NASCAR Betting in New York
Team-based sports are the biggest drivers of betting handled at online sportsbooks, but there are a lot more sports that draw their fair share of action. NASCAR is one of them, with an incredibly loyal and passionate fan base that now loves to bet on races as much as watch them.
A growing list of NY sports betting sites has been a catalyst for that. For each NASCAR race on the schedule, you can make bets on not just the winner of the race, but dozens of other possible combinations and outcomes.
Our guide to betting on NASCAR in New York covers all of the ins and outs, from how you can place your NASCAR bets online or via a sportsbook app like DraftKings or BetMGM in NY, to some actionable tips that you can use for betting on the race.
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How to bet on NASCAR online in NY
The first legal and regulated sportsbooks in NY opened for business in 2019. There are now several retail locations in upstate regions that are doing great business. The launch of online betting followed, and there are some great sportsbook apps to choose from.
You can get started in mere minutes by doing the following.
- Create an account with one of our recommended operators by clicking on our exclusive links. You’ll get a great sign-up bonus for doing so.
- Follow through the instructions on the registration page, enter your info, and click submit when all set.
- After browsing around to get the lay of the land, take the time to download the app for your device from the sportsbook website.
- Login on mobile for the first time, and make your first deposit so your account is ready to go.
You can take care of all of the above right from your computer or smartphone. Sportsbooks are required to verify user location. They do so with the assistance of geolocation tracking, which is a piece of software that runs in the background after download. If you’re not in a legal state, bets won’t go through.
How NASCAR betting odds work
When a NASCAR race is on tap, the conversation revolves around which drivers appear to have the best shot to win. Online sportsbooks will have odds for that, ranging from the favorites down to the longshots with everyone else in the middle.
If you click on the NASCAR or “Motorsports” tabs, you’ll find odds for the upcoming events that look like this.
- Chase Elliott +800
- Denny Hamlin +900
- Kevin Harvick +1000
- Joey Logano +1100
- Kyle Busch +1200
There will be NASCAR odds listed for all drivers scheduled to compete, typically in descending order. When you’re ready to place a bet, it’s as simple as clicking the odds for your choice. The wager will be added to the betting slip instantly. From there, you just have to plug in the amount of your wager, give everything a once over, and click submit.
The amount of the odds also gives us an indicator of what we can expect back for winning bets. You’ll also see the potential return on the betting slip, but here’s a quick trick to figure it out. For positive odds, the listed number is the amount you get back for $100 winning bets, such as $800 at +800.
If the odds are negative, that’s what you’d have to stake to see $100 come back, such as $150 at odds of -150. In advance of NASCAR races, take the time to look around and compare the odds at multiple books. Known as line shopping, this can help you spot more appealing prices on the drivers you’re interested in.
Ways to bet on NASCAR
Anytime a NASCAR race is scheduled to go off, you’ll find odds on how things will play out at online sportsbooks. Trying to pick out the winner of the race can be fun and potentially profitable, but that’s not all there is to see here.
These are the most popular NASCAR bet types and how they work.
Race winners
In advance of the race, there will be odds listed for all drivers scheduled to compete. Your job is to pick which one you think will win. While that can be challenging, the rewards can also be solid, and you can always spread the risk out with multiple picks.
- Brad Keselowski +450
- Alex Bowman +475
- Martin Truex Jr. +500
Top finishers
If you have a good feel for a driver at a specific event, you can cover even more bases by wagering on them to be among the top finishers. This is another bet in which you can spread the love around with several drivers you’re feeling good about.
- Ryan Blaney +240
- Austin Dillon +280
- Matt DiBenedetto +320
Head-to-head and group matchups
There’s also a moneyline betting element to NASCAR. Sportsbooks will pit together drivers in head-to-head or group matchups. You get to decide which one will perform the best. This is a great way to ramp up the excitement beyond just picking who will win.
- Chase Elliott +150
- Joey Logano +180
- Denny Hamlin +210
- Kevin Harvick +240
Props
These side wagers you can place on the race itself. If you click through on the race listing at online and mobile sportsbooks, additional markets will be revealed. Options may vary, but choices can include:
- Pole position winner
- Driver with the fastest lap time
- Leader for most laps
Futures
The futures market for NASCAR works similar to a bet for the outright winner of a race. There will be odds listed out for all drivers in the field, and you get to make your calls around the winner. Futures are reserved for top events such as:
- Daytona 500
- NASCAR season-long champ
Live betting
When the races get underway, you can keep on betting right along in real-time. Live betting can help enhance the enjoyment of the race, and it can be potentially profitable to boot. You might see NASCAR race odds for things like:
- Updated odds for the winner of the race and top finishers
- Various prop, head-to-head, and group bets
- New wagers based on current race conditions
In short, you won’t be lacking options with NASCAR betting. When starting, it’s helpful to focus on a bet type or two before trying to tackle the whole field. As your skills advance, you can try out even more. Before too long, you’ll know which ones make the most sense for you and your betting style.
NASCAR schedule explained
The NASCAR season gets underway in February and typically wraps up in late October or early November. That translates into racing action nearly every weekend for the majority of the year. The first signature event is the legendary Daytona 500, while things wrap up with the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs where the season-long champion is crowned.
In total, there are around 40 races. At each one, drivers earn points based on how they fare. Points are racked up based on the finishing position. The winner of the race gets the most, followed by second place, and so on down the line. Points can also be earned for specific achievements during a race, such as the fastest lap time.
In short, every race on the docket means something. Once 10 races are remaining in the season, the Top 16 in the standings advance to the playoffs. The remaining set is structured into tiers with four drivers eliminated after each of three sets of events. For the final race, it’s just four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Best NASCAR races to bet on
Each NASCAR race attracts plenty of wagering action, but some will naturally receive more attention than others. The biggest highlights on the circuit are several signature races, each of which has a significant amount of history attached.
Here’s a peek at the races you’ll want to have circled on your calendar.
- Daytona 500: Each sport has its shining moment. For NASCAR, it comes at the beginning of the season at Daytona. Held annually in February, this iconic race has some serious crossover appeal and receives a good deal of mainstream attention.
- Brickyard 400: Over the summer, Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana plays host to one of the season’s biggest highlights. While each race means lots in the standings, this one stands out as a key indicator of what the stretch run to the playoffs may look like.
- Coca-Cola 600: This test of endurance is held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Spanning a whopping 600 miles, it’s one of the biggest tests of the year for the drivers that provides great insight into the season-long contenders.
- NASCAR All-stars: Current and past stars on the NASCAR circuit come together for what is always a huge highlight for fans. It’s a celebration of the sport and a nod to its loyal fans at the same time, not to mention a setting for quite the competitive atmosphere.
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship: The final race of the season is where the champ is crowned. Drama builds up throughout the playoffs, and it reaches a crescendo for the final event. As the last chance to bet on NASCAR for the year, the betting volume is massive.
If you were only going to bet on five races, the ones above are the ones to zero in on. Once you get up to speed with NASCAR, there’s a good chance you’ll want to go much deeper than that. Here’s another handful of key races and the details.
- March – Pennzoil 400 – Las Vegas, NV
- April – Geico 500 – Talladega, AL
- July – Quaker State 400 – Hampton, GA
- August – FireKeepers Casino 400 – Brooklyn, MI
- September – Southern 500 – Darlington, SC
Sportsbook house rules for NASCAR
All sportsbooks have rules on the road to follow. Known as house rules, they cover what you need to know from a betting perspective on NASCAR and other sports. The main points revolve around bet placement and settlement, but they also cover various other circumstances. Here are the basic points to keep in mind.
- Bets placed before the race are considered live once it gets underway. If a driver pulls out before it begins, wagers on that entrant will be considered void.
- In the event of a slight delay, bets will remain live until the race is completed. The same typically applies to a race scheduled for the following day. A race that gets shifted to a future date or canceled entirely will be voided.
- The settlement of all wagers is based on official race data and statistics. The books will not entertain disputes on results you disagree with. Once the event is final, bets are settled based on the results and that’s it.
That covers the majority of the biggest points, but still, take the time to review the rules at the books you play on. For example, you’ll want to see how things are handled for drivers that begin a race but fail to finish. Most sportsbooks have a dedicated section for house rules, while others include them in the help or FAQ sections.
Tips for betting on NASCAR series
While NASCAR is a unique sport, those who have taken the time to get up to speed on handicapping elsewhere can make some headway with a little effort. You can lean on many of the principles you have already learned and apply them here. Here are three tips that can help you make some marked progress in a hurry.
- Study up and learn the sport: Whenever you start with a new sport, you may have some beginner’s luck while winging it, but it’s not going to last. If you want to find success with NASCAR betting, you have to put in the work and learn the sport, its drivers, and all of the other nuances. For a starting point, lean on the season-long points standings.
- Use event history as a guide: The NASCAR circuit makes regular stops. That being the case, there’s lots of track and course history to take a look at in advance of upcoming events. While there are no guarantees that history will repeat itself, knowing which drivers excel and struggle in which venues can prove to be solid clues.
- Lean on resources you trust: There’s no need to go it alone. Out on the interwebs, there are plenty of NASCAR aficionados who share their knowledge with the masses. While researching, you’ll come across them, so be sure to make notes of the ones that provide some serious value. Moving forward, make them a key part of your NASCAR handicapping routine.
It can take some time to get the hang of betting on NASCAR, so take it slow by focusing on a bet type or two out of the gate. Once you’ve learned and felt comfortable with your selections, you can always broaden your horizons. If you take a measured approach and put in the effort, success may very well follow.
NASCAR Cup series records
The NASCAR Cup Series traces its roots back to 1949. The growth since that time is nothing short of phenomenal. Improvements in automotive technology have been fascinating to watch. What was once a niche sport for stock car enthusiasts has grown into big business with finely-tuned machines taking center stage.
Just 34 different drivers have won the season-long title, while 16 have earned multiple crowns. Here’s the complete list of multiple winners.
- 7 – Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson
- 4 – Jeff Gordon
- 3 – Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, and Tony Stewart
- 2 – Herb Thomas, Tim Flock, Buck Baker, Joe Weatherly, Ned Jarrett, Terry Labonte, and Kyle Busch.
Consecutive wins have been a tough trick to turn. To date, just 10 drivers have done so with one at the top of the list for a historic run after the turn of the century.
- Jimmie Johnson, five in a row from 2006-10
- Cale Yarborough, three in a row from 1976-78
- Drivers with two straight titles: Buck Baker, Lee Petty, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon
Richard Petty won in consecutive seasons twice, while Earnhardt managed to do it three times. Since Johnson’s run came to an end in 2010, he has added on two more. No driver has won back-to-back crowns in recent times. Kyle Busch won a pair of separate titles in 2015 and 2019, while Chase Elliott is the defending champ heading into the 2021 campaign.