IndyCar Odds - Briscoe finally gets it right at Edmonton
The focus of this week’s IndyCar betting odds stays in Canada as the series heads to Rexall Speedway in Edmonton for the Rexall Edmonton Indy. This is the second race here since the Indy-Champ Car merger, and Scott Dixon is the defending race-winner, but this year’s winner is a driver who has been knocking on the door to Victory Lane lately.
IndyCar Odds – Briscoe ends second-place frustration
- Franchitti-Dixon-Briscoe-Castroneves group has won all but one race in 2009
- Patrick could step up after surprising Toronto run
- Wilson, Tracy and Bourdais are good darkhorse betting picks
Scott Dixon led 30 laps en route to the checkered flag in 2008 - which was his first trip to Edmonton - and he is now two points behind Dario Franchitti in the standings after coming in fourth in Toronto. Dixon is on a remarkable run, as he hasn’t finished lower than sixth since the second race of the year, and this includes three wins.
Franchitti has two wins and a second-place run in his last four races, but he’ll be making his first trip to Rexall Speedway. Regardless, he’ll be one of the favorites in your sportsbook, and he’d love nothing more than to pad his lead over Dixon in the standings.
Helio Castroneves led a race-high 35 laps in Edmonton before finishing second to Dixon last year, and he’d like a better ending to this race than the Toronto event, when he took himself and hometown driver Paul Tracy out in the closing laps. A good result would keep Castroneves within shouting distance of Franchitti in the standings.
Danica Patrick would like to keep her run going, as an unexpected sixth-place run in Toronto was her eighth top-six result of the year. Patrick is fifth in the standings just behind Castroneves, and even though she came in 18th at Edmonton last year, her run in Toronto should give her some confidence in her road-course racing ability.
Drivers like Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy and two-time Champ Car winner Sebastien Bourdais should also be in the mix on Sunday, and Wilson is on a roll, following his upset win at Watkins Glen with a fifth-place run in Toronto. He also finished third in the 2008 Edmonton race. Tracy had a car capable of challenging for the lead in Toronto before he was wrecked by Castroneves, and he finished fourth in last year’s race at Edmonton. Bourdais was recently let go from his Formula 1 team, Toro Rosso, so he’ll be available for a set. In his three Champ Car races in Edmonton, Bourdais has two wins and a second-place run. If he’s in the field, he’s definitely worth a shot.
LEE-ROY’S PICK: Ryan Briscoe fought hard for his second-place result in Toronto, but he may be starting to get frustrated as he’s been the runner-up in five of the last six races. Briscoe started on the pole in Edmonton last year before fading to sixth, and he’s most certainly due for another win to add to his victory in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. If you’re sports betting online this weekend, go with Ryan Briscoe.
Born in the betting capital of Las Vegas, Lee-Roy has grown to appreciate the likes of IndyCar and Formula 1 racing, but his first love is the high-speed ovals of NASCAR and he is a HUGE Tony Stewart fan. When it comes to motorsports handicapping, Buckles takes the checkered flag. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
