2022 Indy 500 Predictions, Race Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
One of the world’s most prestigious motor racing race
We’re only three races into the 2022 IndyCar season, but all the eyes are already set on Sunday, May 29, when the long-awaited and always exciting Indianapolis 500 is set to take place.
Widely known as one of the most prestigious motor racing races in the world, the 2022 Indy 500 is not only a race every IndyCar fan shouldn’t miss but also a race with plenty of excellent betting opportunities, which we will explore in our IndyCar betting preview.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, reports, and Motor Sports odds for the 2022 Indy 500. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Fading The Favourites
Alex Palou, Colton Herta, Josef Newgarden, and Scott Dixon lead the IndyCar odds today, all priced as joint favorites at +800. And while it might sound appealing to bet on the top dogs, we would recommend you to fade all four, mainly because there is no value backing them at the offered betting odds.
And there are good reasons for that. Dixon won only one Indy 500 back in 2018, meanwhile, Newgarden is an excellent driver, but he has yet to prove he is a true contender in the Indy 500. Admittedly, he has a third-place finish in 2016, but he has since managed just 19th, 8th, 4th, and 12th-place finishes.
Herta is another excellent driver, but we have to remember that he has yet to win on an oval, so it’s very easy to fade him for this race. Lastly, we have Palou, who is one of the drivers you could look to bet on, but the value that was on him (he was +1600 a few weeks back) is all gone.
So instead of backing the favorites, it might be wiser to look at some of the outsiders at longer online sports betting odds for the 106th edition of the Indy 500.
Outsiders To Keep An Eye On
Simon Pagenaud is the first driver that stands out when we talk about outsiders that can impress. He is priced as high as +2500 to win the Indy 500 and offers excellent value at this figure. He is driving for a team that won the Indy 500 last year, so he has the technology and the tools to claim the W.
Even though Pagenaud has yet to win a race this season, we’re just three races in, and he has an eighth-place finish from Texas. He also drove extremely well here in 2021 (3rd-place finish) and won the Indy 500 in 2019. At +2500, Pagenaud is hard to look past for those looking to bet now on an outsider.
Jimmie Johnson winning the race on his first attempt would be a crazy outcome, but not crazy enough for us not to at least think about placing a smaller wager on him at +3300. Remember, the Indy 500 is a very long race, and Johnson has proven before that he can deliver on longer tracks.
“I feel really good about it,” said Johnson about the Indy 500. “I know my way around Indy. The biggest thing I took from Texas was understanding the sweet spot of the car. The more I made the car turn, just the easier it was.”
Moreover, he had an excellent showing in Texas (6th), which was followed by a 20th-place finish at Long Beach. Butt at +3300 is very generous for a driver like Johnson with the equipment he has at his disposal.
Although not as big of an outsider as Johnson and Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi is an exciting driver to follow. We know he has the talent needed to win the Indy 500, but you could feel a bit concerned backing him, knowing that he has managed just 20th, 27th, and 8th-place finishes over the first three races.
However, we have to note that Rossi has had terrible luck this season and even in 2021. He has a runner-up finish at Indy in 2019, to which he added a 27th in 2020 and a 29th-place finish in 2021. Perhaps it’s not wise to bet on him to win the race now, but if he finishes the qualifiers middle of the pack, Rossi might be an interesting pick in some head-to-head markets.
2022 Indy 500 Race Information
- Race: 2022 Indy 500
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana
- Day/Time: Sunday, May 29
- Live stream: indycar.com
2022 Indy 500 Betting Lines
ODDS TO WIN 2022 INDY 500 | MONEYLINE |
Alex Palou | +800 |
Colton Herta | +800 |
Josef Newgarden | +800 |
Pato O’Ward | +900 |
Scott Dixon | +800 |
Scott McLaughlin | +900 |
Will Power | +1200 |
Alexander Rossi | +1800 |
Helio Castroneves | +1600 |
Tony Kanaan | +2000 |
Graham Rahal | +2000 |
Simon Pagenaud | +2500 |
Takuma Sato | +2000 |
Felix Rosenqvist | +2500 |
Jimmie Johnson | +3300 |
Juan Pablo Montoya | +2800 |
Marcus Ericsson | +2500 |
Rinus Veekay | +2800 |
Romain Grosjean | +2800 |
Ed Carpenter | +5000 |
Marco Andretti | +5000 |
Conor Daly | +5000 |
Devlin DeFrancesco | +6600 |
Jack Harvey | +6600 |
Kyle Kirkwood | +5000 |
Santino Ferrucci | +6600 |
Chris Lundgaard | +8000 |
2022 Indy 500 Prediction
Picking a winner of the Indy 500 is never easy, and even though there is a reason why Palou, Newgarden, Herta, and Dixon are the favorites, we wouldn’t bet on them at the offered odds. The indy 500 is one of the most unpredictable races of the year, and we get proven just that year after year.
Admittedly, there is a good chance either of the four wins, but we’re far more excited about betting on Simon Pagenaud at +2500. He has not achieved much this season, but his performance in Texas gave us a glimpse of what he is capable of.
Moreover, he drove well at Indy across his last four appearances (6th, 1st, 22nd, 3rd), so he clearly knows his way around the track.
At +2500, Simon Pagenaud is hard to pass on.