it carries the largest purse for racers. This is the first race held in the MENCS schedule and sees drivers race a 500-mile-long circuit.

Brickyard 400

Held at the renowned Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Brickyard 400 is race number 26 on the MENCS calendar, the final race before the “regular season” ends and playoffs begin. Being the final race before the playoffs commence, this can be a make or break event for some racers which can make it an even more exciting event for punters with money on the race.

NASCAR Playoffs

The 16 highest scoring racers qualify for the NASCAR playoffs, a set of races used to decide the winner of the MENCS. Three of the 10 remaining races in the series are elimination-style races which reduce the number of racers going forward. After the first three races, there will be four remaining drivers who will compete to win the series. The elimination-style of the playoffs provide an exciting betting experience for punters as racers who have placed poorly or are running low on points are likely to try harder to place, making races much more exciting to watch.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

The NASCAR Xfinity Series is the second-highest level of competition in NASCAR and while the season is usually shorter than the MENCS, there are plenty of betting opportunities for punters. Promoted as the ‘minor league’ of NASCAR, Xfinity Series events are usually held as supporting events on the same day as MENCS events. Similar to the structure of the MENCS, Xfinity drivers compete in several regular-season races before heading into the playoffs. The Xfinity playoffs involve 12 drivers instead of the 16 in the MENCS and instead of 10 races, this series playoffs consist of seven races, three of which are elimination races. Just like the MENCS, the four remaining racers after the elimination events will compete for the series title.

Picking a Winner

As with all major sports, picking a winner in NASCAR is easier said than done. NASCAR races are among some of the most unpredictable races in the world of motorsport as anything can happen in a race. While you might find tipsters offering advice and betting tips, you must remember that they can never guarantee you a winning bet. It is essential to conduct your own research so you can make an educated wager.

When deciding what driver to bet on, we suggest checking out the latest driver statistics and figures. NASCAR driver stats can be found on the official NASCAR statistics page. Here you can view a variety of driver statistics including wins, total laps run, quality passes and fastest lap time. A quick look at the stats can indicate which drivers have been performing consistently and may be worth betting on.

NASCAR Betting Markets

The best NASCAR betting sites take bets on a variety of markets. It’s worth mentioning that markets can vary between operators and states, but here are some of the most popular ones:

Moneyline bets

Moneyline bets are among the most straightforward NASCAR bets, these are wagers on a certain driver to win a race.

Futures

Futures bets are wagers on upcoming events that haven’t taken place yet. These bets allow you to wager on events ahead of time, such as the winner of the Xfinity Series before the season begins.

Over/under

Over/under bets on NASCAR events let punters wager on which place a driver will finish a race. If the over/under for Kyle Bush is +10.5, the bet is that he will finish in tenth place or better, under 10.5 means he will finish lower than tenth place.

Parlays

Parlay bets allow you to bet on multiple races in a single wager. A parlay is a single wager placed on a number of different events. The more events you have selected increase the odds and therefore your total payout, but in order to win a parlay, all of your selections must be correct. Parlays carry much more risk than single bets.

NASCAR betting odds

Before you begin betting on NASCAR events, it is essential that you have a strong understanding of how betting odds work. While US sportsbooks mainly present betting odds in the American odds format, you might also come across decimal odds or fractional odds. You can read up on different odds using our betting odds guide.

Odds are essentially the sportsbooks’ prediction of what is likely to happen during a NASCAR event. A bookies’ favorite to win is indicated with negative (-) odds, whereas the underdog is reflected using positive (+) odds. The lower the odds, the more likely an event is to occur and the higher the odds, the less likely it is.

Let’s look at a real-world example of NASCAR odds:

A sportsbook has Kyle Busch as the favorite to win the MENSC at odds of +130. A successful wager of $100 on Busch to win the series would net you $230, which includes your initial $100 stake and $130 profit.

Alternatively, if Busch was priced at -90 to win the series, a correct wager of $100 would net you less money, as the bookies believe this is a likely outcome. If the $100 bet comes in you would get $211 back, $100 of which would be your initial stake along with $111 in profit.

Mobile NASCAR Betting:

Although more than 10 states have legal sports betting, only a handful of them allows online and mobile sports betting.

Mobile sports betting is legal and live in:

•   Nevada – Online betting is only available via mobile apps.
•   New Jersey – Online betting available via apps and browser sites.
•   West Virginia – Online betting available via apps and browser sites (currently suspended)
•   Pennsylvania – Online betting available via apps and browser sites.

In these states, mobile sports betting apps are available on both iOS and Android devices. Sites can also be accessed via desktop computers and laptops for in-browser betting.

Each state has different sports betting laws in place. As a result of this, sports betting apps and betting sites may vary from state to state. New Jersey’s regulator, for instance, allows punters to create an account on a sports betting app remotely from anywhere within the state. Nevada, on the other hand, requires bettors to set up an account in person before a bet can be placed on a mobile app.

For more information on picking the right sports betting app for you, check out our mobile betting apps guide.

Online NASCAR Betting in New Jersey

Online NASCAR Betting in West Virginia

Now that you’re all caught up on the basics of NASCAR betting, why not try your luck with a NASCAR bet. Want to know when your state legalizes sports betting? BettingUS.com has got you covered!