Each year, millions of Americans tune their TVs into the wonder that is the Daytona 500, where the NASCAR series kicks off its regular season a stone’s throw from the shores of the Atlantic.
For those involved in Arizona sports betting, the start of the NASCAR calendar generally means the series is soon to be descending upon the Valley, with this year’s Shriners Children’s 500 race at Phoenix International Raceway taking place on March 10.
The Arizona race is the fourth on the circuit’s 2024 schedule, giving state race fans good reason to latch onto the sport as it begins another season in high gear.
With the NASCAR Cup Series starting this month and the Daytona 500 just over a week away, BetArizona.com 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.
Most Popular NASCAR Drivers in Most States 2024
With a Bet365 Arizona bonus code you can get +433 odds on Ryan Blaney as the favorite to win the NASCAR season championship.
Denny Hamlin Tops List in Most Popular NASCAR Driver in Arizona
Arizona’s go-to NASCAR driver hails from Tampa and has notched 51 wins across 650 races, as veteran driver Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (and Co-Owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan) was Arizona’s choice for the state’s favorite driver in 2024.
Hamlin was the top choice in two states, with South Carolina being the other state to choose the 43-year-old as their favorite driver. That put the series veteran behind national leaders like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, who were the top pick in eight states each.
For Hamlin, the goal is to take home a checkered flag at Daytona on Feb. 18, though he probably wouldn’t mind settling for an early season win in Phoenix come mid-March.
Arizona betting apps list Hamlin as one of four co-favorites at Daytona with +1200 odds. Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano join Hamlin at +1200. Hamlin is fourth in NASCAR Cup Series Championship odds at +800.