Indy 500 Favorites 2019
On February 28, 2019, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that they would once again return to run the Indy 500, retaining driver Sage Karam for the fourth consecutive year. On April 22, the team announced that J. Hildebrand would return to drive for the team at the Indy 500 for the second year in a row, this time driving with the No. 48 to honor Dan Gurney. We are getting close to one of the biggest car races in the USA. The 2019 Indianapolis 500 is on May 26th, so I think it’s time to explore the Indy 500 betting odds and see if there is any value available. In this Indy 500 betting preview, I’ll explore the prices for the outright. Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light The Indy 500 Snake Pit presented by Coors Light is the ultimate festival of fun, friends and some of the biggest electronic music acts in the world – all while Indy cars roar past at 230 mph. The Snake Pit is the perfect start of a.
The Indianapolis 500 has had 102 editions over more than a century since it was first run in 1911, interrupted only by things such as world wars.
So, there should be plenty of evidence of how to pick winners, right? Not so fast, my friend (well, maybe like 230 mph, that's pretty fast).
The race has undergone a transformation over the past decade, becoming far more competitive. It's no longer a race of follow the leader. Going back to 2010, there's been a lead change each year during the final 10 laps; the average final lead change over those years has come with 4.2 laps to go. And in each of the past seven years, there's been at least 30 lead changes over the race's 200 laps. That happened once over the race's first 95 years.
So, while history might not offer a clear trend, there's no shortage of data. Although the IndyCar Series runs mostly on street and road courses, drivers spend two weeks getting ready for the Indy 500, and there are plenty of practice sessions and data to work with over the fortnight. Plus, we've seen many of these drivers run at the 2.5-mile oval before, so we can see how they work in race conditions.
There will be 33 drivers in the starting field, and the competition will be fierce. In qualifying, less than 3 MPH separated the fastest and slowest cars .
So, digging into a driver's track history and their performance over these last couple weeks, here's some of the best value plays in the field.
Drivers with short odds
Simon Pagenaud (6-1): It's easy to pick a pole sitter, and it's easy to pick the favorite. But that's not a reason to totally stay away, especially when you're getting somebody who doesn't have much shorter odds than the other front-runners.
Pagenaud finished sixth in this race last year and is driving Team Penske equipment, which has appeared to be the class of the field in practice. He was the fastest car in Monday's practice. The only drawback is a lack of success historically at the track. His sixth-place finish last year was his best in seven career starts in the 500.
Josef Newgarden (7-1): There's four Penske drivers in the field, and they all have a realistic shot of winning this race. You have Pagenaud on the pole, three-time winner Helio Castroneves, defending champion Will Power -- and then there's Newgarden, who gets somewhat lost in the shuffle considering he's the 2017 series champion.
Helio Castroneves (10-1): Castroneves is a three-time 500 winner, although his last win came in 2009. But it's not like he's been struggling in this race since then, finishing runner-up in 2014 and 2017.
The drawbacks are that he's 44 years old and hasn't been a full-time IndyCar driver in two years, but that could also be framed with that the entirety of his focus for the year is on this single race.
Medium odds
James Hinchcliffe (50-1): There's no doubt that Hinchcliffe's history at Indy makes him a sentimental choice. He nearly died following a practice incident at the track in 2015, then came back to win the pole in 2016. He failed to qualify in 2018, and nearly did so this year after wrecking his primary car in practice.
The nice thing about the build-up to the Indianapolis 500 is that you have some time to fine-tune your car. Hinchcliffe will start 32nd, but this is the best era in the 500 in terms of being able to practice. The team showed speed, putting up the third-fastest time in Monday's practice, and if he did that while not struggling in qualifying, you definitely wouldn't be able to get these type of odds.
Ed Jones (15-1): The three cars from Ed Carpenter Racing will start second, third and fourth on Sunday, but Jones gives you the longest odds among the three. Jones will be making his third start in this race. He wrecked out last year but finished third as a rookie in 2017.
Conor Daly (40-1): Daly is in solid equipment for the race, running for Andretti Autosport, and will start in 11th place. Unlike fellow 40-1 shot and teammate Zach Leach, Daly showed improvement through the first week of practice, pacing Fast Friday, However, he struggled to start the second week, as did his teammates. If Daly can regain that speed, he's worth a look. And you can ignore his previous five efforts at Indy, when he didn't finish any better than 21st, because he hasn't had the Andretti equipment under him like he'll have this year.
The long shots
Charlie Kimball (150-1): Kimball's speed has zigzagged up and down. In the first week of practices, twice he was the eighth-fastest, twice he wasn't in the top 15. But to start the second week of practice, Kimball was the sixth-fastest. He has also shown that he can race with the leaders at Indy, finishing third in 2015 and fifth in 2016.
Indy 500 Favorites 2019 2020
Jack Harvey (125-1): If a single 100-1-plus shot isn't enough odds for you, here's another shot at a big payout in the Englishman Harvey. Harvey was a respectable 13th in Monday's practice and 16th last year. He might be your best shot to turn a couple of bucks into a couple of hundred bucks.