Motor Sports

If a talented mechanic can put engine in a frame and attach wheels to it (or a propeller), before the first tank of petroleum has been used up, someone will be figuring a way to race the machine against others like it and taking bets on who will win.

Motor sports fans are familiar with the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), Indy car, and Formula One (F1), but there also are people who race modified lawn mowers and motorcycles – on ice. While finding a betting line for ice motorcycle racing might be somewhat difficult, no doubt there is some action on it somewhere.

NASCAR

Over the past 20 years the motor sport that has shown the biggest rise in popularity in the United States is NASCAR racing (sometimes referred to as the National Association of Speedy Cars and Rednecks). While professional football draws the most betting action, NASCAR also accounts for millions of dollars in wagers each year on the sports books. NASCAR lines on internet betting sites abound.

Like European professional soccer, betting on NASCAR is more complicated than “dropping a dime” (which in high roller lingo means betting $10,000, but for a common man’s sport like NASCAR can be reduced to, say, betting $10) on your favorite driver for next Sunday’s race. While odds are issued for each week’s races, there are other lines and multiple competitions.

In addition to the Nextel Cup series, NASCAR’s “premiere league,” there is the Busch Grand National series, NASCAR truck racing, and several smaller, regional series. Bets also can be paid on NASCAR futures – picking the champion of the season-long points race.

Formula One

What NASCAR is to the United States, F1 is to the rest of the world. When most people think of auto racing, the image of the low slung cars with the high pitched whining engines is what comes to mind. While NASCAR drivers are “good old boys,” F1 drivers are international idols, spending their days zipping through the streets of Monte Carlo or Rio de Janeiro.

Australian sports and betting web sites pay particular attention to this sport, probably because of its broad international appeal. F1 drivers are national heroes in countries such as Brazil and Italy, where their fame rivals that of rock stars.

Others

Yet another popular sports betting alternative is the Indy Racing League (IRL). This segment of motor sports is closely aligned to F1 racing but its drivers also occasionally try to cross over to NASCAR because of its popularity. For those looking for more offbeat action, there also are organized racing leagues for slot-cars, jet skis, and lawn mowers, although it might be a bit difficult to find a betting line.