North Carolina is the heart of NASCAR country.
For one, most NASCAR race teams are headquartered in North Carolina, while both the Coca-Cola 600 and Bank Of America ROVAL 400 run at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is also in Charlotte.
With the passage of North Carolina online sports betting in June, NC could very well become the biggest NASCAR betting state in the country.
That’ll mean a deep menu of NASCAR bets and props available at the state’s top online sportsbooks. We’ll cover all the possibilities in the guide ahead.
Best NASCAR betting apps in NC
NASCAR odds will be available at most online sportsbooks in North Carolina. Here’s a look at the top online sportsbooks headed here and what they already offer in terms of NASCAR betting in other states.
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook is an Authorized Gaming Partner of NASCAR, which gives it access to the NASCAR and BetGenius official NASCAR data product.
That means more than 25 in-race bet types and NASCAR futures are available. DraftKings Sportsbook has pre-race odds on:
- Race Winner
- Stage Winners
- Pole Position
- Head-to-Heads
- Group Matchups
- Top 3/Top 5/Top 10 Finish
- Fastest Lap
- Crash, Caution Flag, Driver Finishing Position, Number of Cars Finishing, Lead Change, and Race Leader Props
DraftKings Sportsbook is also known as a NASCAR betting site that offers the most pre-race betting options, head-to-head driver matchups and NASCAR odds boosts and promos.
Caesars Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook is already in North Carolina, running two of the state’s three tribal-casino-based retail sportsbooks. It also offers access to the NASCAR and BetGenius official NASCAR data product.
As a result, Caesars takes live bets on every single NASCAR lap and the entire NASCAR season through its futures markets. Pre-race NASCAR lines at Caesars Sportsbook also include:
- Outrights
- Stages
- Matchups
- Groups
- Finishing
- Props
Caesars Sportsbook often offers odds boosts on the most competitive drivers during the season’s most important races. Plus, even its standard NASCAR odds are competitive.
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM will come to North Carolina to take advantage of the local customer base it has built in neighboring states like Tennessee and Virginia.
It always puts your online NASCAR betting options front and center during race season. It uses the NASCAR and BetGenius data product to take a variety of live bets on NASCAR races. You’ll find pre-race markets under its dedicated NASCAR tab that include:
- Race Winner
- Qualifying
- Head-to-Heads
- Groups
- Finishing
- Props
BetMGM Sportsbook is known for its dependable software, valuable NASCAR odds boosts and promos, diverse NASCAR prop options, and more NASCAR-related betting content.
- Review: BetMGM Sportsbook North Carolina
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook is the NASCAR partner that uses NASCAR and BetGenius data product to offer the most live NASCAR betting options available.
However, its pre-race NASCAR betting options are rather basic and include only:
- Outrights
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship Futures
- Limited Props
That said, it gets up for big races like the Daytona 500 by offering even more pre-race betting and a variety of NASCAR odds boosts and promos. Still, FanDuel is really known for having the most up-to-date live NASCAR odds.
NASCAR betting odds explained
NASCAR Cup Series races have more in-race and pre-race betting options now than ever before. Here’s a quick look at the standard NASCAR bets you can make before and during races:
- Outrights Race Winner: Bet on pre-race co-favorite Kyle Larson, for example, to win the Daytona 500 at +1200 odds. Or bet on any driver to win an upcoming race.
- Book your bet at currently posted odds: These are posted in the week ahead of a race and look long for most options, considering no driver is a true favorite to win any NASCAR race. The odds tell you how much you stand to win for every $100 bet, like the $1,200 you’ll get betting $100 on Larson if he wins at Daytona.
- Pole position: Bet on Chase Elliott, for example, to win pole position during qualifying for the Daytona 500 at +1000 odds. Or bet on any driver to post the fastest lap time in qualifying for an upcoming race.
- Driver matchups/groups: Bet on Aric Almirola, for example, to finish ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the Daytona 500 at -135 odds. Or bet on any driver against another or a group in an upcoming race.
- Podium/Top 5/Top 10 finish: Bet on pre-race co-favorite Denny Hamlin, for example, to finish in the top three in the Daytona 500 at +310 odds. Or bet on any driver to finish in the top three, five, or ten in an upcoming race at increasingly reduced odds compared to outrights.
NASCAR prop bets
Go beyond standard race winner, finishing position, and driver matchup NASCAR betting with NASCAR prop bets. NASCAR race props include bets on:
- Which driver will post the single-fastest lap time in a race
- The number of crashes in a race
- The manufacturer of the winning car
- The number of caution flags in a race
- The number of cars finishing a race
- The driver who leads the most laps in a race
- The number of lead changes in a race
Bet on NASCAR races in real time
The NASCAR and BetGenius, the official NASCAR data product, opens up a whole world of live NASCAR betting options to NASCAR fans. It leverages exclusive real-time data captured during races and uses an algorithmic model to create split-second odds throughout races.
Live markets include updated race winner odds, new driver matchups, and top 3 finishes among the more than 25 in-race bet types available.
Essentially, the data lets sportsbooks take bets on every lap of every NASCAR race and creates an engaging live betting experience for anyone watching.
Bet on the NASCAR Cup Championship
NASCAR futures let you place bets around the outcome of the entire NASCAR Cup Series season. Pick:
- Which driver will win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship
- Which driver will earn the most points
- Which driver will have the most wins
Place your bets throughout the year at odds that are adjusted as the season plays out. Of course, you lock in the posted sportsbook odds at the time of your bet.
What are the best NASCAR races/series to bet on?
The NASCAR Cup Series season runs from February through November and includes 26 regular season races and 10 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs races.
Drivers accumulate wins and points to earn a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs throughout the regular season races. The 16 drivers with the most wins or points make the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
These 16 drivers start the playoffs with a certain number of points based on their regular-season performance. Then, they compete for more points and the chance to advance through a three-race round of 16, 12, and 8.
The Final Four then compete for the NASCAR Cup Series title in a single NASCAR Cup Series Championship race. Here’s a look at the NASCAR races held in North Carolina and the NASCAR season’s biggest events:
- Busch Clash: It’s the first race of the season in early February at Daytona Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida.
- DAYTONA 500: It’s the most notable race of the season; it’s held in mid-February at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
- NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race: It’s held in May in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
- Coca-Cola 600: It’s the longest race of the season, held during Memorial Day Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
- The Bank of America ROYAL 400: This is the other NASCAR Cup Series race held annually at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It’s hosted in early October, using the infield road course referred to as “The Roval.”
- Cook Out Southern 500: This is the first race in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 16 at the beginning of September. It runs at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship: This season-ending championship race is set for Nov. 5 for the 2023 season. It’ll run at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
How are NASCAR odds set, and when are lines released?
NASCAR futures odds for the upcoming season come out almost immediately after the previous season ends. The odds for each race are released on Mondays following the previous race.
Sportsbooks set NASCAR odds based on the results of the previous race, past performances, points standings and other factors. These odds are adjusted throughout the week based on betting patterns and similar factors.
Sportsbook rules for betting on NASCAR
Sportsbooks post standard auto racing and NASCAR betting rules telling you how they’re going to handle postponements, delays, disqualifications and other situations that may occur. Here are some common stipulations.
- If a race is postponed due to weather or other circumstances, bets stand only if the race is run within 48 hours.
- Once an official winner of a race is named, bets are settled and can’t be changed, even if NASCAR names the winner of an unfinished race.
- If a driver goes at least one lap, the finishing position of the car counts for all bets even if a replacement driver is used.
- Disqualifications count unless they occur more than 30 minutes after a race.
- All bets on head-to-head matchups are voided if both drivers do not start the race.
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