AJ Foyt. Mario Andretti. Al Unser Sr. If these names mean nothing to you, then you are in the right place to learn about everything you need to know when betting on IndyCar. The three aforementioned names are among the legendary drivers of IndyCar, a sport that has captivated auto racing fans for decades. While the racing series can trace its roots back to the early 20th century, it is showing no signs of going away anytime soon.
These days, IndyCar is on an upturn. The sport’s popularity is buoyed by more interest by fans and wider coverage around the world. As IndyCar continues to grow, the racing series’ profile leads to bigger races and a greater sense of excitement. As a betting enthusiast, this is what you want.
If you are new to betting on auto racing, we will provide you with the key information you need to make your bets count. From basic tips to more advanced strategy, you will find what you need to get your engines started and to take you to pole position when it comes to placing your bets. Even if you have experience in betting on other sports like F1 and NASCAR, you will surely find this information advantageous.
IndyCar is a form of American open-wheel racing that is contested on speedways, ovals, street circuits, and road courses. The series, often compared to Formula 1 (F1), varies from the latter in that the regulations and courses are different. While F1 is predominantly contested in various countries around the world, IndyCar is as American as apple pie.
One of the most appealing parts of IndyCar is that it provides a stellar lineup of drivers from around the world a chance to test themselves on a series of challenging courses. The driver that ends up with the most points is crowned champion and receives the prestige (and a nice cash bonus). The series is undoubtedly one of America’s finest sporting institutions but it is the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar’s showpiece race and the most famous race in the world, that is the big draw.
Throughout the years, IndyCar has gone under numerous changes. In 1994, INDYCAR has been responsible for sanctioning IndyCar Series races. Everything from tracks and constructor requirements is specifically laid out to drivers and teams, with cars also regulated according to engine size and type. Fuel emissions, tires, marketing materials and much more are also chosen to aid a more environmentally-friendly type of racing.
Given the close competition in the series, which rivals F1 as the fastest sport on the planet, the margin of victory in races can be less than a second. Considering cars can reach top speeds of 235 mph plus at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this creates an extremely competitive environment. As such, placing a bet on IndyCar racing can be one of the most exciting wagers you will ever have.
The Indy 500 is like the Super Bowl of IndyCar: it is a major spectacle that has dominated American open-wheel racing headlines for decades. The race goes down on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, making it an ideal spectacle, even for those who are not lucky enough to make it to the track on the day. With the greatest drivers in the world taking part, it is no wonder why this is referred to as the “Great American Race.”
There are multiple traditions associated with the Indy 500, including kissing the bricks and the winner drinking the milk while in possession of the famous Borg-Warner Trophy. While many who began betting on IndyCar will have been drawn to this prestigious race, when it comes to betting, the same principles apply for most other races on the calendar, too.
While there are other championships such as IndyLights and IndyPro 2000, in this guide, we will be focusing on the IndyCar Series. A regular IndyCar Series championship season can consist of around 17 races, which usually take place between March and September. The main bets that you can place on championships will be on races pertaining to entrant, driver, and manufacturer championships.
There is a system in place to determine who is eligible to collect points and under what circumstances:
Sometimes, a tie might occur. Naturally, the series must still find a way to declare a winner. In the IndyCar Series, the winner of a tie will be awarded the championship on account of the most first-place finishes in a season. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the most second-place finishes. If there is still no way to separate the champion from the runner-up, it will be awarded to most third place finishes and so on.
The winner of each race is awarded 50 points, while the runner-up collects 40. Third place will receive 35 points, while fourth picks up 32. From fifth place down to tenth, drivers are awarded 2 points less than the position above them. For example, fifth place receives 30 points while tenth receives 20.
From eleventh place down to the final place in a race, each car receives one point less than the finishing car above them. For example, eleventh place will pick up 19 points while seventeenth picks up 13.
An extra point is awarded for pole position and leading a lap. A driver who has led the most laps can also win an additional two points.
In the case of the Indy 500 and the final race of the season, the points system is doubled. This creates even more competition and is part of what helps to make the Indy 500 such a crucial race for drivers. In the case where the leaderboard is tight at the top, you can see some serious sparks fly as one driver attempts to pull away from the other and closer to being crowned the IndyCar Series champion.
Now we have got the points system out of the way, let’s take a look at betting on IndyCar.
The first thing to get out of the way here is that betting on IndyCar is not going to warrant a degree in astrophysics. By all means, you can be an astrophysicist and a keen IndyCar bettor, but it is not a requirement. The two most important things to remember when betting on the races are: to have fun and to make your bets work for you. Betting smart should always be the priority, even when enjoying yourself.
It goes without saying that betting on IndyCar is a lot easier when you understand how racing works. The most fundamental principle is that the winner of a race is determined by the first car to cross the line, but there is more to be considered if you want to have any chance at frequent and consistent success with your bets.
You can find a multitude of bets available to you when wagering on an IndyCar race. Familiarizing yourself with the most popular bets will certainly give you a greater idea of what to look out for when wagering on IndyCar but a considerable understanding of how the sport works will certainly give you a better chance of success.
In order to prepare themselves for all possible outcomes, many seasoned bettors employ a strategy when betting on the races. We will take a little look at what you can do to create your own betting strategy a little later, but for now, let’s focus on the types of bets you can place on the races.
There are a few different types of outright bets in IndyCar. For example, you could bet on a driver to win the Drivers’ Championship or Chevrolet to win the Manufacturer’s Championship. Unlike F1, where there are many different constructors, the manufacturers in IndyCar are limited, so odds will generally not be as attractive, in comparison.
As an Futures bet is one that is placed prior to the season starting, you must place your bet in advance. When betting on the winner of the Driver’s Championship, you must select the driver you believe will end the series with most points. For example, Scott Dixon may look a great bet for winning another championship, so this could be the bet that you place prior to the season starting.
Of course, you can also bet on a number of other things when betting this way. For example, you could fancy Alexander Rossi to win the season’s Indy 500, or opt for a driver vs. driver bet.
With over 17 races in an IndyCar Series season, you will have plenty of opportunities to place bets. Of course, this means that you will be backing a driver to take the win on a particular course. Understanding how a driver performs on one track as opposed to another can be extremely beneficial when deciding what bets to place. Of course, there are far more bets available than just the winner of a race.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common race bets:
Winning Driver – Ok, let’s start with the most basic of them all, the winning driver. This bet is the easiest to place on a race, as you are just backing the first and fastest driver to cross the finish line.
Let’s say you want to bet on the Indy 500 and want to check out the odds. You can simply head to the sportsbook of your choice and select a driver from a list that will look something like this:
Simply select who you think you will win, place your stake, and you have placed your first bet on the Indy500. Easy peasy!
Pole Position – The driver that ends Qualifying as the best performer will earn the pole position on the starting grid. If you want to win this bet, you will need to accurately predict what driver ends up ahead of the pack before the start of the race.
Fastest Lap – Another really simple bet. In order to win this bet, you need to predict what driver registers the fastest lap in a race. Think of who traditionally performs well in this race and those who might have an advantage that could help them clock the fastest lap.
Podium Finish – If you don’t want to take the risk of selecting a winner, you can always choose this bet. Just remember that you will not get the same odds for choosing the winner. While the odds will be lower than if you had predicted the winner of a race, the good news is that, if you choose a driver to end up on the podium and they finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, you win!
Winning Margin – This type of bet can be an interesting one. Bookmakers will sometimes offer an Over/Under bet of this type that comes down to the distance between 1st and 2nd place. Bookmakers will set a time, for example, 3.5 seconds, and you will have to predict if the winning margin will be over or under that timeframe.
Props – I like prop bets and I have the feeling that I am far from alone. These types of bets can really capture the attention and offer bettors an alternative way to look at a race. When it comes to the Indy500, you will certainly see these bets being widely advertised by bookmakers.
Some examples of prop bets include:
While these bets are great fun, they are not as straightforward as others. As such, it would really help if you understood how certain things like DNF’s and flags can affect a race. These types of things should always be considered before you bet on IndyCar.
You can always ensure you are doing your best to prepare as best as you can by employing an IndyCar betting strategy. Let’s take a look at how to do just that!
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. When it comes to IndyCar racing, this old adage really holds some weight. While you can close your eyes, spin around 5 times, and then point at the screen before betting on that driver to win, it is not really the greatest idea in the world, is it? I mean, that kind of behavior when dealing with your hard earned money is not what we would expect from a bettor who cares about losing.
The most clean-cut way of improving your chances of winning is, of course, to think about your bets. Embrace the love of IndyCar, use that beautiful brain of yours to figure out the things that can happen in any race, and factor these into your strategy.
Let’s take a look at some of the things to think to about.
This is something that every betting enthusiast should consider doing, if they are not already accustomed with doing so, of course. Line shopping is effectively comparing odds on various sports betting sites in order to find the best odds available for a particular market (or markets).
For example, you might find that Scott Dixon is +800 to win the Indy 500 on Site A whereas he is +900 on another. Of course, if you choose Dixon to win the race on Site B, you will win more money than if you had simply settled with the first bookmaker’s odds. It is surprising just how much difference you can find if you shop around, which makes it worthwhile to at least see what else is out there.
So, there you have it. Always shop for the best lines. You might surprise yourself.
That is, of course, if you are not already IndyCar crazy. Those who are not as nuts about the sport should definitely take as much spare time as they can afford to learn about the sport, how it works, and what a typical race consists of. You can always dedicate as much time as is relative to the money you are placing on your bets, but if you are placing big and don’t know anything about IndyCar, this isn’t a smart move.
Yes, there is an element of fun attached to placing wagers on IndyCar, but no one likes to lose. There is no guarantee to winning your bets, even as the biggest IndyCar egghead and superfan in the world, but there is no doubt that it helps. Think of stockbrokers and traders: they will devour every piece of information that there is to know about a commodity before they choose to invest in it. Think similarly.
If you are unaware of who the big players are in IndyCar, get to know them. This alone might be enough to put you in a good position to make some money. Many bettors who prefer to take short-cuts will simply figure that the favorite in a race is the best driver out there, and there is some truth to that. However, the favorite for a race is not going to be the same favorite for another.
With drivers performing better on some tracks than on others, or some returning to action following injury or poor form, the best driver on the field one week may not be the favorite the next. Exterior factors can affect a driver’s chances of winning a race, which, in turn, drops the odds of them winning. That part is natural. However, if you knew that this driver was more than capable of winning a particular race and was a bookie’s outsider, you might end up kicking yourself.
Besides knowing who the more established stars are, it always pays to do your own scouting in order to figure out any dark horses for a race. This knowledge only comes to those who put in the work and follow the sport closely, so this depends on how much effort you are willing to commit to the cause.
In order to beat off competition, manufacturers will be working around the clock to enhance their designs. Of course, IndyCar is a little different to F1 in that there are multiple constructors in the latter, but there is a rivalry between Honda and Chevrolet that has seen a little one-upmanship over the years. Understanding how a new car can affect a driver – or multiple drivers – can give you that upper hand when it comes to betting.
If a considerable change has occurred to how cars are designed ahead of a new season, such as to the engines, some drivers might find it harder to adapt. Historically, certain drivers tend to be more adaptable to change than others, and there may be something in this to consider when deciding on who to back.
Do certain drivers perform better on ovals, and others on super-speedways? Yes, some do. Two names that certainly come to mind are Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden. These two drivers are among the best oval drivers in the modern era of the sport. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were incredible at the Brickyard.
Certain drivers not only prefer to race on particular circuits but seem to have a greater understanding of how to work them. This means that you should always consider the race before you chose the driver you believe to have the best chance of winning it. Of course, in order to know what drivers have historically performed well at a particular circuit, you will need to do some research.
Bad weather can wreak havoc on IndyCar races. While torrential rain is not something that is as common in IndyCar than, say, F1, there is always a chance that such weather can interrupt a smooth flow of a racing weekend. It is not just the big race where bad weather can be an unwelcome sight, either, as qualifying has been postponed on account of poor conditions in the past.
Fans love driving in the rain, but not many drivers do. Some, in fact, cannot perform to the best of their abilities when racing, while others seem to thrive on the uncertainty of the conditions. Identify what drivers are better under poor conditions and let that influence your bets.
IndyCar, much like most other forms of racing, is concerned with data. It will only take a simple Google search to retrieve an abundance of information you can use to your advantage when it comes to placing bets, such as a list of the winners of the Indy 500 or current drivers and their records on various courses. It really is simple.
Bookmakers tend to focus hard on this data to predict the winners of races and provide odds on other markets, too. It is always a good idea to use this information to your advantage in order to arrive at a selection that makes sense, is logical, and has a greater chance of occurring.
IndyCar racing sites, news feeds, aggregators, forums…
There are plenty of news sources you can use to your advantage when keeping up with the news on IndyCar. Much like any other sport, those competing can, for whatever reason, fail to make the event you are betting on. If a driver has a crash while qualifying, or simply slips on a banana skin while trying to avoid a piano/book of cliches falling from the sky, you should want to know in advance.
There is nothing worse than doing all that work to place your bet only for the driver to pull out before a race. Always keep up to date with the latest news and give yourself enough time to plan ahead whenever unforeseen circumstances pop up.
As the sport continues to evolve, changes will happen. It is only natural for this to happen. If you are placing futures bets – or have a propensity to place most of your bets before the season starts – make sure you are aware of all the changes to cars, engines, courses, and regulations. Any of these things can affect races and the season as a whole.
Betting on IndyCar racing is one of the most exciting ways in the world to wager. The thrill of the race is certainly something that can leave betting enthusiasts and racing fans on the edge of their seats, biting their nails in anticipation of winning that big bet. If two things in this world go together well, the perfect combination is surely IndyCar and betting. Possibly nachos and cheese, too, but that’s for another day.
In order to truly get the best out of betting on IndyCar, however, you should learn as much about the sport as you can. From reading about legendary drivers to absorbing the new rules changes ahead of the season, familiarizing yourself with the sport as much as you can is key to spotting things you would otherwise miss. If the margin between success and failure for drivers is minute, then so is the margin between winning and losing your bets.
When it comes down to it, betting on IndyCar racing should be fun. What is more fun than winning money while watching the races?
