NASCAR hosts three different national events in the US: the Sprint Cup Series (which is the most popular), the Nationwide Series and the Camping Truck Series. NASCAR also hosts a Regional Series. Internationally, racing events include the Canadian Tire Series, Toyota Series, and Whelen Euro Series. Although not all events are carried by all online sportsbooks, every major betting site offer Sprint Cup series odds.
Types of NASCAR Bets
You may be able to bet on preliminary events such as qualifying rounds, and you’ll always be able to wager on the big race, which is held on Sunday. When betting on who will win a certain race, consider the odds which will usually be given for all drivers (there are 69-79 drivers on any given day).
Along with the odds, you’ll want to have enough research to make a smart wager. Research should include knowing the history a driver’s performance on that specific race day track, looking into any problems or improvements regarding a specific car, knowledge regarding the race team, especially the crew chief, and how the team has performed recently.
If a team has been struggling and there’s tension, they might underperform this week. However, let’s say after a rough race two weeks ago, you noticed a team made major adjustments and showed a lot of improvement last week. That may be an important observation that could affect your wagering.
Along with the opportunity to choose the race winner, you may be given other options, such as choosing which driver will finish in the top three, if a specific driver will be in the top five or ten, or how two drivers will do against each other.
Futures
Futures betting on NASCAR will include picking the winner of a specific series, predicting a driver’s point total, or determining how many top-three finishes a driver may have for the season. As with all futures wagering, NASCAR futures are extremely difficult to get right. Past history can be a major help in making your futures picks, but futures are never a good place to plan on making cash since they are highly speculative.
Make Solid Choices
It’s not easy to pick the winner of a race. In attempting to do so, you’ll need to do your homework carefully. Choosing bets that offer lower odds, such as if someone will finish in the top five, can often result in more wins on your part and some cash in your pocket. Wager on NASCAR carefully and take time to really get to know every part of what is a highly complex sport.
Sprint Cup Series
There are 41 Sprint Cup races, including 36 point races. The series starts in mid-February in Daytona and ends in November. There are 21 full-time racing teams with teams ranging from one to five drivers. In addition, there are six part-time Sprint Cup teams. Altogether, that means that 69-79 drivers will compete in any give Sprint Cup Series race.
NASCAR Teams
The concept of the team in NASCAR racing is important. Although the emphasis is on the driver, various team components can make the difference between victory and defeat. Each team has a primary sponsor and an owner, but the crew chief is considered the heart and soul of the entire racing organization.
The teams are also defined by the cars they drive. There are three primary makes that are used in NASCAR: Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota. The original concept behind NASCAR was to alter stock cars to perform at a higher level.
To a degree this is still true, as each team starts with the same basic stock car and then, within rules set by NASCAR, alters their car or cars in order to make them more powerful, aerodynamic, and faster.
The Race
Winning on race day depends on various factors. These include the condition of the car, the strength of the pit crew, and the skill of the crew chief and driver. NASCAR is a major test of the crew, driver, and car’s endurance, and in order for a driver to have a chance at winning all three must be performing at the highest level. Sometimes one miscalculation regarding fuel consumption, tire wear, or road condition can spell the difference between victory and disaster.
History, Reputation, and Bad Blood
NASCAR racing is, to a degree, governed by history. Teams that know how to win tend to do so over numerous seasons. The formula for winning is complex and dependent on a range of factors that are governed by inventiveness, dedication, and discipline.
A driver’s reputation can also influence how other drivers will interact on the racecourse. If a driver is noted for being careless, over aggressive, or belligerent on the course, that can lead to a showdown on the track. Sometimes, that can take one or more drivers out of a race.
Over the course of numerous races and over various racing seasons, bad blood can develop between two drivers. Sometimes that bad blood spills out in the media, sometimes it erupts after a race, or sometimes it influences an event. Bad blood can be a deciding factor in a race.
Track History
The Sprint Cup Series is comprised of both oval and road course racing events. However, most of the races in the series take place on an oval track. You will find that certain drivers tend to do well on certain tracks. When you’re performing your research, look for those driver that dominate certain races.
Also, there are certain drivers who do well on road courses, which have around 20 turns on them. In fact, some drivers do so poorly on road courses that they simply won’t race them. Again, always try to define what type of races, courses, and time of year are best for each driver.
What You Need to Know
If you want to make good NASCAR Sprint Cup bets and other solid car racing wagers, then you will need to know the cars, teams, and the owner. Understanding how everything works and if a team is working like a well-oiled, high-performance engine will help you determine if a certain driver is a good bet in a particular race.