Darlington, South Carolina, United States
Darlington Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series race at DR
Race Track
Madison, Illinois, United States
Madison, Illinois, United States
Sunday June 5, 2022
3:30 pm ET
Madison, Illinois, United States
Sunday, September 1, 2024
6:00 PM
Betting Insights for Southern 500
Joe Gibbs Racing has graced the winner’s circle for five of the last nine Cook Out Southern 500 races. One of the off-year victors was Martin Truex, Jr., who was driving for Furniture Row Racing in 2016 but now races for JGR. If bettors that follow trends were to follow this event, this is not the year for a JGR driver to win as they have alternated winning years since 2013, taking only the odd years.
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick are the only active drivers with multiple wins at the Southern 500, with Hamlin’s wins coming in 2010, 2017, and 2021, while Harvick’s victories occurred in 2014 and 2020.
With Toyota winning five of the last seven events here, Ford is the only challenger, with their wins coming in 2018 with Brad Keselowski and in 2020 with Harvick. Trends would favor a Ford for the 2020 season, but with Toyota’s dominance here, Joe Gibbs Racing can’t be counted out.
Southern 500 Race details
Date: Sunday, September 1, 2024
Hour: 18:00 EST
Track: Darlington Raceway
Location: Darlington, SC, USA
Distance: 367 laps around the 1.366-mile oval for a total of 501.322 miles.
How To Read NASCAR Betting Odds
Before you bet on NASCAR race, there are different ways to bet on NASCAR races. Futures bets, where you place a wager on a result to be determined later, such as “who will win the cup series.” Then, there are weekly wagers on who will win the race or driver match-ups where you wager on which driver will place ahead of the other.
When wagering on NASCAR, you might notice the favorite will almost always have a plus sign next to their odds. In other sports, the favorite is usually shown with a minus sign next to the odds. If the favorite has a minus sign such as -120, you have to wager that number to profit $100. As an example, you have to bet $120 to win $220, a profit of $100. If the race favorite has a plus sign next to his name, like +120, then that is what you would profit by betting $100.
Futures Betting
Futures bets are a type of prop bet which entails betting on the future results of a certain driver or team. Common examples could be; will Ryan Blaney repeat as the NASCAR Cup Champion? Or which race team will finish with the most wins in 2024?
History of this race
The Cook Out Southern 500 is widely known as the oldest superspeedway race and one of the crown jewels of the NASCAR calendar. With the oddly shaped track configuration of an asymmetrical egg shape and rough surface, the track is unforgiving and makes for an interesting and difficult car setup, especially in the Darlington heat in September each year.
Originally run on Labor Day weekend each season, the Ferko lawsuit in 2004 forced the race to move to Mother’s Day weekend, typically avoided by NASCAR. It was run on the Saturday night before Mother’s Day until 2015, when it was moved back to Labor Day weekend, where it is currently on the schedule.
Fun Facts about NASCAR Southern 500 race
The first running of the Cook Out Southern 500 in 1950 took more than six hours to complete, with several cars experiencing blown tires. The eventual winner, Johnny Mantz, drove a more tire-conscious race, preserving his tires and the win.
In 1967, “the King” Richard Petty would win his only Cook Out Southern 500.
1982 was a race for the record books. In all, there were 14 cautions and 41 lead changes between 17 different drivers. With all the cautions, it helped to set the stage for a four-car shootout for the ages when veterans, Richard Petty and Cale Yarbrough took on young guns, Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott. Yarbrough won the battle with a close victory over his now fellow Hall of Famers to record his record fifth Cook Out Southern 500.
Regan Smith earned his first NASCAR victory in 2011 at the Cook Out Southern 500 by edging out Carl Edwards after staying out during a late caution.
The 2015 race marked not only the return of the Cook Out Southern 500 to Labor Day weekend but also an experiment by NASCAR to remove some downforce on the cars. The result was intense racing throughout the day, with an average green-lap stint of 14.7 laps due to a record-breaking 18 caution flags during the race. Carl Edwards would come back from two laps down to take the victory for his second win of the season.
NASCAR Standings
NASCAR Southern 500 Betting tips
Of the top five favorites to win the Pennzoil 400 (Truex, Jr; Harvick; Larson; Keselowski; and Logano), my money is on Larson at +500. He won last week at Fontana and was in the hunt at Daytona before being involved in a group crash with six laps to go. I look for him to repeat at the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube.
The fastest race average speed in a NASCAR race at Las Vegas is held by Keselowski at 154.633 mph. The fastest qualifying lap of 196.378 mph was turned in by Kyle Busch in 2016. With Keselowski now driving for his own race team this season, I look for him to turn the fastest lap this year.
Head-to-head matchups allow bettors to focus on a certain head-to-head battle between two racers, rather than the more general wager of winning the race. These matchups are typically between two drivers or a group of four drivers. Bettors select which driver will have a better result in the race.
For my NASCAR prediction this week for driver match-ups, I really like the Joey Logano vs. Kyle Busch match-up. Logano has been very fast on the speedways so far this season and it seems the team doesn’t have Busch’s set up quite dialed in yet to be on the podium.
If you’re looking to bet on a top-5 finisher for the season in 2022, 7 of the last 9 winners at Las Vegas have gone on to a top-5 finish.
The odds-on favorite to finish atop the season podium is last season’s champion, Kyle Larson (+450). He has come out strong in his Chevrolet so far with a win and a pole. Look for him to finish top-3 at Las Vegas and to dominate in the playoffs as he did last season by winning four of the last five races.
How To Sign Up At A Betting Site
You need to do your research and find a betting site that you will be able to review different sportsbooks and the wagering options they have available. Some sportsbooks offer more sports or entertainment options. Do your due diligence and find the one that suits your betting style!
Joining sportsbooks is a very simple and painless process. You just need to fill out your basic personal info, such as name, birthdate, email, phone number and mailing address. You don’t have to make a deposit to view the book’s information and options. At this point, you have just built a basic profile before making a deposit to start betting.
After you choose the sportsbook where you want to place your bets, you then have to deposit funds in order to be able to place wagers. Books will offer several different options such as credit cards or crypto currency. Remember to always wager responsibly and deposit an amount that you are comfortable losing and make sure all your personal needs are taken care of before you deposit money into your account.
Now that you have found a sportsbook to your liking and have made a deposit into your account, you can now start placing bets. Simply look for the type of bet you’d like to place, find the bet you want to wager on, and place your bet. Good luck!
NASCAR Southern 500 FAQs
Chevrolet dominates the race victories list with 27 all-time wins.
Jeff Gordon surpassed the great Cale Yarbrough in 2007 with his sixth victory.
From 1986 to 2012, Hendrick Motorsports compiled an all-time high 11 wins, with Jeff Gordon (6) and Jimmie Johnson (2) leading the way.
No. Until 1984, the race was held on the actual Labor Day (Monday).
