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Keep following Us to Betting Motor Sports Today! The world of Formula 1 racing certainly has changed over the last year.
Mercedes once dominated Formula 1, leaving Red Bull and Ferrari to battle for podium spots while the midfield lagged behind. However, Mercedes’ performance declined, leading Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari.
Meanwhile, McLaren has emerged from the midfield to win the Constructors’ Championship, retaining much of their technical team, including team boss Andrea Stella and aero chief Peter Prodromou.
As the season kicks off this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, the shifting dynamics raise questions about Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s position.
Read on to get our sports betting insights about that race as well as this weekend’s NASCAR action in Las Vegas.
Betting Motor Sports Today: Racing Events and Top Picks for the Week
NASCAR Weekend: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Craftsman Truck Series: Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 (Friday, 9:00 pm ET)
Xfinity Series: The LiUNA! (Saturday, 4:30 pm ET)
Cup Series: Pennzoil 400 (Sunday, 3:30 pm ET)
Last week, Christopher Bell set a record for the Next Gen Car era with his third straight Cup Series win, beating Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin down the stretch to win the Shriners Children’s 500 by a mere 0.049 secondss, the second-closest finish in the history of Phoenix Raceway. Bell also now has won two straight spring races at this track.
Hamlin ended up with his best result so far in 2025. He led the white-flag lap but could not keep Bell from passing him. Bell led 103 of the 312 laps. Kyle Larson, Josh Berry and Chris Buescher finished out the top five as Berry also had his best result of the season.
This week, NASCAR heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with events in the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series and Cup Series set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Kyle Larson won the Pennzoil 400 here last spring in the Cup Series. AJ Allmendinger, known more for his road course driving than speedway success, is the defending champion of the spring Xfinity Series race, and Rajah Caruth won the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 here lasts year in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Formula 1: Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit (Sunday, 12:00 am ET)
The Albert Park street circuit in Melbourne has hosted the Australian Grand Prix each year since 1996 except for a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s one of the fastest circuits in Formula 1, taking drivers over 58 laps of 5.2 km each. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc set the current lap record of 1:19.813 in 2024. Michael Schumacher still has the most wins here (4), but Lewis Hamilton has a record eight poles won. The circuit features fast corners and unrelenting walls, with the fastest part coming between Turns 9 and 10, where a combination of speed and precision is required.
Last year, Carlos Sainz won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari despite just having had his appendix removed two weeks before the race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had to retire in the race’s early moments with a brake fire, and George Russell crashed on the last lap, leading to a virtual safety car finish.
How can I bet on these events?
The Formula 1 and NASCAR races will offer extensive sports betting opportunities. There will be betting markets for all four races, including odds to win and finish in the top 3, 5 and possibly 10, along with props on qualifying results and favorite driver pairings.
In auto racing, numerous unpredictable factors can influence outcomes beyond a driver’s control. For example, Max Verstappen’s brake fire last year was unrelated to his driving skills. Similarly, in NASCAR, leading drivers may face wrecks that allow mid-pack competitors to win. The complexities of mechanical performance and potential accidents make racing less predictable than other sports, complicating analyses and research.
Limit your bet size to 1 to 3 percent of your bankroll when wagering. Avoid making emotional bets, such as wagering on Lewis Hamilton after a loss, simply due to his past success. Assess the odds critically; Ferrari’s car hasn’t proven to outperform McLaren or Red Bull. Conduct thorough research and maintain a clear strategy before placing any bets.
What are the winning picks – now that I know how to bet?
- Lando Norris +187
- Charles Leclerc +300
- Max Verstappen +400
- Oscar Piastri +440
- Lewis Hamilton +1125
Lando Norris won four races in 2024, including the season finale in Abu Dhabi. He was the closest thing to a rival that Max Verstappen had last season, and he’d like nothing more than to take the next step and win his first Drivers’ Championship crown.
Charles Leclerc finished on 13 podiums in 2024, including a runner-up result at the Australian Grand Prix a year ago. He won this race from the pole position in 2022, leading all 58 laps.
Max Verstappen won here in 2023, leading 47 laps from pole position. The finish was marred by several red flags and the sight of the cars finishing in a parade behind the safety car from the last lap.
Due to warmer temperatures and a softer tire compound, drivers are expected to stop twice. Monitor qualifying positions and practice performance, along with pre-season testing results, which favor Norris as a strong contender.
Odds and Picks to Win the Pennzoil 400 (NASCAR Cup Series)
- Kyle Larson +360
- Christopher Bell +370
- Tyler Reddick +580
- William Byron +680
- Denny Hamlin +990
Kyle Busch
Busch is a strong value choice with 63 Cup Series wins and two championships. In 2025, he secured three top-ten finishes in four races, currently ranking eighth. He triumphed in the 2009 Shelby 427 at this track, boasting 12 top-five finishes in 27 starts in Las Vegas. Additionally, he has two Xfinity wins and four Craftsman Truck Series wins here. Consider him at +400 for a Top 3 finish.
What about Christopher Bell?
Should you place a big bet on this co-favorite aiming for four wins in four weeks? Winning three in a row is impressive, but Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been challenging for him historically. Although he’s started on the pole here three times, he seeks his first win at this track, only cracking the top 20 five times out of ten Cup Series starts. Last year, he started tenth in the Pennzoil 400 but fell to 33rd. Notably, only eight drivers have achieved four consecutive wins in NASCAR since 1972, with Jimmie Johnson being the last in 2007.
Kyle Larson is the defending champion here and has four top-two finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Next Gen Car era.
If you’re looking for some sleeper picks, let’s start with Joey Logano. His last Cup Series win came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last October, and he also won here in the fall 2022 race. He hasn’t won the spring Vegas race since 2020, but even so, that much success on this track at the value he brings is worth a shot.
Another long shot is Alex Bowman. In his last five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he has finished in the top five three times, including a win here in the spring race three years ago. He also comes with +330 odds on most books to finish in the top five, if you’re not sure that he can hold off the entire field this weekend.
Thoughts about the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series Races
Aric Almirola triumphed at the GOVX 200 in Phoenix Raceway, narrowly beating Alex Bowman by 0.045 seconds after clashing with him in the final turns. Almirola led 25 laps but secured victory after overtaking Bowman during an overtime restart, marking his eighth Xfinity Series win. Bowman, making his Xfinity debut for Hendrick Motorsports, led the first stage and 70 laps before the last-minute contact left him frustrated. Both drivers will meet again this week in Las Vegas, where Bowman aims for redemption.
The Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, held on February 22, marked the last Craftsman Truck Series event. Kyle Busch, moving down from the Cup Series, edged out Stewart Friesen by 0.017 seconds, claiming his eighth Craftsman win in Atlanta. Leading 80 of 135 laps, he now boasts 67 Truck Series wins and 232 total NASCAR victories. Friesen’s recent performance makes him a strong candidate moving forward.
This one made history.
Last year in Las Vegas, @rajahcaruth_ joined Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace to become the third Black driver to win a NASCAR national series race. pic.twitter.com/z0bBmLzKZS
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 14, 2025
NASCAR Odds to Win
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