Indy 500 Predictions, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks, May 29

All Eyes on Scott Dixon

Scott Dixon took his career fifth and his second consecutive pole position for 2022 Indy 500 and is rightly priced as the favorite on all motorsports online gambling sites. Though the pole position doesn’t guarantee him success, it certainly puts the Chip Ganassi Racing driver in a good spot to win his first IndyCar race of the season.

Interestingly, Dixon advanced to the Top 12 qualifying session with the tenth-best average speed around the 2.5-mile oval on Saturday. However, he had the fastest four-lap average speed in the Top 12 qualifying session, which saw him advance into the Firestone Fast Six.

In the Firestone Fast Six, Dixon put on a show and posted a four-lap average speed of incredible 234.05 miles per hour in his No. 9 Honda, which is the all-time record for a four-lap qualifying speed on the track.

With such an incredible performance ahead of the Indy 500, it makes a lot of sense for Dixon to be priced as the favorite to collect his first Indy 500 win since 2008. But will he manage to do it?

“I’m just frustrated, man. I think everybody can see that. We’re making swings where we shouldn’t be, and it’s just a different car every time we go out,” said Dixon about his lack of wins this season.

“Honestly, it sucks right now. We’ve got to sort it out. Our race pace has been good, and everyone on the PNC Bank car side has done a tremendous job, but if you qualify this far back, it’s just horrendous.”

Dixon has claimed the pole position, but we have to acknowledge how competitive the field is this year. Moreover, only one of the last 12 Indy 500 races has been won by the driver on the pole.

Don’t Ignore Palou and Newgarden

Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou head to the Indy 500 as underdogs, which makes sense, but they’re definitely drivers that can upset Dixon and claim the Indy 500 trophy for themselves.

Newgarden currently sits in fourth place on the 2022 IndyCar standings, behind Scott McLaughlin, Alex Palou, and Will Power. But he is also the only driver to win more than one race in 2022.

Newgarden kicked off the year with a 16th-place finish in St. Petersburg but quickly bounced back with back-to-back wins in Texas and Long Beach. Admittedly, Newgarden has since cooled down with 14th and 25th finishes in Alabama and Indiana, but he has a solid record at the Brickyard.

The 31-year-old finished the 2021 Indy 500 just outside the top 10, and he has a fourth-place finish in 2019. Moreover, he is a two-time IndyCar champion, which says a lot about his talent and his chances to come out on top this weekend.

Talking about talent, Alex Palou is last year’s IndyCar champion and the current second-best driver of the season. Although he has yet to win a race, Paloou has three top-three finishes (2nd in St. Petersbough, 3rd in Long Beach, and 2nd in Alabama).

Moreover, Palou has a runner-up finish at the Brickyard from last year, and if that performance is any indication, the Spanish driver should be in the mix to go all the way.

Indy 500 Information

• Race: Indy 500
• Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana
• Day/Time: Sunday, May 29, Noon ET
• Live Stream: indycar.com

Indy 500 Betting Lines

Indy 500 Prediction

If you want to bet now on the driver that is most likely to win, you can’t go wrong with Dixon, who the sportsbooks have priced as the main favorite to win 2022 Indy 500. But even though he is priced at the lowest odds, Dixon isn’t necessarily guaranteed to come out on top.

He has yet to win a single race in 2022, and the only two things going for him are his phenomenal performance in the qualifiers and the fact that he is the polesitter. However, the qualifying runs won’t necessarily translate onto the track, and the pole isn’t as big of an advantage as it may seem.

Remember, just one of the last 12 winners of the Indy 500 started the race on the pole, so perhaps, it’s not as important. With that in mind, we have no issues backing Newgarden to come out on top.

His best finish here was fourth in 2019, but he finished fifth in 2020 and was somewhat unlucky to end 2021 Indy 500 in 12th. Over the years, Newgardedn has been fairly consistent on the track, and with the solid form he has been showing this year, it’s fair to expect him to take that final step and win his first Indy 500!

Pick: Newgarden to win (+1100)