IndyCar Odds - Dixon to repeat at Kentucky

For this week’s IndyCar betting, starting position is everything at Kentucky Speedway, site of the Meijer Indy 300 on Saturday night. The last two winners, Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon, have won from the pole, and this week’s winner will break away from the pack on the track - and in the points standings.

IndyCar Odds – Dixon romps through the rest of the field

• Top four drivers have separated themselves from the series
  
• Last two polesitters have won at Kentucky
  
• Dixon-Franchitti-Briscoe-Castroneves group have won nine of 11 races in 2009

Dixon dominated last year’s race, leading 153 of the 200 laps from the pole, and he also finished second to Kaanan here in 2007, which is his fourth top-two result at Kentucky in six races. Dixon finished third in last week’s race in Edmonton, and he now has a three-point lead over Dario Franchitti with six races to go.

Franchitti finished fifth in Edmonton, and he has three top-10s in four trips to Kentucky. He now has five top-fives in his last six races, including two wins, but with a high finish of sixth at Kentucky, Franchitti will need to improve to be one of the picks in your offshore sportsbook.

Ryan Briscoe now has six top-fives in his last seven races after a fourth-place run at Edmonton, but he’s only raced at Kentucky twice, a 13th-place finish in 2005, and then a seventh-place run in last year’s race. Briscoe sits just 14 points behind Dixon for the points lead, but a win would surely boost his betting lines for the series championship.

Helio Castroneves bounced back from a Toronto wreck with a second-place finish at Edmonton, and he has six top-fives in seven Kentucky races, including a second-place finish to Dixon in 2008. Castroneves has been inconsistent as of late, either finishing well or wrecking out, and he needs a victory to cut into his 71-point deficit.

Two drivers to watch out for are Tony Kanaan and Will Power, who led 90 laps at Edmonton en route to his second career win. However, he didn’t finish last year’s race at Kentucky, as he’s still getting used to racing on ovals. Kanaan may not even race this week, as he suffered second-degree burns after a fuel hose got stuck in his car at Edmonton. He has five top-10s in six visits to Kentucky, and a win following his Edmonton ordeal would be one of the most inspirational of the season.

LEE-ROY’S PICK: Power’s win was only the second for a driver not named Dixon, Briscoe, Franchitti or Castroneves, but it was the second in the last three races. This week, a familiar name gets back to Victory Lane as Scott Dixon will take the checkered flag, and a commanding lead in the points. With four top-two finishes in six races, he loves this place, and Dixon has been the dominant driver of the last two seasons, barring a mini-slump to begin 2009. Make Scott Dixon your online betting choice on Saturday night.

For more IndyCar betting tips as we wind down the season, follow Lee-Roy in the Betting Edge at BetOnline.com.

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.