How to Bet on Nascar

With so many Americans crazy over NASCAR and knowledgeable about the sport, it has been puzzling as to why NASCAR betting is not more popular. Whether it's odds to win the Nextel Cup future odds, odds to win the race, head-to-head NASCAR driver odds or even which manufacturer will win the Daytona 500, there are plenty of options. Read more about how to bet on NASCAR.

Who will win the race

The most common form of NASCAR betting is the straight race odds. A bettor is picking which driver will win the race and risks an amount outlined in a moneyline format. For example:

Tony Stewart is +600 to win the Daytona 500. This means a $100 wager on Stewart would pay out $600 if he wins. The payout is high for a driver of Stewart's ability, but he is just one racer in the field and plenty can go wrong in a NASCAR race.

Race matchup bets

NASCAR betting matchups have a better chance of winning and are often more fun to bet. You are betting on one driver to finish ahead of one opposing driver in one particular race. Your driver does not need to win the race – he just needs to finish ahead of he other driver I the matchup.

Example: Jeff Gordon -120 vs. Matt Kenseth +110

Gordon is slightly favored here, so you must wager $120 to win $100. Kenseth is the small underdog, so a $100 wager on him to defeat Gordon yields a $110 profit. So if Gordon blows an engine and finishes 35th and Kenseth crashes on the next lap and finishes 33rd, Kenseth wins the bet.

Top finishing driver of Dodge, Ford or Chevy

NASCAR fans typically are fans of particular drivers or particular manufacturers. You can wager on which Dodge driver will finish highest in the race among his Dodge comrades.

155	Kurt Busch	+250
156	Elliott Sadler	+450
157	Casey Mears	+500
158	Michael Waltrip	+800
159	Ryan Newman	+900
160	Kasey Kahne	+950
161	Reed Sorenson	+1100

Again, it's simple moneyline format for this form of NASCAR betting. If you wager Waltrip to win, you risk $100 to win $800 but he must finish ahead of all the other drivers listed.

Top manufacturer in race betting

Similar to the 'pod betting' style listed above, NASCAR betting also includes betting on which manufacturer will win the race. Do Ford teams typically dominate at Daytona? Are Chevys better on the road races? Research the past results of different races and different tracks to see if one make of car is more likely to win than another. If so, you may have another fun NASCAR bet to lay on Sunday.

Odds to win Nextel Cup prop bets

Much like future betting odds in NFL (who will win the AFC West or who will win Super Bowl XLII), NASCAR offers future odds on who will win the Nextel Cup title. During the season, sportsbooks will post odds – and vary those odds based on recent performance – on who will win the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

If Jeff Gordon has a huge lead, expect his odds to fall. If Dale Earnhardt jr. is coming on strong, his odds may fall as well. This is a great way to get longshot odds early in the season and then cheer for that driver all season long.

Good luck in all your NASCAR bets this season and check out the NASCAR stats section here at PointSpread.com. There is also a NASCAR driver database that lets you research how any driver has performed head to head against any other driver. This is a great NASCAR handicapping tool for NASCAR matchup betting.