With legalized sports betting sweeping the country, many bettors are flocking to sports they know like football, basketball and baseball. But bettors are also trying their hands at more niche sports such as golf, tennis and motorsports like NASCAR.
In terms of value, bettors are paying even more attention to NASCAR because there are solid edges each week for both savvy and curious sports bettors. But before you can start identifying value and making winning wagers, you must first understand the main bet types offered by sportsbooks.
How to Bet on NASCAR: Bet Types
There are three main types of NASCAR bets offered by sportsbooks: futures, head-to-head driver matchups and group matchups. Let's look at each in more detail.
1. NASCAR Futures
When betting on NASCAR futures, you're simply wagering on which driver will win the race. For example, let's assume you bet $50 on Brad Keselowski at +1000 to win the Daytona 500. Should Keselowski take the checkered flag, you'd earn $500 for the winning wager, plus your initial $50 would be returned for a total payout of $550.
2. NASCAR Driver Matchups
If trying to pick the winner from a full field isn't your thing, driver matchups pit one driver against another and pay out winning bets on whichever driver finishes ahead of the other.
For example, oddsmakers may offer a hypothetical driver matchup that looks like this:
- Kyle Busch (-130) vs. Kevin Harvick (+100)
If Busch finishes ahead of Harvick in that race, those who bet on Kyle would be paid out at -130 odds. Conversely, should Harvick have the superior finishing position, his backers would receive +100 payouts for their bets.
3. NASCAR Group Matchups
This type of bet combines both futures and head-to-head matchups into one wager. Here's an example of a group matchup for the 2019 Toyota Owners 500 from the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas:
- Kyle Busch: +160
- Kevin Harvick: +300
- Brad Keselowski: +300
- Joey Logano: +300
The goal for bettors here is to pick which driver will have the highest finish in that race. So, if Keselowski ends up ahead of Busch, Harvick and Logano, anyone holding a winning ticket would be paid at +300 odds.
