NASCAR Guide: How to responsibly bet on The Chase

Editor’s note: Birches Health  is the leading national provider of Problem Gambling treatment and Responsible Gaming resources, offering specialized problem gambling support from the privacy of home, covered by insurance. September is Responsible Gaming Education Month, and this year it lines up with a NASCAR Cup Series championship that looks different from any in the past decade. The Chase is back: 16 drivers, 10 races, no eliminations, and the driver with the most points after Homestead-Miami on Nov. 8 is the champion. That change matters for fans who bet. The elimination playoffs of recent years created a series of do-or-die weekends, and the betting markets built around them (advancing to the next round, surviving a cutoff race) no longer exist. In their place is a points race that plays out over 10 weeks, which rewards patience over big swings. Here is how to enjoy The Chase and practice responsible sportsbetting, without letting the stakes run higher than you intended. Understand the new format before you bet Under The Chase, the 16 drivers are reseeded once at the start of the postseason, from 2,100 points for the top seed down to 2,000 for the 16th, with the regular-season winner earning a 25-point cushion over second place. From there, points simply accumulate across all 10 races with no resets and no eliminations. (MORE: The Chase 101: How NASCAR's new championship format works) A bad day at Talladega hurts, but it does not end a season the way a cutoff race once did. Before placing any futures or race-week bets, take a few minutes to understand how the standings work now, because assumptions carried over from the playoff era can lead to bets that no longer make sense. Sportsbooks may also change or drop the props they offered in past years, so check what is actually on the board. Treat futures as entertainment, not a plan Championship futures are the most tempting bet of the fall, and under a cumulative points format they are also the slowest to resolve. Money placed on a title pick in September is tied up until November, and the odds will move every week. If you want a rooting interest, size the bet small enough that it stays fun for 10 weeks even if your driver falls out of contention early. Keep race-week exposure steady across all ten races The 2025 guide to betting on NASCAR responsibly made the point that popular races invite bigger wagers, and The Chase compounds that with 10 weeks of elevated stakes in a row. Decide now how much of your bankroll each remaining race gets, and hold that number through Homestead. Ask the same question every week: if every pick loses, what is my total loss? If the answer changes as the standings tighten, that is the moment to stop and reset rather than push. Know the rules of your book, and where you are betting Sportsbook house rules on weather-shortened races, overtime finishes, and post-race penalties differ, and they can decide whether a bet wins or loses. Read them before you wager. It is also worth knowing what kind of platform you are using. Licensed sportsbooks in 39 states plus Washington, D.C. are required to offer deposit limits, timeouts and self-exclusion. Fans in other states may encounter prediction markets, which are regulated differently and may not provide those same protections. If the tools are not there, set the limits yourself before the race starts. Use the tools your platform gives you Common sportsbook features that support responsible betting, such as deposit limits, wager limits, and loss limits exist on every licensed sportsbook and take about a minute to set. The best time to set them is now, at the start of The Chase, when you are thinking clearly about the season as a whole, rather than in the middle of a cold streak. A limit set in September protects the version of you that is watching a late restart at Martinsville in November. Watch for the signs that betting has stopped being fun The most common warning sign for sports betting we see in our recovery clients is chasing losses: betting more to win back what was lost earlier in the week or the season. Others include betting money set aside for bills, hiding wagers from family, or feeling irritable when not betting. If any of these sound familiar, the most responsible bet of The Chase is to step away for a race or two. Know where to turn for support Following best practices reduces the chance that betting becomes a problem, but it does not eliminate the risk. Birches Health has a nationwide team of certified clinicians specially trained to help people dealing with gambling-related struggles. Care is confidential, available from home across the United States, and can be covered by insurance or state funding. To book a consultation or learn more about Birches Health, just click here, call (866) 843-5917, or email help@bircheshealth.com.