Indianapolis 500 First Look: Kiwis Dominate Betting

· May 09 - 4 minutes read

Dixon Emerges as Early Favorite

The New Zealanders hold the aces with Indianapolis 500 predictions, including Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin.

Dixon has been a mainstay in IndyCar racing for years, so his odds are warranted. McLaughlin is the new kid on the block, but he’s racing with confidence.

Indianapolis 500 First Look: Kiwis Dominate Betting — Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Scott Dixon, driver of the #9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda | Sean gardner/getty images/afp

Also well-favored in the sportsbook are Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden, and Colton Herta.

Dixon Wants Second Title

42-year-old Dixon is a six-time winner of the IndyCar Series, but with only one Indianapolis 500 title next to his name, he would love another.

He has yet to win in 2023, but he went close at St Petersburg when finishing third, followed by a fifth at Texas Motor Speedway.

He is never too far away in this race, including a second-place finish in 2020, so he has been getting close to adding to his one title.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will include Dixon, and team owner Chip Ganassi credits much of his success to the Kiwi, according to the latest Indianapolis 500 news.

“I guess part of the reason I think I’m in the Hall of Fame is because of this guy, what he’s done for my career,” Ganassi said.

“I think it’s an honor to be here this day, to have not only one of your drivers go in, but probably the driver that exemplifies what it is to be at Chip Ganassi Racing is Scott Dixon. He is what Chip Ganassi Racing stands for. He’s all about that.”

Dixon is the current +700 favorite in online gambling markets. He will likely start as the favorite on May 28.

22 years ago today, Scott Dixon won the 2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix @ Nazareth, Dixon’s 1st win. pic.twitter.com/8qhVW08LM4

— Andrew (@Basso488) May 6, 2023

New Kid on the Block

McLaughlin dominated supercar racing in Australia and New Zealand before making the move to IndyCar in 2020.

It has proved to be a beneficial move, with McLaughlin securing four wins already, despite having just two complete seasons.

He comes off a win at Birmingham, which should give him confidence ahead of the big race.

The 29-year-old finished 20th in his debut Indianapolis 500 before finishing 29th last year. However, he had limited luck in both races, so those results can be forgiven.

His car is fast and he’s confident heading into the biggest race of the year.

“May is going to be an awesome time for us, the best race in the world is coming up soon (Indianapolis 500) and to end April like this and start May on a good note is a proud achievement,” McLaughlin said.

We wouldn’t leave him out of our Indianapolis 500 picks, especially at the +1000 price. He’s on the fourth line of betting, but expect those odds to shorten considerably should he race well during practice.

Newgarden Eyes Career High

Josef Newgarden has won just about every race on the IndyCar calendar except the Indianapolis 500.

The American scored five wins in 2022, including at Texas and Bommarito. However, a win at Indianapolis eludes him, but that could all change later this month.

Having already won at Texas in 2023, his car is running well, and Team Penske has a good showing in the race.

He has done well in this race before, including a third in 2016, a fourth in 2019, and a fifth in 2020. He’s knocking on the door of his career high, so we’re happy to include him at the value sport betting odds.

Newgarden is currently trading at +800, which is a fair price from bookmakers. He rarely puts in a bad performance, and we have a feeling his career has been leading up to this moment.