IndyCar returns this Sunday with its first oval race of the season. Consider the PPG 375 as a precursor of sorts to the Indianapolis 500 later in May. The IndyCar PPG 375 odds favor Scott Dixon, the five-time champion, to emerge victorious. But he’ll have to beat out the triumvirate from Team Penske: Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and the 2022 IndyCar Series champion Will Power.
The high banks of @TXMotorSpeedway are ready to bite.
Will you be watching?#PPG375
🗓️ Sunday, April 2 // 12:00 PM ET
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/3nBCLkGiay— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 29, 2023
Dixon: Experience is Edge
At 42 years young, Dixon may still be the best driver outside of Team Penske. And he’s got one heck of an advantage over his peers: experience. Dixon will start for the 25th time at the Texas Motor Speedway. And it’s not just starts for the New Zealander. He’s won and dominated many times.
Dixon has led more laps (1,043) than 16 of the other 27 drivers on Sunday. The 2021 victory, his most recent, was a rather dominant showing. He led for all but six laps and managed to hold off McLaughlin. That’s not bad for a driver that initially was hesitant to race the oval courses back in his young days as an IndyCar Series driver.
That’s why the IndyCar PPG 375 lines favor Dixon (+400), who has still been formidable despite his “advanced” age. He finished third in the Series championship last year and fifth in the PPG 375, though he never did lead. But should he find a way to get into a leading position, you can bet online that Dixon will be in the mix to win.
McLaughlin Leads Team Penske
McLaughlin made quite a statement in his second race as a rookie in 2021. The then-27-year-old driver finished just behind Dixon to finish on the podium for the first time in his IndyCar Series career. A year later, he repeated the feat right after he opened the 2022 IndyCar Series season with a win in St. Petersburg.
So it comes as no surprise that McLaughlin has the next-shortest Las Vegas odds (+600) and is even slightly favored over Newgarden (+650) and Power (+1000). Newgarden is the defending champion from last season, when he came from behind to capture the checkered flag.
That’s still likely fresh in McLaughlin’s mind and the real race between Team Penske will be to see who among the teammates can outdo the other. But Power should not be ignored. He’s been the most consistent driver when it comes to IndyCar betting and did lead the PPG 375 for 20 laps, ultimately finishing fourth.
O’Ward: Looking to Rebound
Not to be discounted is Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. He’s fourth on the IndyCar PPG 375 odds at +700. He finished 15th last year but won the year before that. Still, O’Ward managed to set the fastest lap in a losing cause.
The 23-year-old has developed into one of the more formidable oval track drivers. He finished second and first in the Iowa Speedway races last year and then raced to fourth at Gateway, a course he also finished as a runner-up in 2021.
O’Ward is IndyCar’s brightest young talent and is frequently cited as one of the favorites to capture the series title. Only Newgarden and Power are ahead of him when it comes to the outright odds. But for the McLaren man, he’ll need to make a statement by getting past Team Penske and Dixon.
IndyCar PPG 375 Race Information
- Race: IndyCar PPG 375
- Day/Time: Sunday, April 2nd, Noon ET
- Location: Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, TX
- IndyCar PPG 375 Live Stream: indycar.com
IndyCar PPG 375 Betting Odds
|
IndyCar PPG 375 |
Moneyline |
| Scott Dixon | +400 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +600 |
| Josef Newgarden | +650 |
| Pato O`Ward | +700 |
| Colton Herta | +900 |
| Will Power | +1000 |
The odds in this chart are based on the time of publication. They are subject to change.
IndyCar PPG 375 Picks and Predictions
O’Ward will be hungry to better his disappointing finish last season. But McLaren could let him down again. He’s a boom-or-bust proposition and 7-1 is not long enough to warrant a bet online. Instead, bet either Newgarden or Power. They’re still the two best drivers with the best cars and they have tastier lines than Dixon or McLaughlin.
