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NASCAR Betting Guide: How to Bet on the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series in 2024
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated:
Read Time: 8 minutes
With at least three dozen drivers in each race, betting on NASCAR is a bit more of a crapshoot than betting on an NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL game, or any other event where only two teams or players are facing off.
But while that can make turning a profit more of a challenge, don’t let that put you off of trying your hand at wagering on the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, or Craftsman Truck Series.
In fact, you can have a lot of short and long-term success with placing NASCAR bets. Our NASCAR betting guide is designed to play a part in that process, as it breaks down the basics of NASCAR and NASCAR betting. Here, you can learn about the types of NASCAR bets, where you can place bets on NASCAR, NASCAR betting strategies and tips, and more.
Best NASCAR Betting Sites: Where to Bet on NASCAR in 2024
If you are interested in betting on NASCAR races, odds for NASCAR Cup Series races are available at many of the best U.S. betting sites.
The Cup Series is NASCAR’s premier series, and many bettors who place NASCAR bets do so on Cup Series races. However, some online sportsbooks also offer odds for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series.
What NASCAR betting sites do we recommend? Here are some of the best options for NASCAR betting:
BetOnline, Bovada, and BetUS are all sites where you can find race odds for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series, as well as futures odds for the three series.
Are you unfamiliar with any of those three sportsbooks? Check out our reviews for each site.
Our comprehensive sportsbook reviews assess the features and traits that many sports bettors seek in a potential out. That includes available betting options, deposit and payout options, sportsbook bonuses and promos, and user experience.
Are you interested in keeping up with the latest promo offers from BetOnline, Bovada, and BetUS? Bookmark our sportsbook offers page, where you can see the latest bonuses and promos available at these and other top betting sites.
Types of NASCAR Bets
Betting on NASCAR is a lot like golf betting, both in terms of there being a large field to choose from and in the types of bets that are offered. So, whether you are betting on the U.S. Open or the Coca-Cola 600, you will find a lot of similarities.
What kinds of NASCAR bets can you find at many sportsbooks?
Outright Winner
This is the most common type of NASCAR bet that you will find, even at sports betting sites that don’t offer as much variety as others.
With an outright winner bet, you are picking who you think will win the race. Outright winner betting offers the highest rewards, but it also comes with the highest risk because if your chosen driver does not end up in Victory Lane, your bet will not win.
How does outright winner betting work? Here is an example using odds from the 2023 Grant Park 220, the inaugural Chicago street race.
- Chase Elliott +575
- Tyler Reddick +650
- A.J. Allmendinger +750
- Martin Truex Jr. +775
- Kyle Larson +850
- Kyle Busch +1000
- William Byron +1200
- Ross Chastain +1200
- Chris Buescher +1800
- Michael McDowell +1800
- Shane van Gisbergen +2200
- Christopher Bell +2500
- Daniel Suarez +2500
- Austin Cindric +2800
- Denny Hamlin +3300
- Joey Logano +3300
This race was won by Shane van Gisbergen, who became the first debutant to win a top-level NASCAR series race in six decades.
If you placed a $100 bet on van Gisbergen to win the race at those odds (+2200 comes out to 22-to-1, so you would multiply your stake by 22) you would have won $2200.
Finishing Position (Top 3, Top 5, or Top 10)
Finishing position betting is not available at every sports betting site that has NASCAR odds, but the betting sites we recommended above all offer finishing position odds for NASCAR races.
If you think that a driver will do well, but you don’t want to take the risk of betting on them to win the race–or you want to make another play in addition to your outright winner wager–then finishing position betting offers less risk.
Less risk does mean lower winnings than you will get with an outright winner bet if the driver happens to win the race, but you will still have reason to celebrate if they come up just short of the victory.
Here is an example of a finishing position bet, using Bovada’s top-five finishing position odds for the 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan INternaitonal Speedway:
- Denny Hamlin +100
- Kyle Larson +115
- Ryan Blaney +120
- Tyler Reddick +120
- Brad Keselowski +160
- Christopher Bell +160
- Martin Truex Jr. +160
- Chase Elliott +180
- Joey Logano +200
- William Byron +200
Group Betting
Group betting is a kind of finishing position betting but with a twist. Instead of betting on someone to finish in the top three, top five, or top ten, you are betting on your chosen driver to have the best finishing position of a group of drivers.
Here is an example of group betting using Bovada’s 2024 FireKeepers Casino 400 odds:
- Denny Hamlin +235
- Kyle Larson +255
- Ryan Blaney +260
- Tyler Reddick +260
Manufacturer Betting
Along with the variety of betting markets dedicated to how specific drivers will fare in a race, some online sportsbooks also offer odds on the winning manufacturer.
Here is an example, using Bovada’s winning manufacturer odds for the 2023 Cook Out 400:
- Chevrolet +150
- Toyota +160
- Ford +220
Championship Futures Betting
The above bets are all types of race bets, but in addition to outright race winner betting, the most common NASCAR bet you will find is for which driver will win the championship at the end of the season.
The Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series all have a regular season followed by championship playoffs. Some sportsbooks even offer odds on who will win the regular season championship, in addition to the overall championship futures.
NASCAR Betting Strategies and Tips
With so many cars in the field and all of the twists and turns that can take place over the course of a race, there are no sure things when it comes to NASCAR betting.
But you can maximize your chances of success by following a few helpful tips.
Know When and Where to Pick Your Spots
As with betting on any other sport or event, being smart with your choices is important.
Which drivers are most consistent throughout the season? Does a driver have a history of success at a particular track? Which drivers are strongest on road courses?
For example, despite being a NASCAR debutant, Shane van Gisbergen had shorter odds than most of the field for the Grant Park 220 because he is accustomed to driving on non-oval courses in the Supercars Championship.
Limit Unnecessary Risks
You can get excellent value with outright winner betting even if you bet on the race favorite. But your smallest outlay should be on those kinds of bets because they carry the most risk.
By the same token, taking or putting a significant amount of your bankroll on extremely short odds on a driver to finish in the top ten isn’t the way to go either, given how things can change in an instant in a race.
This isn’t to say that you can’t jump on the occasional long shot or pick your favorite driver on a regular basis regardless of how they are doing.
Play the Long Game
The NASCAR seasons are very long. As of 2024, there are 36 races in the Cup Series season, 33 in the Xfinity Series season, and 23 in the Craftsman Truck Series season.
There are going to be highs and lows. That is true of betting on anything for an extended period of time. There may be a week where you sweep the board, then the next week you are on the wrong end of the sweep.
But over the course of the year, you can have a lot of success by being a smart bettor each week and managing the highs and lows as well as possible.
Other Sports Betting Information
Our NASCAR betting guide is just one of many sports betting guides you can find at Betting News. If you would like to learn a type of bet, how to bet on a sport, league, or event, or understand a betting strategy, we cover a lot of sports betting basics with our guides.
- NFL Betting Guide
- NBA Betting Guide
- MLB Betting Guide
- NHL Betting Guide
- College Football Betting Guide
- WNBA Betting Guide
Along with our betting guides and the other content available on the site, you can find a wealth of sports betting insight on our social media channels.
From our Twitch streams to our TikTok videos, there’s plenty to check out on a daily basis.
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