NASCAR betting may not be as mainstream as NFL, NBA or soccer betting, but it provides the same excitement and arguably a better betting value for your money. If you enjoy the thunderous sounds of engines revving, explosive racing battles, and lengthy betting odds, then you should definitely consider checking out the betting options on NASCAR.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR, has three divisions, the NASCAR Cup Series at the top, followed by the Xfinity Series and then the Craftsman Truck Series. Most of the sportsbooks focus on the top two, covering epic races from all over the country.
Top NASCAR Betting Sites
The following sites are the best for NASCAR betting, with bespoke mobile betting apps, a variety of sports bonuses that can be used on any sport – including NASCAR, and all the basic markets you need to fuel your NASCAR predictions.
#1. Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars has long been one of the top NASCAR betting sites, for its great array of racing betting props and live betting possibilities. A well-established sportsbook, Caesars provides a premium betting app for users, with easy tools to optimize your bets and great coverage of NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity and Truck Series races. The area in which we think Caesars has the edge over our top two is in its tremendous array of NASCAR futures bets.
You are not limited to betting on outright Championship winners or Place futures bets at Caesars. No, this platform has a huge variety of NASCAR futures that you can benefit from, including Exacta, Quinella, boxed bets, season race wins, manufacturer outrights, and even H2H futures. There is little left to the imagination, and the Caesars NASCAR futures bets are a haven for hedge bettors who want to cover multiple possible outcomes. As for the races themselves, Caesars offers both pre-race and live betting markets, including various props to expand your options.
- Top Finish (3, 5, 10)
- To Complete Race
- Straight Forecast/Exacta
- Winning Car Number
- Most Laps Leds by Any Driver
- Fastest Lap
- Stage Winner
The sportsbook also has a great array of bonus bets that you can use on NASCAR, and a multi tier rewards program that can grant you all kinds of perks and offers. And in terms of NASCAR-specific bonuses, at Caesars, you will often find NASCAR boosts. These are preselected bets that come with boosted odds, giving you great value for your money. If you are looking for the out-and-out best NASCAR betting site, we recommend signing up to Caesars Sportsbook.
#2. DraftKings
DraftKings has an almighty coverage of sports, including NASCAR Cup Series races. You can bet on individual races in the Cup Series or on the Cup and Xfinity Championships. DraftKings is available in 20+ states and has apps for iOS and Android. It has a good range of banking options and has one of the lowest minimum deposit limits, set at a mere $5.
All races have the basic race winner bets, as well as various props relating to drivers, teams and the race events. The more high-profile the race, the more betting markets it will have. Understandably, these props will only become available a day before, or on the day of, the race. But in terms of quality, you are getting bucketloads at DraftKings. Not many sportsbooks have such a pool of wagers to pick from, allowing you to go as bold or as safe as you like with your bets.
DraftKings may not have NASCAR-specific bonuses, but you can take advantage of the platform’s generic bonus bet offers to get the most out of your NASCAR wagers. Alternatively, DraftKings also has a Daily Fantasy app that also includes NASCAR. You can pick your lineups, earn points, and enter tournaments for a chance to win major money prizes. In short, DraftKings has no shortage of betting possibilities for NASCAR fans. Here are some of DraftKings Sportsbook’s best NASCAR wagers:
- H2H Winner
- Fastest Lap
- Top Finisher
- Highest Placing Team
- Total Number of Lead Changes
#3. FanDuel
FanDuel also covers NASCAR Cup series races, and through its optimised mobile app you will be able to access all the NASCAR betting markets within seconds. This sportsbook is available in over 20 states across the US, and has some of the most competitive odds out there. FanDuel offers a hassle-free experience to all its users through a high powered app, intuitive navigation tools and a handful of swift payment options. You will need a minimum of $10 to top up your account, and can withdraw your money within no time at all. FanDuel caters to bettors of practically any budget – the max win is $1 million – encouraging high rollers to go heavy on their bets.
Onto the platform’s NASCAR betting experience, FanDuel specializes in the NASCAR Cup Series, but also covers the Xfinity series. It also houses an impressive range of racing props, as DraftKings, but we found that they are usually only reserved for bigger events (Crown Jewel, Playoffs or even just Championship Races). For the top NASCAR races, you can try your luck with some of the following:
- Race Driver Matchups
- Total Number of Leaders
- Podium Finish
- Group Matchups
Alongside the race winner bets and various other common markets. The one area in which FanDuel really steps up its NASCAR offering is through its live betting markets. That’s right, this platform gives you the chance to bet on live races, with odds that update in real time. This can give seasoned NASCAR fans a good edge, as they can spot some early indicators as to how the race may pan out and take advantage of their gut instinct.
In terms of bonuses, you will have to use generic sports bonuses and offers to enhance your NASCAR betting bankroll. FanDuel is known for gifting plenty of bonus bets, so if you play your cards right, you will have loads of opportunities to use bonuses to fund your NASCAR wagers.
#4.bet365
bet365 is one of the best sportsbooks for niche sports betting, and it would rank higher in our list if it was legal in more states. Unfortunately, bet365 sportsbook is not available in all of the states that have legal betting. However, if you live in one of the states where bet365 operates, this is a top choice sportsbook for NASCAR betting. The platform is easy to use and has tools to benefit even the most advanced betting systems.
bet365 takes your NASCAR betting to a whole new level through its various Bet Boosts. It is one of the few sportsbooks in the USA to provide numerous odds boosts on NASCAR races. Bet365 covers all the major NASCAR Cup Series races and provides bets on the Xfinity and Truck Series Championship. You can stick with race winner bets, extend your coverage through Each Way NASCAR bets, or try out several race props. Here are some of our favorites:
- Race Driver Matchups
- Lead Changes
- Leader After X Laps
- Caution Laps
The advanced betting tools enable bettors to customise their NASCAR racing bets, to go as risky as they like.
#5. BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM has all the standard betting markets for NASCAR races, covering all the individual Cup Series events. The sportsbook has built a stellar reputation for offering competitive odds and tremendous betting bonuses, something that is not lost on NASCAR bettors. There are plenty of payment gateways to top up your account or withdraw your NASCAR betting returns, including popular banking methods such as PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo and AmEx.
From the moment you sign up, you will get tremendous bonuses to use on all your NASCAR bets. BetMGM does not shy away from offering you top dollar bonuses, and has a tremendous loyalty program that rewards you based on how much you play. Climbing the tiers of the BetMGM Rewards program, your personalized offers will include birthday gifts, annual 1st win anniversary gifts and much more. In terms of betting markets for NASCAR, at a base level you will be able to predict the Race Winner and Finishing Position of drivers, but for bigger events, your options can also include:
- Driver Matchups
- Podium Finish
- First Retirement
#6. Fanatics Sportsbook
Fanatics Sportsbook is a good choice for betting on NASCAR races, with diverse betting markets, a low minimum deposit and easily accessible bonuses. Yet the platform is only available through its mobile apps, and doesn’t have a designated desktop site, which drags it down in our rating. The platform is fully optimized for mobile betting, and if you only bet using mobile devices, then the app is really worth checking out.
The bonuses at Fanatics are amazing and quite easy to max out for players on a budget. Plus, as an existing player you get recurring bonuses and even cashback on your wagers. Every time you stake a bet that has odds of -110 or longer, you can earn small cashback bonuses. These start from 0.1% and can range all the way up to 10%, which you can win in site credits – the loyalty rewards of the sportsbook.
The NASCAR betting markets don’t disappoint at Fanatics Sportsbook. You can find a plethora of race betting props, including a few combinations of bets (preselected parlay bets) to increase your potential returns. The bets offered can vary heavily depending on the race, but if you are betting on an important race, you will find the following.
- Top X Finish
- Straight/Dual Forecast
- First Driver to Retire
- Fastest Lap
- Matchups
- Group Betting
- Caution Markets
NASCAR Betting Sites Criterion
NASCAR is considered more of a niche sport than a mainstream betting sport. Therefore, you won’t find as many props on a NASCAR race as you would in the NFL props markets, and there are very limited possibilities to make parlay wagers. The good news though, is that you won’t really need to make a parlay bet if you are signed up at the best US sportsbooks. No, a simple race winner bet can bring you odds of around +1000. In NFL terms, that is a parlay of 3 or 4 point spreads.
At the very least, you will need race winner and futures bets to make bank on your NASCAR predictions. Don’t set your hopes up for odds boosts or NASCAR-specific bonuses, as niche sports rarely get exclusive sports bonuses. For our NASCAR betting platform criteria, we looked for the following criteria:
- Broad State Availability
- NASCAR Betting Markets
- Mobile Accessibility
- Flexible Banking Options
- Generic Sports Bonuses
State availability ranks high on our list, the more legal US betting states a sportsbook operates in, the higher it ranks. However, we also rated the NASCAR betting markets and the flexibility of the bonuses, to ensure you are getting good quality on your wagered dollar. Mobile apps, navigation and banking options are also vital aspects of any sportsbook, as they can really enhance the NASCAR betting experience.
NASCAR Cup Series Season Structure
Each season of the NASCAR Cup Series comprises 26 regular season races, followed by Playoffs between the top 16 drivers, culminating in the legendary Championship 4 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, usually taking place in November. The season starts in February and lasts through to the Championship Race in November, with races generally held once a week. The majority of these races are held on Oval courses, but there are also road courses and even street courses to mix things up some.
These races are held in some of the most iconic American race courses, in Florida, Indiana, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arizona, among many more. You should keep an eye out for the Crown Jewel events – the high profile races that are a must-win for all involved.
- Daytona 500 – Daytona International Speedway, Florida
- Coca-Cola 600 – Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina
- Brickyard 400 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- Cook Out Southern 500 – Darlington Raceway, South Carolina
Drivers earn points depending on their finish but also on how many laps they led and their overal performance. Winning a regular season place almost guarantees that a driver will make the playoffs, so long as they have participated in every race and are in the top 30 in points. They receive 5 points for a regular season win and 1 point per every stage win. At the end of the season, the top drivers receive bonus point based on their standings in the league, for example, the season champion gets an extra +15 points.
The top 16 drivers at the end of the 26 races then qualify for the playoffs. The playoffs have 10 races divided into 4 rounds. The Round of 16, 12, 8 and then 4 (Championship Race). All of the first three rounds feature 3 races, where 4 drivers will be eliminated.
The Championship Race is a winner takes it all, in which the first driver to finish will win the series. Races can vary drastically in length, with shorter tracks ranging around 150-200 miles, up to track such as Daytona 500 which are 500 miles long.
Betting on NASCAR
We have mentioned plenty of different types of prerace and futures NASCAR betting markets, and now it’s time to elaborate on these markets. It is important to note that in general there are very few, if any at all, possibilities to make NASCAR parlay wagers. Races only occur once a week in the regular season, so you won’t be able to combine race winner bets across multiple races. Plus, there aren’t many options to create SGP bets on one race. Most of the time, you will be placing straight bets.
Here are all the betting categories you need to know, and we have also selected our top sportsbooks for each one.
Race Winner and Place Bets
Betting on which driver will win a given race is often the most risky wager. It comes with lengthy odds, you will find that even the heavy favorites are usually priced around +1000 or longer, but in NASCAR it is difficult to predict who will win a race. Most NASCAR sportsbooks also offer Top X finish bets or Each Way bets.
In top X finish, you are given a little leeway as your chosen driver doesn’t need to win the race, but simply finish in one of the top places. Each way combines Top X with Race winner bets. It splits your stake and puts half on the race winner bet and the other half on a place bet.
For example, if the Each Way bet combines a race winner with a Top 4 place bet and you wager $10, then $5 will go on the race winner and $5 on the place bet. Let’s say the odds on those individual wagers are +1000 (winner) and +350 (place). Should your chosen driver win the race, you will get $77.50 in returns. If your driver finishes in second or third place, you will get $22.50, and if they fail to make the top 3, you lose your Each way bet.
Top US Sportsbooks for Race Winner/Place Bets: BetMGM & Bet365
Driver Props
Personal rivalries make NASCAR races all the more exciting to watch, especially when a position in the playoffs is on the line. The likes of Joey Logano, Chase Elliot, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch keep the competition alive, and the top NASCAR sportsbooks capitalize on these rivalries by offering us driver props bets.
Instead of betting on who will win a race, you can pick the H2H winner between the top drivers in the championship, or pick the winner from different grouped matchups. Other props can include which driver will take the lead after a specific number of laps, who will have the fastest lap, and even which driver will retire first. Using props can diversify your betting options on a single race and increases the possibility to hedge your bets.
Top US Sportsbook for Driver Props: DraftKings
Race Props
Race props are similar to driver bets, in that they cover events during a race, but they relate to the race in general. Typical race props include total number of leaders, cautions, lead changes, and so on. These bets can really test your knowledge of NASCAR, but on the other hand, you can use statistical information to get a good edge.
Doing research on each race course, the weather conditions and the form of the drivers can give you a great edge when placing race props, which is why they are so popular among NASCAR sports bettors.
Top US Sportsbook for Race Props: Fanatics Sportsbook
Live NASCAR Bets
NASCAR races can last around 3 hours long, and various top US sportsbooks provide live betting markets on NASCAR races. Live betting markets are perfect for experienced NASCAR fans who can spot tiny details that may help them determine the outcome of a race. The markets may be temporarily suspended when the lead changes or crashes occur – in that time the odds will be regenerated – and then the markets will go live.
You may not have as many options to pick from as you would in the pre-race betting markets, but keep an eye out for any live NASCAR props bets that may pop up from time to time.
Top US Sportsbook for Live Betting: FanDuel
Futures Bets
Futures come at great odds if you are betting at the beginning or just before a season has started. These bets relate to the season as a whole, enabling you to pick the outright Championship winner, who will make the playoffs, and many more. Our favorite sportsbook for NASCAR futures bets is Caesars, closely followed by bet365.
To give you the broadest options on your futures bets, you can pick out top X finishers, which drivers will make the playoffs, and even make boxed bets on the drivers who will win the regular season and their respective places. You will have plenty of futures betting markets to pick from. Remember to keep an eye on any cash out offers, and these betting markets can bring you lots of cash if chosen wisely.
Top US Sportsbook for Futures: Caesars Sportsbook
