Start your engines!
The NASCAR Cup Series starts this month and the Daytona 500 is a little more than a week away. So, with a Pennsylvania sports betting mindset, we wanted to discover the favorite drivers for each state.
PennStakes.com — your source for PA sportsbook promo codes — utilized Google Trends by searching “NASCAR” over the past 12 months (Feb. 7, 2023 to Feb. 7, 2024) to find the most-searched NASCAR driver in search volume in that state (any full-time or part-time NASCAR Cup Series driver was included).
In Pennsylvania, It’s Kyle Larson
The Keystone State loves Kyle Larson. He finished No. 1 in the state. Larson also tied for first in the most states (see chart below). Here are the eight Larson states:
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- New Hampshire
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Wyoming
Overall, It’s a Dead Heat
Larson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott have the most states at eight apiece. Kyle Busch is third with seven, Bubba Wallace is fourth with five, and Jimmie Johnson rounds out the top five with four. Tied with three apiece: the recently retired Kevin Harvick, South Jersey native and neighbor Martin Truex, Jr., and Ryan Preece.
Larson Look-Ahead
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, ranked second last season with four wins (23 overall), 15 top fives and 18 top 10s. In 2023, he won at Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and won the NASCAR All-Star Race. He's yet to secure a victory at Pennsylvania's own Pocono Raceway.
This season, he also plans to compete in the Memorial Day Weekend double (Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600). On top of all that, he started a new dirt track racing series called the High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series in 2023 with 12 races. This year, a full 60-race schedule over 36 tracks and 19 states kicks off at East Bay Raceway Park in Florida (Feb. 12-13). The schedule also includes five race dates in Pennsylvania.
ESPN BET Futures
Each week many drivers, depending on the track, recent performance and other factors, are the choice of bets at PA sports betting apps.
As of Thursday afternoon, Larson is the second favorite to win this year's NASCAR Cup Series Championship at +600 at ESPN Bet Pennsylvania, a smidge behind favorite Ryan Blaney at +550. Larson is +1660, tied with William Byron, as the eighth favorite to win this year’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
