Racing fans in Ohio have much to celebrate this year as legalized sports betting officially kicks off at 12:01AM on January 1st. 2023.
Some wagering markets are already up on NASCAR, Formula 1 and many other car series.
Buckeye state residents aged 21 and over can sign up at sportsbooks now ahead of the launch. Click here and enter our code to take advantage of Ohio sports betting promos. Most of the sportsbooks set to open up at the start of 2023 are offering generous first bet free bet insurance offers. Simply sign up, fund the account, and place a first wager of up to a certain amount, usually around $1000. If the bet wins, just cash the proceeds! If the wager loses, the books hand out a credit in risk free bets in the amount of the original wager up to $1000.
Bettors can already place wagers on the Formula World Championship and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. Additionally some books already have lines posted for the Daytona 500 on February 19th and the Bahrain Grand Prix on February 23rd.
Ohio residents unfortunately will not get to actually attend any Nascar or Formula 1 races in the state in 2023. Indianapolis is not too far however and Nascar visits with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on August 13th. Nascar also will visit That State Up North with the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn Michigan on August 6th. Plus the IndyCar series of course has the Indy 500. This years' race on May 28th will be the 107th running.
A handful of major races will take place in Ohio this year, including the following.
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
The IndyCar series comes to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on July 2nd. The track debuted in 1970, with IndyCar races starting in 1980 and then running a race there every year from 1983-2003 on or around Labor Day weekend. At the time, the circuit also ran the nearby Grand Prix of Cleveland and there was consensus the series could get high enough attendance running both races in such relative close proximity. They chose Cleveland and the Mid-Ohio stopped running. In addition, the powers-that-be were not sold on the narrow and winding Mid-Ohio track as it made passing difficult during the race.
That all changed in 2006 as the Indy Racing League decided to reverse course and revive the Mid-Ohio.It began running again in 2007, though now in mid July. It was set to run on ABC right after the conclusion of the British Open with the hope that the lead-in would result in good TV ratings. One problem with that though is the British Open sometimes goes to a playoff. That's exactly what happened in 2007. Two years later Mid-Ohio moved again to early-August or late-July, where it remained until 2020 COVID pandemic re-scheduling shuffled the schedule around.
The Mid-Ohio now finds itself on or around July 4th, a pretty prime slot for the series. Scott McLaughlin took the title in 2022, marking the third year in a row a Chevy run owned by Team Penske has won the race (2020 divided into two shorter races).
The Eldora Million
The legendary Eldora half mile dirt racing track in Rossburg, Ohio is owned by Tony Stewart. This year brings the third time Eldora will run a race awarding $1 million to the winner, and the first time it will be for sprint car drivers.
The winner of the prelim and final race on July 12th-13th actually gets $1,000,023 in honor of it being 2023. The World of Outlaw sprint car circuit is a bit of a training ground for drivers looking to bump up to Nascar or IndyCar so this represents a particularly enormous potential payday for the winner.
The Eldora Million race itself is non-sanctioned by World of Outlaws. Sprint car drivers on the circuit are allowed to race in up to eight races outside the circuit, but the races must be at least 100 miles away from another World of Outlaws site and not within 24 hours of a race. The Eldora Million violates that as the Brad Doty Classic is on July 11th in Attica Ohio and the Kings Royal runs at Eldora itself from July 14th-15th. Drivers in violation could lose bonuses from the circuit, though World of Outlaws may grant exceptions here.
The Eldora Million is not a winner-take-all, but it is pretty close. Second place gets $100,000 while third wins $50,000. Smaller payouts go all the way down to 24th in the 48 car field.
Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals
The National Hot Rod Association comes to Norwalk Ohio for this event on June 22nd-23rd.
NHRA is a drag racing circuit founded by Hot Rod magazine editor Wally Parks in 1951. The idea was to officially sanction a sport that seemed to many a series of lawless and dangerous street races. With 40,000 registered drivers, it lays claim to being the world's largest motorsports sanctioning body. NHRA sanctions races in all sorts of classes, ranging from snowmobiles to motorcycles. Winners of NHRA races get a "Wally" statue in honor of the founder.
NHRA is a very fan-friendly circuit. The event here advertises that every ticket comes with a "Pit Pass" that gives fans direct access to the teams including watching the mechanics get the cars ready. On race day Sunday, fans can participate in the "SealMaster track walk" where they can set foot on the quarter mile track before the race starts.
