New To NASCAR Betting? Virginia Drivers Are Cruising In Xfinity And Cup Series

Written By Dann Stupp on February 24, 2021 - Last Updated on August 4, 2022
If you've been dabbling in the world of legal Virginia sports betting, there's no better time to give NASCAR betting a spin.

If you’ve been dabbling in the world of legal Virginia sports betting, there’s no better time to give NASCAR betting a spin.

Early in this 2021 racing season, Virginia native Denny Hamlin has already notched a pair of top-10 finishes in that NASCAR Cup Series. He also has the second-best odds to win the Cup Series championship this year.

That’s the top level of NASCAR. But the racing giant’s top “minor league,” the popular NASCAR Xfinity Series, has some other local faces.

In fact, two Virginia drivers – Brandon Brown and Jeb Burton – can be found in the top 10. Brown is ranked No. 4 in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series standings, and Burton is a few slots behind at No. 6.

Additionally, VA driver Gray Gaulding improved from 34th in the season opener to 21st last week.

Are you bullish on these speedsters? Want to back some of Virginia’s own? VA sportsbooks have some betting options to make your race day a bit more interesting.

NASCAR Betting Odds for Contender Boats 250

NASCAR heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida this weekend for a doubleheader:

  • Xfinity Series: Contender Boats 250 (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. on FS1)
  • Cup Series: Dixie Vodka 400 (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. on Fox)

By Friday, VA sportsbooks had released lines for the Contender Boats 250. Ready to choose an outright winner? Tyler Riddick is the favorite, and you can get him at +200 at DraftKings, William Hill, and BetRivers.

The odds to win for VA drivers? Burton is +8000 at FanDuel. With a $10 wager, a winning Burton bet would net you $800 in winnings. Brown, meanwhile, is available at +75000 at DraftKings (bet $10 to win $7,500). Gaulding is also +75000 at William Hill.

Additionally, depending on the sportsbook, you might find some other Xfinity Series betting opportunities. They can include:

  • Top 3, Top 5, Top 10 finish: Don’t want to limit yourself to picking just the winner? Sprinkle a few bets on drivers who could finish among the leaders.
  • Head-to-head: Choose from a menu of driver vs. driver matchups and pick which one will finish better.
  • Group winner: Choose the winner from a group of drivers, usually three or four.
  • Futures: Choose the winner of the season championship or an upcoming major race.
  • Prop bets and specialty wagers: These come in all forms, from picking the winning car manufacturer to choosing a stage winner to selecting the winning car number (odd/even, high/low, etc.).

Here are the Contender Boats 250 starting positions for Virginia drivers, including their early-year results:

Starting positionDriverResides'21 PointsRace 1Race 2
4.Brandon JonesWoodbridge4th6th8th
5.Jeb BurtonHalifax6th4th5th
26.Gray GauldingColonial Heights32nd34th21st

Brown drives the No. 68 for Brandonbilt Motorsports, which is based in Woodridge. The 2018 Coastal Carolina University graduate raced a full season in 2020. He finished 12th in points but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

The 27-year-old finished in the top 10 five times in 33 races in 2020. Yet, in 2021, he’s 2-for-2 in Top 10 finishes.

Burton, meanwhile, has competed in Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series races in recent years. He had 11 Xfinity starts in 2020 with five Top-10 finishes. This year, he finished fourth in the Daytona 300 season opener and fifth last week on the Daytona road course.

Danny Hamlin Looks to Repeat at Dixie Vodka 400

Following Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, the Cup Series returns with Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400.

Virginia native Denny Hamlin won the race in 2020. In fact, he won a lot of Cup races in 2020 – seven in all.

He also finished fourth in the final 2020 standings. It was his sixth Top 10 finish in the final standings in seven seasons – and 11th in 13 years. However, he’s still searching for his first season championship.

On Sunday, Hamlin has the pole for the Dixie Vodka 400. He’s also the favorite to win the race. As of Friday, Hamlin’s Dixie Vodka 400 odds include:

To WinTop 3Top 10'21 Championship
DraftKings+500+140-385+650
FanDuel+500+150-350+650
BetMGM+500n/an/a+650
William Hill+450n/an/an/a
BetRivers+500+140-385+650

Quin Houff, a Virginia native from Weyers Cave, will also look for the checkered flag on Sunday. He starts in the 38th position.

The 23-year-old is in his second full Cup Series season. Last year, he started all 36 races and had a 2020-best finish of 13th at Talladega Superspeedway. This year, he’s struggled with finishes of 29th and 40th.

Hough is a longshot on Sunday. A very big one, no doubt. His best odds are available at William Hill, where he’s +500000 to win.

While a winning $10 bet on Hamlin (+500) would net you $50 in winnings, a winning bet on Hough would net you $50,000.

If you want a more realistic option, you can bet on Hough at DraftKings or BetRivers for a Top 3 finish (+30000), or a Top 10 (+2500) at FanDuel.

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Dann Stupp

Dann Stupp is a longtime sports journalist who’s written and edited for The Athletic, USA Today, ESPN, MLB.com and other outlets. He lives in Lexington, Virginia.

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