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Betting on NASCAR is a fun way to get started with wagering as it can be as simple as picking the winner for the next NASCAR Cup Series race. Betting on NASCAR futures is always an exciting way to wager on the NASCAR season. In fact, betting on the winner of a single Cup Series race is the same as betting on NASCAR futures… kind of. There are a few differences but I’ll explain everything as to how to bet on NASCAR futures betting markets.
NASCAR Futures Explained
NASCAR futures are simply wagering on the “future” outcome of a NASCAR race. This could be as simple as picking the winner. Here’s where “futures” gets a bit confusing. Technically, every bet before the start of a race is a future bet. However, for the most part – the term betting futures refers to wagers placed long in advance of the start of an event.
It all depends on the wagering platform you use, but you can often find odds for which driver will win the next NASCAR Championship almost as soon as one season ends. There are several major NASCAR future betting opportunities available long before the season starts while some others will start to become available as the first race nears.
NASCAR Cup Series Championship Futures
The first NASCAR futures betting market that seems to pop up as soon as one season is over is what driver will become the Cup Series Champion after the next season. For example, Ryan Blaney won the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, and less than 48 hours later he was pegged to repeat in 2024 by oddsmakers.
Perhaps the best way to make a selection for picking the next Cup Series Champion as a futures wager is to look at the top-five or top-ten drivers at the end of the prior season. My method includes also looking at the drivers that have made the Championship playoffs in years past. This narrows the pool of drivers considerably.
Number of Wins by a Driver During a Season Futures
The number of wins a driver can rack up during a season is a common NASCAR futures bet. This means that you are wagering on a single driver winning a stated number of races. Typically, betting platforms will list only a handful of drivers starting with the big names, the last season’s Champion as well as other former Series Champions. They will probably also include drivers who won at least one race in the prior year. The offerings will vary by the sportsbook you are using.
The best way to research this category is to dive into NASCAR stats and see who fared well in the win column throughout the last few seasons. Don’t only look for winners, also look for drivers that scored in the top five multiple times. Drivers that raced up front last year could turn those good finishes into wins next season.
Manufacturer Wins During a Season Futures
Have you heard the phrase that many older NASCAR fans use – win on Sunday, sell on Monday! Car dealers are familiar with this term – especially those representing the three manufacturers that are in NASCAR. They are Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. The idea was that if a Ford driver won a race, then Ford fans would be more inclined to purchase a new Ford when the dealerships opened on Monday. Wins by manufacturer is another NASCAR futures betting market that you’ll come across.
This is probably a harder market than it seems. The first step is to look at which brand logged the most wins during the last season and the last several seasons. However – keep an eye on racing news stories about changes to NASCAR car bodies. Every season, NASCAR allows slight changes to the bodies of cars to deal with aerodynamic issues. A small change can make a major difference on the track.
Assorted NASCAR Futures
The two main NASCAR futures betting markets are listed above, but there are others that you may come across as the start of the season nears. One is which driver will win the NASCAR Clash which is the Cup Series exhibition race that kicks off each season. Another is a driver to finish top 3, top 5, and top 10 in the season-opening Daytona 500. Not to mention which driver will win the Daytona 500. Again, it all depends on what offerings your sportsbook makes available.
The number of futures options seems to increase yearly. As do the prop bets that pop up during a race weekend. Contribute this to sportsbooks looking for fun ways to keep customers engaged. The best way to research these options is to take a quick dive into NASCAR stats on the official NASCAR website as well as racing-reference.
Tips for Betting on NASCAR Futures
Betting on any NASCAR futures betting market is similar to betting on any race during the season, including all of the available prop bets. It all starts with a bit of research. Thankfully, NASCAR and NASCAR fans love statistics. You can find out the performance of any driver involved in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Racing Series with a few clicks.
I suggest looking for drivers that have done well in the most recent seasons as well as manufacturers that tend to rack up wins as a starting point. Then you can fine-tune your research in terms of wins inside of the top five and top ten. Any information you can gather and apply to your choices will help improve your chances of winning.
Learn how the NASCAR playoffs work in our next betting guide.
