NASCAR Betting Guide For Colorado
NASCAR is on the verge of becoming the fastest-growing segment in US sports betting. Now that online sports betting is live in Colorado, you can enjoy NASCAR in the Centennial State in a whole new way.
There was a time when betting on NASCAR meant either picking a driver to win a particular race or a series championship. Thanks to its new data partner BetGenius, NASCAR will debut a new live, in-race betting product for the 2020 season.
It will deliver dozens of new bet types, including traditional race winners and NASCAR futures markets. Also, you will be able to bet on head-to-head driver matchups, all kinds of NASCAR props, and every dynamic wagering opportunity for each one of the 500 laps on race day.
From the best Colorado sports betting apps to a lot of the NASCAR bet types, and also a little about its rich history, here’s a closer look at how to bet on NASCAR online in Colorado.
Top apps for betting on NASCAR in Colorado
Get $150
Set up an account and start betting on NASCAR online
Before you can wager on NASCAR races online in Colorado, you must sign up for an account with a legal online sportsbook.
The good news is that CO online and mobile sportsbooks make this an easy process. To begin, you provide the following information:
- Your name
- A valid email address
- Your date of birth
- The last four digits of your Social Security number
- A unique username and password
- Any promo code
Navigate to the tab that reads either “Sign Up,” “Join” or “Register” at any legal Colorado online sportsbook’s homepage.
Here, you will fill in the required personal account information fields.
Then enter the promo code that is specific to the sportsbook to ensure you get the best new player bonus available.
You check a few boxes, accept the various terms and conditions, and then submit your information.
The Colorado mobile sportsbook of your choice will verify your age and identity using your Social Security digits. It’ll also make sure you’re in Colorado and eligible to bet using geolocation technology.
At last, you can fund your account and start placing NASCAR bets.
The NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the major leagues of NASCAR.
The season features 36 races over 10 months.
The NASCAR Cup Series started as the Grand National Series and became the Winston Cup Series in the 1970s. Then it converted into the Nextel Cup in the 2000s when it launched the new championship points system.
With 10 races remaining in the season, the new system resets the standings and allows the top 10 drivers to compete for the championship.
In 2007, NASCAR expanded the chase to 12 drivers and renamed it the Sprint Cup in 2008. The series was also referred to as the Sprint Cup Series after that.
In 2011, NASCAR revamped the points system and, in 2014, expanded it to 16 drivers.
Although four drivers are eliminated every three races, it means only four drivers compete for the championship at the season finale.
In 2017, the series became known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the chase became the Cup Championship Playoffs.
After last season, NASCAR dropped Monster Energy as the title sponsor and named Coca-Cola, Xfinity, Busch, and GEICO its four premier partners.
Today, the series is known as the NASCAR Cup Series.
Most NASCAR futures bets surround who will win the Cup Championship Playoffs and NASCAR Cup Series title.
The 2019 NASCAR Cup Series champion was Kyle Busch.
Biggest NASCAR races
You can bet on all the most significant events on the NASCAR schedule in Colorado, including the races that are a part of the traditional NASCAR Grand Slam:
- Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway (February)
- GEICO 500 (former Winston 500) at Talladega Superspeedway (Postponed amid COVID-19 Pandemic)
- Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May)
- Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Labor Day weekend)
The final race in the Cup Championship Playoffs will likely be among the most significant betting events. From a bettor’s perspective, this is a notable day since most NASCAR futures wagers will finally be settled.
The 2020 edition will be held at Phoenix Raceway in Arizona on Nov. 8.
2020 NASCAR schedule
After NASCAR put the season on hold several weeks over concerns about spreading COVID-19, the action resumed in May with some extra races thrown in to help put the season back on track. Here is a look at the post-coronavirus schedule:
- May 17: NASCAR Cup Series Race, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
- May 20: NASCAR Cup Series Race, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
- May 24: Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC
- May 27: NASCAR Cup Series Race, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, NC
- June 7: FireKeepers Casino 400, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI
- June 14: Toyota/Save Mart 350, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA
- June 21: Camping World 400, Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL
- June 27: Kids Free 325, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA
- June 28: Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350, Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA
- July 5: Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard powered by Florida Georgia Line, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, IN
- July 11: Quaker State 400, Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, KY
- July 19: Foxwoods Resort Casino 301, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH
- Aug 9: Consumers Energy 400, Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MI
- Aug. 16: Go Bowling at The Glen, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
- Aug. 23: Drydene 400, Dover International Speedway, Dover, DL
- Aug. 29: Coke Zero Sugar 400, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
Cup Championship Playoffs
Round of 16
- Sept. 6: Southern 500, Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
- Sept. 12: Federated Auto Parts 400, Richmond Raceway, Richmond, VA
- Sept. 19: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN
Round of 12
- Sept. 27: South Point 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, NV
- Oct. 4: Alabama 500, Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln, AL
- Oct 11: Bank of America Roval 400, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
Round of eight
- Oct. 18: Hollywood Casino 400 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, KS
- Oct 25: Texas 500 Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, TX
- Nov. 1: TBA Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VA
Championship four
- Nov. 8: Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ
Explanation of NASCAR betting odds
NASCAR betting went from simple to easy with a lot of betting options for the 2020 NASCAR season.
Here’s a look at the types of bets you can make in Colorado on NASCAR Cup Series races and an explanation of how odds works.
Outrights
The original way to bet on NASCAR races, an outright bet remains one of the most popular bets. As simple as it gets, this is a bet on a single driver to win a specific race.
Outrights are booked at moneyline odds that are always listed as a positive number since no one can be considered a favorite to win a NASCAR race. That means you’re in line for a better-than-even-money payday if you can pick a winner.
Pole position
Pole position goes to the driver who posts the fastest lap in qualifying. Accordingly, pole position bets work a lot like outrights; however, you’re betting on a driver to win the pole position for the race instead of the race itself.
Pole position goes to the driver who posts the fastest lap in qualifying.
Driver matchups/groups
Driver matchups allow you to bet on one driver versus another, and neither needs to win the race. The driver you pick just needs to finish ahead of the other driver in the matchup for the bet to pay off.
Driver matchups are booked at moneyline odds that are always slightly negative, ensuring the sportsbook can make a little money on the bet.
You may also be able to bet on a driver matchup versus a group offering better prices.
Podium finish/Top 5
Similar to a show bet in a horse race, the podium finish bets pay off if the driver you pick comes in first, second, or third in the race.
Obviously, podium finish bets don’t pay out as much as outrights, but they are much easier to win. You may also be able to bet on a driver to finish in the top five in a race.
Fastest lap time
The fastest lap time is a race-long prop that’s also similar to outrights.
You pick the driver you think will post the single-fastest lap in the race at moneyline odds.
The best part of the fastest lap bet may be that the driver doesn’t need to win or even finish the race.
Other prop bets
NASCAR races present an opportunity for countless prop bets.
Depending on the popularity and profile of a race, you may be able to bet on props, including the following:
- The number of crashes
- Which manufacturer’s vehicle will win
- How many caution flags
- How many cars will finish
- Which driver will lead the most laps
- How many lead changes will there be
NASCAR futures
Betting on individual NASCAR races is one thing, betting on NASCAR futures is another.
NASCAR futures are essentially bets on events that may or may not happen throughout the entire NASCAR Cup Series season. For the most part, that means betting on which driver will win the championship playoffs and become the NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Of course, NASCAR futures may also include bets on which driver will earn the most points heading into the championship, which drivers will make the playoffs, or which driver posts the most wins throughout the entire season.
Futures bets are booked at moneyline odds that adjust throughout the season. Of course, that means the earlier you book bets on the contenders, the better the price will be.
NASCAR live betting
Most standard NASCAR betting options should be made available through live or in-race wagering.
That means you should be able to bet on most things NASCAR after the start of the race at odds that are adjusted throughout.
NASCAR in-race wagering options may also include lap-to-lap or situational bets.
How the NASCAR Cup Series works
The NASCAR Cup Series season features 36 races over 10 months, beginning with the Daytona 500 Daytona in February and ending with the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in November.
Drivers accumulate points and win through the first 26 races of the season.
The 16 drivers with the most wins throughout the season make the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, or 15 plus the points if the points leader doesn’t have a win.
If there are fewer than 16 winners throughout the season, the remaining playoff spots go to the drivers with the most points without a win.
How the NASCAR point system works
NASCAR Cup Series races are split into three stages.
The first two stages are approximately a quarter of the laps.
The third stage is approximately the last half of the race.
However, the exception is the Coca-Cola 600, which is split into four stages.
The top 10 drivers at the end of each of the first two stages earn bonus points. This includes 10 points for the leader down to one for 10th place.
A NASCAR Cup Series win is worth 40 points. The second-place finisher earns 35. The points earned drop by one down to a single point for 36th to 40th places.
There are also playoff points awarded for winning stages (1), races (5), and finishing the regular season in the top 16 in points (15 for first down to 1 for 10th to 16th.)
How do the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs work?
The 16 drivers who qualify for the playoffs have their points reset to 2,000 points, plus:
- One point for each stage win
- Five points for each race win
- 15 down to 1 point for the top 10 in points
The playoffs begin with the first three races known as the “Round of 16.”
The point system remains the same, with the top 12 moving through to the next three races.
The top eight will advance to the next three races. The top four will advance to the final NASCAR Cup Series finale.
Drivers that miss the cut at the end of each elimination race will also continue to race for fifth place in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
The finishing position of the four remaining drivers in the Championship finale decides who walks away as the NASCAR Cup Series champion.
NASCAR betting made easy
The logic behind successful NASCAR betting isn’t that much different from other sports.
You’ll want to manage your bankroll effectively, use the information and data that’s out there to make informed picks. In other words, bet with your head instead of your heart.
Beyond that, try our three basic NASCAR betting tips:
Start small
Don’t go broke betting everything you have on the first NASCAR race you’ve ever watched.
Start with small bets and a limited number of them before you gain experience betting on NASCAR.
NASCAR betting features a lot of options, but you don’t have to bet significant amounts on every single one of them when you’re first starting.
Do your homework
Certain drivers perform better on some tracks than others. If you read a little about NASCAR’s history, you’ll find out which drivers are set up for success at certain tracks, while the others, which may be the best in the business, might fail.
Doing a little research will give you an edge when it comes to picking NASCAR winners.
Diversify
There are a lot of ways to bet on NASCAR races. It’s a good idea to spread your money around a little. But even if you want to keep things simple and bet only on the winner, you can still diversify.
You should get a reasonable price on even the best NASCAR drivers to win a race; therefore, it’s a good idea to pick more than one. Do the math, and as long as it’s still profitable if one of your picks comes in, make bets on multiple drivers to win.
NASCAR Betting FAQ
NASCAR stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It’s major league stock car racing in the US.
NASCAR races last somewhere between 90 minutes to four hours. Of course, it depends on the length of the race, the size and number of laps, the conditions of the track and the weather.
The number you see at the front of the race name usually tells you how long the race is in miles. That means the Daytona 500 is 500 miles in length, but how long it takes to get through those 500 miles varies based on several factors on race day.
NASCAR company headquarters are in Daytona Beach, FL, which also happens to be where the first race of the season, the Daytona 500, is held annually in February.
The address is 1 Daytona Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL.
Approximately 1,000 employees work for NASCAR. You can contact the office through NASCAR’s customer service number at 1-800-630-0535.
NASCAR Cup Series races generally start out with 40 drivers. Of course, how many actually finish the race depends on a number of factors.
Injury, illness or family emergency may also keep a driver out of a race, which means starting with fewer than 40.
The 500-mile-long Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup Series race is held annually in February at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. The race has been around since 1959.
Richard Petty drove NASCAR from 1958 to 1992 and won the Daytona 500 seven times, the most in Daytona 500 history. Petty’s wins came in 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979 and 1981.