Despite Signing New Betting Deals, Insiders Break Down Why Gambling Isn’t for NASCAR

If you think NASCAR’s photo finishes are chaotic now, rewind to the very first Daytona 500 in 1959. It took three full days and a stack of newspaper photographs to confirm Lee Petty had edged out Johnny Beauchamp. Beauchamp even celebrated in Victory Lane while officials scrambled through grainy images. Wild, right? That messy, unpredictable DNA still lingers in NASCAR today. And it’s become a real problem for one of the sport’s latest obsessions: betting!

As other sports cash in on gambling’s instant payouts and final whistles, NASCAR’s world of last-minute disqualifications and hours-long result reviews makes Vegas’ bookies uneasy. Even with new betting partnerships inked, insiders say stock car racing and gambling might just be an awkward fit, and here’s why.

Why NASCAR’s finish-line drama still makes Vegas nervous

Sammy Smith’s recent Xfinity win at Rockingham was a classic NASCAR mess. Jesse Love took the checkered flag first. Hours later, post-race inspection disqualified him after they found a modification to the rear of the vehicle. The win went to Smith after officials dug through the results and penalties. It’s a sharp reminder that NASCAR still doesn’t lock in winners when the races end. “Isn’t it crazy how your world can turn around in the sport. Literally, just like that,” Brad Gillie summed up the race succinctly.

But, even though result times have improved, it’s nowhere near what mainstream sports offer, and this is what is driving gambling corporations away from the sport, according to Doug Rice. He said in an episode of Fast Talk on GoPRNLive, “This is one of the reasons that Vegas… the bookmakers have not embraced NASCAR as well as they have other sports… because of things like this…. In racing, there’s like a 24-hour cooldown period.” 

This isn’t just a hypothetical problem. In a sport where races can be decided by thousandths of a second, intense scrutiny follows every finish, and gamblers, however, don’t care for waiting games. Despite this, NASCAR has teamed up with various gambling corporations such as BetMGM, Wynn Bet, and Penn Entertainment in 2023, but results like these paint a drab picture for their future in the sport.

“You see, those results come out when the race is over, the results at the top itself say ‘unofficial’ for a reason. It can be several hours late,” Alexis Erickson pointed out. Other sports, like football, basketball, or MMA, offer instantaneous final decisions. Agreed, NASCAR’s current situation is better than the days-long waits of old, but a two-hour post-race delay is still an eternity for high-volume sportsbooks.

For gambling markets, immediacy is king. Bettors want to cash out as soon as the final score is posted. “Gamblers are degenerates at heart and they want that money! And this hurts it,” Rice added. That expectation clashes hard with NASCAR’s lengthy tech inspections post-race, where a car’s win can vanish on a missed measurement or loose lug nut. Just ask Parker Kligerman, who was disqualified at Daytona after a win, as his ride was too low in the rear after the race.

Now, with legalized sports gambling booming, NASCAR is desperate to solve this. Its new betting deal with 1/ST TECHNOLOGY aims to modernize how bets are handled and settle results faster. Whether it’ll fix the sport’s old-school inspection quirks is another matter, and one we’ll dive into next.

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Will 1/ST Technology fix NASCAR’s payout problem?

In February 2025, NASCAR announced a new partnership with 1/ST Technology, selecting them as the official pari-mutuel betting platform provider. Unlike fixed-odds betting, this system pools wagers and pays out after official results are confirmed. This allows for multiple options and minimizes financial risk while betting on a sport as unpredictable as NASCAR. It’s a familiar model for horse racing fans but a fresh experiment for stock car racing.

This isn’t NASCAR’s first rodeo with gambling deals. In 2020, they inked a multi-year agreement with BetMGM, introducing in-race betting odds and driver head-to-head matchups. Later, partnerships with Penn National Gaming and DraftKings expanded NASCAR’s wagering portfolio, integrating official data streams and in-race prop bets to boost fan engagement during green-flag action.

Despite these efforts, challenges persist. The inherent unpredictability of NASCAR races, where post-race inspections can alter outcomes, remains a hurdle. While the 1/ST Technology deal introduces a new betting model, it’s uncertain whether it can fully mitigate the delays that deter some bettors.

So while NASCAR continues to chase new revenue through gaming partnerships, the lingering question is whether these innovations will finally crack open the mainstream betting market. Or will the sport’s quirky, inspection-heavy nature forever keep gamblers at arm’s length? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!