[h=1]How to bet the Indy 500[/h]PJ WalshESPN Contributor
ESPN INSIDER
In the most positive way possible, the lead-up to this year's 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 has been completely different from what we experienced in 2015. Last year, the month of May was marred with vicious practice wrecks, last-minute aero package changes and the dominance of Chevrolet.
Over the course of multiple practice sessions, drivers Helio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter flipped their race cars while James Hinchcliffesuffered a gruesome injury as a piece of steel pushed through his thigh, pinning the driver to his car. Thanks to the fast-acting, on-site medical team, Hinchcliffe's life was saved.
Following these crashes, IndyCar made changes to the race cars in hopes of lowering speeds to a safer level. Honda drivers were unhappy with the changes, believing they would provide an advantage to Chevy teams. Looking back, they couldn't have been more correct. Chevy secured seven of the top 10 starting positions and finished with eight cars in the top 10, including race winner Juan Pablo Montoya.
Luckily we've seen very few wrecks and no serious injuries so far this year, allowing fans and analysts to focus on the racing itself. While safety hasn't been a concern, the Chevy-Honda rivalry has remained a major theme in Indianapolis. Through five races this season, Chevy drivers have won the pole and taken the checkered flag in every race, leading many to suspect Chevy of "sandbagging" throughout Indy 500 practice in order to mask the true speed of their race cars.
As on-track activity has progressed, the Honda teams appear to have made big strides by snagging four of the top five starting positions, including a popular pole-winning run by Hinchcliffe, one year after his devastating accident.
With most on-track activity completed and only one practice session remaining, sportsbooks have reopened their Indy 500 numbers, giving us the opportunity to start off our betting cards with three bets offering immediate value.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
[h=2]Best bets for the race[/h]Carlos Munoz (20-1 at 5Dimes)
I'm pleasantly surprised to see where the offshore market reopened this line. Munoz was arguably the best overall car throughout multiple practice sessions and followed that up by securing a fifth-place spot on the starting grid.
Last week, Munoz was in the 25-1 range at many offshore sportsbooks yet he's now available at 20-1, even after a solid qualifying run. Westgate has properly adjusted Munoz to 12-1, but the offshore market remains behind the eight ball here, offering solid value to savvy bettors willing to shop for the best line.
Will Power (12-1 at Westgate)
While the offshore market has been sluggish on adjusting Munoz correctly, it's Westgate that is offering value this time around. Power, last year's Indy 500 runner-up, has been the fastest Chevy in race trim since unloading in Indianapolis. Offshore sportsbooks noticed Power's speed and reopened him as the favorite at 6-1 earlier this week. Westgate, on the other hand, has Power at 12-1, offering us another solid value.
Juan Pablo Montoya (10-1 at Westgate)
Starting position is especially important when betting sleepers early in the week, but there are some drivers who can win from anywhere on the grid. Montoya, the defending Indy 500 champion, ran over a trash bag during his initial qualifying run, forcing the driver to abort the attempt. IndyCar granted Montoya a second attempt because of the "extenuating circumstances," but unbeknownst to the team, the bag had somehow cracked the wing on Montoya's car, slowing him to a 17th-place run in qualifying.
Reacting to a subpar qualifying run, Westgate reopened Montoya at 10-1 after initially setting him at 6-1 earlier in the month. Value-minded bettors should jump on this price now as starting position in the Indy 500 has been overrated over the past four years:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 565px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">
<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Starting Position Of Recent Indy 500 Winners</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody></aside>While starting up front allows a driver to simply maintain track position to earn a good finish, the table above shows that qualifying outside of the top 10 doesn't exclude a driver from contending, including last year when Montoya parlayed a 15th-place starting spot into a trip to Victory Lane.
Montoya should be fast again on Sunday and gives our betting card another driver (along with Power) who many consider a favorite at a price of 10-1 or better.
ESPN INSIDER
In the most positive way possible, the lead-up to this year's 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 has been completely different from what we experienced in 2015. Last year, the month of May was marred with vicious practice wrecks, last-minute aero package changes and the dominance of Chevrolet.
Over the course of multiple practice sessions, drivers Helio Castroneves, Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter flipped their race cars while James Hinchcliffesuffered a gruesome injury as a piece of steel pushed through his thigh, pinning the driver to his car. Thanks to the fast-acting, on-site medical team, Hinchcliffe's life was saved.
Following these crashes, IndyCar made changes to the race cars in hopes of lowering speeds to a safer level. Honda drivers were unhappy with the changes, believing they would provide an advantage to Chevy teams. Looking back, they couldn't have been more correct. Chevy secured seven of the top 10 starting positions and finished with eight cars in the top 10, including race winner Juan Pablo Montoya.
Luckily we've seen very few wrecks and no serious injuries so far this year, allowing fans and analysts to focus on the racing itself. While safety hasn't been a concern, the Chevy-Honda rivalry has remained a major theme in Indianapolis. Through five races this season, Chevy drivers have won the pole and taken the checkered flag in every race, leading many to suspect Chevy of "sandbagging" throughout Indy 500 practice in order to mask the true speed of their race cars.
As on-track activity has progressed, the Honda teams appear to have made big strides by snagging four of the top five starting positions, including a popular pole-winning run by Hinchcliffe, one year after his devastating accident.
With most on-track activity completed and only one practice session remaining, sportsbooks have reopened their Indy 500 numbers, giving us the opportunity to start off our betting cards with three bets offering immediate value.<offer style="box-sizing: border-box;"></offer>
[h=2]Best bets for the race[/h]Carlos Munoz (20-1 at 5Dimes)
I'm pleasantly surprised to see where the offshore market reopened this line. Munoz was arguably the best overall car throughout multiple practice sessions and followed that up by securing a fifth-place spot on the starting grid.
Last week, Munoz was in the 25-1 range at many offshore sportsbooks yet he's now available at 20-1, even after a solid qualifying run. Westgate has properly adjusted Munoz to 12-1, but the offshore market remains behind the eight ball here, offering solid value to savvy bettors willing to shop for the best line.
Will Power (12-1 at Westgate)
While the offshore market has been sluggish on adjusting Munoz correctly, it's Westgate that is offering value this time around. Power, last year's Indy 500 runner-up, has been the fastest Chevy in race trim since unloading in Indianapolis. Offshore sportsbooks noticed Power's speed and reopened him as the favorite at 6-1 earlier this week. Westgate, on the other hand, has Power at 12-1, offering us another solid value.
Juan Pablo Montoya (10-1 at Westgate)
Starting position is especially important when betting sleepers early in the week, but there are some drivers who can win from anywhere on the grid. Montoya, the defending Indy 500 champion, ran over a trash bag during his initial qualifying run, forcing the driver to abort the attempt. IndyCar granted Montoya a second attempt because of the "extenuating circumstances," but unbeknownst to the team, the bag had somehow cracked the wing on Montoya's car, slowing him to a 17th-place run in qualifying.
Reacting to a subpar qualifying run, Westgate reopened Montoya at 10-1 after initially setting him at 6-1 earlier in the month. Value-minded bettors should jump on this price now as starting position in the Indy 500 has been overrated over the past four years:
<aside class="inline inline-table" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); clear: both; margin: 6px 0px 18px; padding: 15px; width: 565px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 16px;">
| YEAR | INDY 500 WINNER | STARTING POSITION |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 15th |
| 2014 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 19th |
| 2013 | Tony Kanaan | 12th |
| 2012 | Dario Franchitti | 16th |
<caption style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(39, 39, 39); height: 44px; line-height: 2.8; position: relative; text-align: left; text-transform: capitalize; z-index: 1000020; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Starting Position Of Recent Indy 500 Winners</caption><thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
</tbody>
Montoya should be fast again on Sunday and gives our betting card another driver (along with Power) who many consider a favorite at a price of 10-1 or better.
