2018 STP 500 Betting Odds

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NASCAR Betting Online: Short track racing is some of the most exciting racing that we have on the NASCAR senior circuit. The Monster Energy Cup's first trip to a bona fide short track in 2018 comes at Martinsville for the STP 500. It's only a race that runs at 263 miles, but with the virtually constant notion of turning the wheel to the left, there is an incredible wear on tires and requires a heck of a lot of luck and strategy just to get to Victory Lane.

Catch all of the high-speed thrills and chills of the 2018 STP 500 on Sunday, March 25  at 2 p.m. ET live on FOX Sports 1.

2018 STP 500 At a Glance

Racetrack: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VA
Track Length: 0.526 miles
Total Laps: 500
Defending Champion: Kyle Busch

You'd better keep your head on a swivel at Martinsville for sure. There are 500 laps run at this track, and it can go like a blur if you're not careful. Unlike restrictor plate racing, where passes are generally few and far between, thus incredibly notable when they happen, here at Martinsville, you're flying up and down the leaderboard with regularity. In the 2014 STP 500, there were a whopping 33 lead changes, the most ever in the history of a race at Martinsville.

But the drivers wouldn't change this for a thing. Martinsville is always incredibly popular amongst the drivers, the fans and the owners alike. This is the shortest track that NASCAR has to offer and is the one track that has been on the NASCAR circuit ever since the sport started. Not even mighty Daytona can say that. The STP 500 itself? It's older than the organized sport of NASCAR, dating all the way back to 1950 when the race didn't even have a formal name.

List of STP 500 Winners (Since 2000)

There are some really big names who have won the STP 500, but if you go back and look at some of the deeper history than just what we have listed here, you'll see all sorts of blasts from the past. Did you know that John Andretti once won a STP 500 back in 1999, or that Bobby Hamilton, Geoff Bodine, Harry Gant and Morgan Shepherd were all winners here as well? Rusty Wallace didn't win a heck of a lot of races in mid-2000s, but he did win the STP 500 back in 2004. Though you see a lot of the commonplace names at the top of this chart, don't discount the fact that upsets happen all the time at the STP 500, and the next big wreck on this condensed track could be the one that takes out the driver you bet on.

Most Career Wins (By Driver) at STP 500

Records are meant to be broken for sure, but boy, is it going to be a while before anyone pulls off the feats of these three men. The STP 500 has had 16 multiple time winners, but three have won the race at least five times. The most impressive run in the race's history belongs to Wallace, a man who pulled off an incredible task of winning this race four years in a row from 1993 through 1996. Darrell Waltrip's five wins spanned 14 seasons from 1979 through 1989.

But they're all chasing "The King." Richard Petty won the STP 500 a whopping nine times. More impressive? He never won it more than two years in a row. Petty dominated this race like few others have ever dominated anything before in this unpredictable sport, capturing nearly half of the trips to Victory Lane in a 20-year period through the 60s and 70s.

The active leaders in wins at the STP 500 are Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, both of whom have three.

Most Career Wins (By Team) at STP 500

What's not surprising is that Petty Enterprises holds the record for the most wins by a team all-time at the STP 500. After all, Petty himself has more wins with nine than even the second best team all-time, Hendrick Motorsports, who has eight victories. But what's most impressive here is the length of time between some of these triumphs for teams. Hendrick Motorsports was a nothing team that was then known as All-Star Racing when Bodine headed to Victory Lane. Richard Childress Racing? Sure, when Dale Earnhardt was driving. But in 2011 with Kevin Harvick capturing glory? Team Penske? Not the modern Penske guys. All Wallace.

Most Career Wins (By Manufacturer) at STP 500

There aren't many races out there that were ever won by Hudson or Chrysler that are still kicking on the NASCAR circuit, but the STP 500 was one of them. Of course, no one is ever going to run down Chevy as the top manufacturer at the STP 500 with its 26 wins, but the day will surely come, likely in the not distant future, that Toyota will surpass Oldsmobile, run down Dodge and Pontiac, then ultimately challenge Plymouth and Ford for the second most wins in the history of this race. Most shocking here? No Ford driver has won the STP 500 since 2001.

How to bet on Nascar STP 500

The odds of a driver to win the STP 500 will generally look something like:

• Jeff Gordon + 200
• Mark Martin + 250
• Jeff Burton + 300
• Bill Elliott + 700
• Robby Gordon + 700
• Field + 500

These betting odds will be lower when betting on a driver to finish in the top three, as the sportsbook must pay off three different winning bets.

A player would have to bet $10 to win $20 that Jeff Gordon will win the STP 500, while the bettor wagering on Bill Elliott stands to win $70 on their $10 wager.

Another commonly placed bet in NASCAR is head-to-head finish between two drivers. With this bet, a player doesn't really care what place the driver finishes in, as long as the driver finishes higher than the other driver.

A head-to-head betting line for the STP 500 will look something like:

• Mark Martin - 130 Jeff Burton + 110

In this bet, players wagering on Martin to finish higher than Burton will be asked to risk $13 to win $10, while bettors believing that Burton will finish higher than Martin will bet $10 to win $11.

Those familiar with sports betting will have no trouble making the transition to NASCAR wagering, while those new to the world of sports betting should be able to pick up the concepts of NASCAR betting without too much hassle.

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