The IndyCar Series heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday for the 2023 Indianapolis 500. Green flag is scheduled to drop for the 107th running of the Indy 500 at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET (NBC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds, and make our expert picks and predictions, including NASCAR’s best bets.
2023 Indianapolis 500: What you need to know
- Sweden’s Marcus Ericsson won the Indy 500 last season for Chip Ganassi Racing, the 1st victory for the team since Dario Franchitti won in 2012. He’ll go off from Row 4 Sunday
- Helio Castroneves, the 4-time Indy 500 winner from Brazil, will go off from the middle of Row 7 in his Dollara-Honda after a qualifying speed of 231.954 mph
- Brazil’s Tony Kanaan, the winner of the 2013 Indianapolis 500, announced earlier this year that this will be his final run at the venerable track. The 48-year-old starts on the outside of Row 3
- Alex Palou is on the pole after a qualifying speed of 234.217 mph. His 4-lap average was the 2nd-fastest in Indy 500 history behind Arie Luyendyk’s 236.896 mph back in 1996
- Palou is looking for the Indy double, after posting a victory on the Indianapolis road course in the GMR Grand Prix
- Japan’s Takuma Sato, winner of the 2017 and 2020 installments of the Indy 500, starts between Alexander Rossi and Kanaan on Row 3
- France’s Simon Pagenaud, the 2019 Indy 500 victor, starts on the inside of Row 8 after a qualifying speed of 231.878 mph
- Pato O’Ward, 6 points back of Palou for the IndyCar Series points lead, is set to start in the middle of Row 2 next to 2022 pole sitter Scott Dixon
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2023 Indianapolis 500 – Expert pick
Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:30 a.m. ET.
PATO O’WARD (+500) is a solid value to win his 1st Indianapolis 500. He sits 2nd in the points race, and that’s apropos. He has finished 2nd in 3 of his 5 starts so far this season, posting runner-up finishes at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the Grand Prix of Texas and the Indianapolis road course event 2 weeks ago.
He has led just 2 laps in the last 3 races, but overall he has been in front of the pack for Team McLaren for 116 total laps in 5 races this season. The Monterrey, Mexico-born O’Ward was a runner-up last season at the Indy 500 behind Ericsson, too.
2023 Indianapolis 500 – Long shots
HELIO CASTRONEVES (+4000) is worth a roll of the dice. He won the Indy 500 at the Brickyard, sipping milk on the bricks in 2001, 2002 and 2009 for Team Penske. Not many saw his 2021 victory coming with Meyer Shank Racing, however.
It will be an uphill climb for the 4-time winner, as he starts in the middle of Row 7 after a qualifying speed of 231.954 mph. He could reach Indianapolis immortality, breaking a tie with A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. with his 5th checkered flag. He has just a single top-10 finish, and he hasn’t led a lap in 5 races this season, but the 48-year-old is still an attractive small-unit play at this price point.
If you’re a little less risky, check out Rinus VeeKey (+1300) and Felix Rosenqvist (+1400). Both have moderate odds, and each go off from Row 1 with the pole sitter Palou.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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