NASCAR Betting

Guest article written by Paul Micelli

Most UK sports fans rarely consider NASCAR racing as a potentially profitable form of gambling but this exciting event is actually quite easy to expose in terms of betting opportunities. Even US gamblers have a distinct preference for baseball, basketball and football betting and this actually gives many NASCAR enthusiasts an increasing number of lines where advantages can be found because less people wager on the sport.

Key Factors in NASCAR Betting

To establish long-term profits, there are four vital factors that have a serious impact on NASCAR betting:

• Type of Bet
• Driving Averages
• Practice Speeds
• Qualifying Results

Type of Bet

There are two types of bet that can be placed on NASCAR racing that produce higher profits than any other. The first is to bet on the outright winner of an event. This is effectively the same type of bet as a win single in horse racing and the bettor simply chooses the driver that he believes will win the race. If, for example, a bettor places £10 on Jimmie Johnson to win at odds of 5/1 (6.0 in decimal odds), a profit of £50 will be shown if Johnson actually crosses the line first.

The second most profitable bet is NASCAR racing is the head-to-head driver match-up. With head-to-head bets, speculators can choose one driver from a pairing of two to finish in a higher overall position. This effectively turns a race into a two-man event and bets can be made on the money line that most bettors will be familiar with from wagering on team sports. As an example, the line may be giving Jimmie Johnson at -120 while Jeff Gordon is set at +100. A £120 bet on Jimmie Johnson would yield profits of £100 if he finishes higher in the field than Jeff Gordon.

Driving Averages

Driving averages give an indication of driver performance over the course of a season and also highlights the tracks where they generally put in their best performances. Some competitors tend to perform better on Super Speedway tracks while others excel on mile-and-a-half tracks or road courses. Eliminating drivers with a poor historical history on a particular track helps to build a stronger profile of potential event winners.

Practice Speeds

Most NASCAR events have two to three practice sessions and these serve to give a strong indication of potential performance when the main event eventually begins. As well as assessing the driver, sports bettors can also gauge the capabilities and performance of the car itself. Although teams can make mechanical adjustments to increase performance before a race begins, drivers who post good times in reliable cars should always be favoured.

Qualifying Results

Qualifying results can also have a significant sway on any eventual race selection. Qualifying acts as a handicapping system that rewards those who perform well during the session. Although there are a number of drivers who actually perform better in races than they do during qualifying sessions, the factor of having less vehicles to negotiate when chasing for the lead acts as a particularly distinct advantage.