How to Bet on NASCAR: Futures, Driver Matchups, Group Bets & Props for Sunday’s Race at Darlington

How to Bet on NASCAR: Futures, Driver Matchups, Group Bets & Props for Sunday’s Race at Darlington article feature image
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Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Denny Hamlin (11) Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Sport Clips Toyota Camry

  • Today's NASCAR The Real Heroes 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX) at Darlington Raceway is garnering plenty of interest from sports bettors.
  • NASCAR bettors can find odds on futures bets, head-to-head driver matchups, props and group bets.
  • Find out the details of each bet type, and how to bet on Sunday's NASCAR race at Darlington.

After more than a two-month postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR is returning to track for Sunday's The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway.

With every other major U.S. sport — other than UFC — still on hiatus, this race will certainly garner plenty of eyeballs from those just yearning for live sports, whether they're traditional NASCAR fans or completely new to the sport.

And, of course, this also means plenty of bettors new to NASCAR will hit the market looking for live sports action to sweat.


Best NASCAR Promo!Win your bet if Kyle Busch finishes just ONE lap.


As a result, I put together a quick primer on how to bet on NASCAR, specifically futures, head-to-head driver matchups, group bets and props.

How to Bet on NASCAR at Darlington

NASCAR at Darlington Futures

When betting on futures, you're simply trying to pick the winner of the race. For example, last year's NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch is +550 at PointsBet.

Should you bet on Busch and he ultimately wins the race, you'd be paid our $5.50 for every $1 wagered.

[Bet now at PointsBet. NJ and IN only.]

NASCAR at Darlington Driver Matchups

Driver matchups pit two drivers against each other with bettors wagering on who will score the better finish.

For example, DraftKings Sportsbook is offering Kyle Busch (-130) against Denny Hamlin (+100) in a driver matchup for The Real Heroes 400.

If Busch finishes ahead of Hamlin, bettors will be paid out $100 for every $130 wagered. Conversely, if Hamlin bests Busch, bettors who wagered on Denny would be paid out $100 for every $100 wagered (or $1 for every dollar risked).

Note that it doesn't matter where the winning driver finishes in overall running order, as long as he beats his opponent in the matchup.

[Bet now at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]

NASCAR at Darlington Group Bets

Group bets are a combination of futures and matchups and typically consist of four to five drivers.

Bettors pick whichever driver they think will finish ahead of the rest of the group, and are paid out based on the odds offered.

Let's look at "Group A" for Sunday's race at Darlington available at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas:

  • Kyle Busch: +235
  • Denny Hamlin: +255
  • Kevin Harvick: +275
  • Joey Logano: +300

Like matchups, it doesn't matter where the winning driver finishes, as long as he finishes ahead of the rest of the drivers in his group.

Let's assume you bet on Kevin Harvick and he finishes ahead of Hamlin, Busch and Logano — that wager would pay out $2.75 for every $1 risked.

NASCAR at Darlington Prop Bets

The most common NASCAR prop bets relate to top-three and top-five finishes.

Chase Elliott is currently +275 at DraftKings Sportsbook to finish in the top three for The Real Heroes 400.

This means that a bettor taking this wager would be paid out $2.75 for every $1 risked should Elliott finish first, second or third in the race.

[Bet now at DraftKings. CO, NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]

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