Indy 500 Betting– Kanaan Finally Cashes In At Indy
Online betting players know that the Indianapolis 500 is one of the crown jewels of the motorsports world, and usually only the best of the best will find themselves having the traditional drink of milk in the winner’s circle. This year’s winner will be a driver that is long overdue to add a Brickyard win to his impressive resume.
- What: IndyCar Betting
- When: Sunday, May 30, 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN
- Defending Champion: Helio Castrovneves
The Storyline
It doesn’t get any bigger in American open-wheel racing than the Indy 500, and the usual suspects will be in the mix for the checkered flag at venerable Indy Motor Speedway, which is to motorsports as the old Yankee Stadium was to baseball. Helio Castroneves’ emotional win last year was his third Indy 500 victory, and he sits third in the standings behind Will Power and Scott Dixon, who won in 2008.
Indy 500 Betting– The Favorite
Dixon is the favorite this year at +300, and he hasn’t finished sixth in his last four trips to Indy, which includes his 2008 victory, and the No.9 driver won at Kansas on May 1 for his first win of the season. Dixon has finished outside the top six just once in five races this season, and the two-time series champion is sure to be a factor at the end of the race, where he led a race-high 73 laps in 2009 en route to a sixth-place finish.
Castroneves, rated at +400, wrapped up an emotional return to the IRL after a tax-evasion trial with a win at Indy last year, and even though he didn’t win the title, it was probably the moment of the year for the series. If anyone knows how to get around the Brickyard, it’s Castroneves, who has finished in the top four six times at Indy. He also won at Alabama on April 11.
Indy 500 Betting– The Second Tier
The next group of favorites in your sportsbook aren’t that much further behind Dixon and Castroneves, as Dario Franchitti and Ryan Briscoe are both listed at +400, while Tony Kanaan’s experience puts him at +800. Franchitti won the Indy 500 in 2007, and he led 50 laps last year before fading to seventh. Briscoe has had some tough luck at the Brickyard, with one top-10 in five trips to Indy, so it may be wise to stay away from the No.6 driver who has been inconsistent to start the season.
Kanaan has been known as the best open-wheel driver not to win the Indy 500, and he wrecked hard in last year’s 500 en route to a 27th-place finish, which was better than the 29th-place result of the previous year, and he hasn’t finished in the top 10 in his last three trips to Indy. However, he may be the smart pick out of this group as he has finished in the top 10 in all five races to start the 2010 campaign, and you have to figure that the luck will change for the 2004 series champion.
Indy 500 Betting– The Longshots
Will Power is listed at +1000, and the points leader finished fifth here last year. Power will be aiming to add to his two wins already this season, but he may not have enough experience at the Brickyard just yet.
Danica Patrick is rated at +1200 after last year’s third-place run at Indy, and the No.7 driver usually drives well here with four top-10s in five visits here. However, it’s been a tough year for her so far in the Indy with just one top-10, although an 11th-place finish at Kansas was a step in the right direction.
Dan Wheldon has to be a better wager than either of these two at +2000, as he won at Indy in 2005, and he navigated his Panther to a second-place finish last year. Wheldon hasn’t finished in the top 10 since the season opener at Sao Paulo, when he came in fifth, but Indy usually brings out the best in him.
Ryan Hunter-Reay has the most value at +3500, and he has a nice wave of momentum after a win at Long Beach and a fifth-place run at Kansas. Hunter-Reay crashed out of the Indy 500 last year, but he did finish sixth in 2008.
Indy 500 Prediction & Outlook
Tony Kanaan is only eighth in the points, but he’s been one of the steadiest drivers in the IRL so far this year, and he seems to be getting better with each race, just in time for Indy. The Indy 500 hasn’t been good to the No.11 driver in the past, but if he can avoid the bad luck that seems to follow him at the Brickyard, Tony Kanaan will reward you for making him your sports betting pick for the Indy 500.
