Bowman's preseason long shot odds may provide massive payday for pro NASCAR bettor
With two wins before All-Star weekend, Alex Bowman has secured a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and based on his recent momentum (four straight top-10 finishes) and the overall dominance of Hendrick Motorsports, the No. 48 may just be among the four drivers competing for the championship in Phoenix. If Bowman is there at the end, one professional gambler could be looking at another fat payday.
Zack White, a respected bettor who counts NASCAR among his specialties, has multiple four-figure wagers (see photo to the right) on Bowman to win the 2021 title at odds ranging from 28/1 (+2800) to 35/1 (+3500). The bets were placed between January and April at various sportsbooks around the country and would result in a $198,000 win should Bowman lift the Cup. White has a few smaller bets sprinkled on Bowman as well, he said in a text message to NASCAR.com.
“How ANY Hendrick team was 35/1 this year is still crazy to me,” White texted.
It wouldn‘t be the first time White has profited handsomely from long-shot futures bets. He and betting partner Mark DeRosa last winter made $20,000 in bets on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before the team signed Tom Brady, to win the Super Bowl at around 65/1 odds and to win the NFC at around 35/1, per an ESPN report.
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Matthew Rasp, a Sports Trader at BetMGM, said in an email to NASCAR.com that partly due to White‘s bet, Bowman “slightly edges out” Kyle Larson as the book‘s largest NASCAR futures liability when combining digital with retail (Borgata in Atlantic City, where White has a $2,000 wager on Bowman at 35/1, is an MGM property).
Ed Salmons, vice president of risk management at SuperBook USA, where White has a $1,000 ticket on Bowman at 30/1, said in a text that a Bowman championship would result in a loss for his shop‘s futures book. Bowman ranks fifth at the SuperBook in terms of drivers with the most amount of money bet on them to win the title, behind Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.
Per current prices at the SuperBook, Bowman‘s futures odds have been trimmed to 16/1. At BetMGM, the No. 48 is 14/1 ahead of this weekend‘s All-Star race.
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While most of the attention around the Hendrick garage is on Larson and Elliott, the team‘s other two drivers are factors in the championship mix, too. William Byron, sitting in fourth place in the standings, is now 12/1 on BetMGM‘s futures board and has been shortened from 30/1 to 14/1 at the SuperBook.
White likes his position on Bowman, but given the chance to run it back, he‘d have an investment in the No. 24 as well.
“I almost pulled the trigger on Byron too, wish I had,” he texted. “Could seriously be 4 Hendrick cars racing for the Championship in Phoenix.”
Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.
