American auto racing sanctioning and operating company, NASCAR, is looking to introduce its sports betting platform this September, which would give the fans and viewers the chance to play a wide array of bets, before and even during the races.
The said release will be done in conjunction with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway event, during which the South Point 400 race on September 15 will kick off the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs.
The project has been several months in the making, with NASCAR feverishly working with Genius Sports since May to bring the platform to the fore. Genius Sports has already established itself as a foremost distributor of sporting data to sports betting sites across the world.
This collaboration with Genius Sports would bring a real-time feed of data from NASCAR races straight to sportsbooks.
At first, there will be markets for winners of stages, most laps in the lead, and changes of the lead. Group matches and prop bets for one-on-one driver matchups would also be on tap.
NASCAR is enthusiastic about this endeavor as it views sports betting as a means to raise the sport’s profile. The platform is widely expected to usher in a new era of much-improved fan engagement that would draw in new fans to the high-speed sport.
Scott Warfield — NASCAR’s managing director for gaming — is bullish that this tact would pay off.
He said: “We’re thinking about how this product can turn our fans into evangelists of the betting products so they go out and tell their cousins and friends overseas.”
NASCAR has already given the green light to teams and drivers acquiring gambling sponsors, with a few stipulations. There are some concerns that this may influence the deals in place between the sport and Fox Sports and NBC Sports since these television networks are often very careful about the kinds of advertising they promote.
There is also a partnership agreement between NASCAR and the Action Network for the generation of relevant sports betting content. Action has a global reputation for its quality insights and analytics in sports betting.
As the first sports organization to offer content from the Action Network, NASCAR would feature analyses and updates, tips on races and competitions, and fantasy games coverage each and every week.
A lot of prominent people in the sport believe that such offerings are crucial for NASCAR’s growth. Legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Jr believes “it would create more excitement, bring more attention, more people in attendance. I can see it having a ton of positives.”
