This Sunday, one of the most prestigious races in the realm of auto sports and the biggest race in the IndyCar Series takes place with the 103rd Indianapolis 500. Last season in the 102nd Indy 500, Will Power would take the cake with a victory, and as a result, he comes in as this season’s favorite with +750 odds. Pole sitter Simon Pagenaud shares that favorite position with him, tied at +750.
According to the top IndyCar betting sites after Power and Pagenaud’s leading +750 comes Ed Carpenter and Alexander Rossi who are tied for third at +840 odds. In fifth comes Josef Newgarden right behind the No. 4 spot at +850, and then things start to get a little distant. In the sixth position in the odds comes Colton Herte at +1100, and then we have another tie for seventh with Spencer Pigot and Scott Dixon sitting with +1300 odds. Tallying ninth in the odds is Helio Castroneves with +1500 odds, and rounding out the top 10 in the No. 10 spot comes Sebastien Bourdais at +2000.
Will Power comes in as one of the favorites to win the Indianapolis 500, and it’s for good reason: He’s had an excellent 2019 campaign. Despite an average 24th place finish in the Circuit of the Americas, he’s had solid placements in his other four races. He would take a third-place finish in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and he has two seventh-place tallies on his resume as well — including the Grand Prix at Long Beach and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He also has a decent 11th place finish in the Grand Prix of Alabama under his name.
I understand the oddsmakers have Will Power and Simon Pagenaud tied in their numbers, but if I were you, I would take Pagenaud over Power — his 2019 has been a bit better. With the exception of a 19th place finish at the Circuit of the Americas, there’s nothing but top 10 finishes on his resume for this season — including a victory that would take place at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis (certainly keep an eye on that entering the Indianapolis 500). At the Grand Prix at Long Beach, he would cross the line with a placement of 6th, and then would finish 7th in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Another solid finish would take place at the Grand Prix of Alabama, finishing 9th.
Ed Carpenter doesn’t race regularly in the IndyCar Series anymore, but he does make annual appearances in the Indianapolis 500, and last year, he would be elite. In 2018, Carpenter started out in the pole position and would close out with a superior second place finish — it should be noted that he is starting second this season, so maybe the numbers get reversed to grab him a victory? Only time will tell. Before last year, however, Carpenter hasn’t really done much to earn his respect in the odds, especially in third. Just check out his past results: 11th, 31st, 30th, 27th, 10th, 21st, 11th, 17th, 8th, 5th, 17th, 11th, 11th, 31st. A few good positions, but overall, nothing special at all. I’d personally pass on Carpenter for a winning pick.
When you look at Alexander Rossi’s 2019 campaign, you see pretty much nothing but greatness. My question is: Why isn’t he the top-dog in the odds? With the exception of a 22nd place finish at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, he would pull in a victory, two top-five finishes and another top 10 finish for nothing but quality finishes. His victory would come in the Grand Prix at Long Beach, and his two top-five finishes (both fifth place) would take place at the Grand Prix of Alabama and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. That top 10 finish, ninth, would happen in the Circuit of the Americas. A fantastic year, and I’m personally betting on Rossi to take home the Indianapolis 500 — or am I?
It’s amazing, the further we go down the odds list, the better the results for these drivers are. Josef Newgarden has had an exceptional year, with three top-two finishes (including one victory) in five races this season. He’s also got another top-five finish on his resume, and another solid top 15. His win would come in his very first race of the season at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He would finish second twice, tallying those positions at each the Circuit of the Americas and the Grand Prix at Long Beach. At the Grand Prix of Alabama, Newgarden would pull an elite fourth-place finish to add to his resume, and in the most recent race at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it wouldn’t be superior, but it would be a quality finish at No. 15.
I’m not exactly sure why Colton Herta is among the favorites. He would start out the year great — getting a win at the Circuit of the Americas and would finish in 8th place at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. After that, however, Herta’s 2019 campaign would fall apart. After the successful start, he would tally No. 24 at the Grand Prix of Alabama, would take a 23rd place finish at the Grand Prix at Long Beach, and then would take another 23 tally at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. I personally don’t expect much from Colton Herta in the Indianapolis 500.
I’m a bit confused about why Spencer Pigot is among the favorites as well, but it’s probably because he’s riding a wave of momentum after a 5th place finish in his most recent race at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis — obviously the home of the Indy 500. Other than that fifth-place finish, however, Pigot hasn’t done much this season. He’s got two 11th place finishes, one at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and another at the Circuit of the Americas. He would tally a 17th place finish at the Grand Prix of Alabama, and then would take No. 18 at the Grand Prix at Long Beach.
Scott Dixon would be a magnificent pick to make to win the Indianapolis 500, especially at +1300 odds. The Kiwi has had a fantastic season finishing in second in three out of five races, and in another one, he finished third. Even his lackluster performance was a tally in the 13th position, which obviously isn’t that bad. Watch out, folks. It’s obvious that Dixon is overdue for a win, and it could happen here in the prestigious Indy 500. His second place finishes would come in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Grand Prix of Alabama, and the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg — his other elite finish in third would come in the Grand Prix at Long Beach. He would finish 13th in the Circuit of the Americas. Just an impressive year from Scott Dixon.
Helio Castroneves isn’t a full-time driver in the IndyCar Series, though he did race in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis where he would finish in 21st place. With that being said, we’re going to focus more on his history in the Indianapolis 500, a race that he’s in every year, and might I say, has a pretty rich history in. Just check out the results for yourself throughout his entire career, starting with the most recent in 2018 and going all the way back to 2001: 27th, 2nd, 11th, 7th, 2nd, 6th, 10th, 17th, 9th, 1st, 4th, 3rd, 25th, 9th, 9th, 2nd, 1st, 1st. As you see, Helio Castroneves has won the big race a total of three times, and with him placed at +1500, he would be an incredible pick to make. Castroneves could very easily walk away with his fourth Indianapolis 500 win.
He’s had some solid finishes this year, but I would personally stay away from Sebastien Bourdais and his +2000 odds. I just don’t see him competing too much for a win in a very talented Indianapolis 500 field. He would do great in the Grand Prix of Alabama finishing third and the Circuit of the Americas with a fifth-place finish. Though not elite, he wouldn’t do too bad at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Grand Prix at Long Beach — both would be 11th place finishes. In the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, it would be quite the lackluster position when the smoke cleared at 24th. See what I mean? I’d stay away from this bet.
Marco Andretti hasn’t been too bad this season, but he hasn’t been great either. He’s just been, well, average. Other than a solid top 10 placement on his resume, there isn’t much to brag about if you’re Andretti. He has a sixth-place finish that would take place at the Circuit of the Americas, and three 13th place finishes at each the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Grand Prix at Long Beach, and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. His other performance is a 14th tally at the Grand Prix of Alabama. Needless to say, Andretti is a long shot, and I would stay away.
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