NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the Unites States, ranking only second among social media conversations compared to the NFL. With that, many online sportsbooks offer betting for your favorite motorsports races, even beyond NASCAR. Before you pull up your favorite app and place a bet, here’s what you need to know about placing your bets, and understanding the variables.
What Makes Betting on Motorsports Unique
There are numerous variables in motorsports that make it much more difficult for sportsbooks to calculate odds. These variables can play to your favor if you pay attention and understand how to apply them. Unlike most other sports, the rules can change instantly in motorsports, which makes it a constantly moving target. There is also the variable of weather, which does affect other sports. However, weather can wreak havoc on motorsports by leading to wrecks, which can greatly change the outcome of a race. Further, technology is constantly changing, making upgrades and technological advancements nearly limitless. This is one of the biggest variables that keep motorsports betters and sportsbooks on their toes.
Types of Bets For Motor Sports
There are three different types of bets typically available for all motorsports events. The most basic is a race winner wager, which is a bet on who will win a particular race. Next, there are head-to-head matchups within a particular race. This matches up two different drivers and allows you to bet on which one will place ahead of the other, though not necessarily win the race. Then there are the finishing prop bets, which allows you to bet that a driver will place within a certain range. So if you’re not sure someone will win, you can place a prop bet that they’ll place within the top three, five, or even 10. The wider the range of your wager, the greater the odds, but the lower your payout.
There are alternative betting options that some sportsbooks offer. The first is a long-term bet, known as a future. An example would be which driver will win the Cup Series Championship. Then there is manufacturer odds, which bets on which manufacturer will win a race. Each race has several stages, and you can bet on which driver will win each stage, known as stage wagers. Speed lane wagers pit three drivers against each other, and you can bet on which one will finish in the best position. Live odds are wagers that place during the race, with odds changing in real time as the race progresses. You may also get prop wagers, which are race specific events. An example could be how many crashes or warning flags will occur during the race.
Understanding Betting Odds
If you’re going to place a bet on a race, it’s important to understand the odds. This simply refers to the likelihood of a particular outcome. The odds also tells you the payout if you’re right. When you look at a particular wager, it’ll give you either a positive or negative number. The positive number tells you the outcome isn’t likely to happen, whereas a negative number tells you the outcome is more likely. As for payout, these numbers tell you a lot as well. For the negative number, it tells you how much you must bet to win $100. So if the odds are -150, you’ll have to wager $150 to win $100. You would also get back your original $150 wager, for a total payout of $250. A positive number gives you a much higher payout. The positive number tells you how much you’ll win for a $100 wager. So if the odds are -200, you’ll win $200 for a $100 wager, for a total payout of $300.
NASCAR Betting
NASCAR is the most popular motorsport in the United States, and offers more than 1,500 races every year, with 44 different racing teams in 2022. This provides quite the opportunity for anyone looking for wagering fun. However, it also makes it difficult to keep up with all the changes from race to race, making for an exciting wagering experience. Keep up with some developments at NASCAR.com.
IndyCar Betting
The IndyCar Series features open wheel and open cockpit vehicles, opposed to the fortified stock cars in NASCAR. The IndyCar Series includes only 26 races each season, and has only 12 teams. Keep up on driver profiles, stats, and news at the official IndyCar website.
Formula 1 Betting
While NASCAR and IndyCar are popular in the United States, Formula 1 racing is the most popular motorsport in the world. There are more than 20 different races every year on tracks around the world, with 10 different teams. Formula 1, or F1, racing is the best funded racing in the world, with teams often investing millions in their vehicles. The official Formula 1 website provides stats and details to make an educated wager.
MotoGP Betting
If you prefer motorcycle racing, then you’ll love MotoGP. Like F1, this is a global motorsport, with more than 20 races and 11 different teams. There are also smaller classes you may find with some sportsbooks, such as Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE. You can keep up on the latest developments at the official MotoGP website.
How to Place Motorsports Bets
Not all sports books offer motorsport odds of all kinds. The following sites do offer odds for various motorsports:
- FanDuel: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- PointsBet: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- Caesar’s Sportsbook: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- Draft Kings: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- BetRivers: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- BetMGM: NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1
- Barstool Sportsbook: NASCAR, IndyCar, F1
