Indy 500: Way-too-early favorite revealed as calendar flips to 2025

As a dedicated IndyCar enthusiast who has followed the series since its early days, I can confidently say that the 2025 season is shaping up to be an exciting one! The way-too-early odds for the 109th running of the Indy 500 have been released, and it’s clear that Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden is expected to make history by becoming the first three-time consecutive winner.

I must admit, I was taken aback when I saw Scott McLaughlin and Alex Palou listed as far down the order as they are, despite their impressive performances in previous seasons. McLaughlin’s pole position, leading most laps, and two oval race wins last year were nothing short of phenomenal, and his oval championship was well-deserved.

Palou, too, showed great promise with his late-race challenges, even after a challenging qualifying effort. It seems that the oddsmakers might have overlooked their potential this time around.

As for the Indy 500 itself, it’s always a thrilling spectacle, and I can hardly wait for Fox to provide live coverage from the “Racing Capital of the World” on May 25th. And as for my personal prediction? Well, let’s just say that if Josef Newgarden does indeed become the first three-time consecutive winner, I might just have to eat my helmet! After all, who would have thought a few years ago that he’d be this dominant on ovals? The racing world is full of surprises!

Looking forward to the start of the 2025 IndyCar season, just two months away on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, DraftKings Sportsbook has already released preliminary odds for the 109th Indy 500 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On May 25th, a 200-lap car race will occur on an oval racetrack in Speedway, Indiana, which spans four turns and covers a distance of 2.5 miles (4.023 kilometers). This event is slated to be the first two-time consecutive victory for Josef Newgarden from Team Penske since Helio Castroneves, who won three Indy 500s in a row starting in 2003, last achieved this feat.

It’s been historically challenging for any racer to clinch the Indianapolis 500 three consecutive times, yet predictions point towards Newgarden potentially making history as the first to do so.

It seems that oddsmakers have taken note of last year’s events and adjusted their predictions accordingly. Contrary to expectations, Newgarden was not favored at the start; instead, rookie Kyle Larson surpassed him in favoritism right after the April test, even though Newgarden posted a quicker speed than Larson (and every other participant) during that same test.

In the highly competitive NTT IndyCar Series, it’s important to note that no driver has a clear-cut advantage or overwhelming likelihood of winning this year’s Indianapolis 500, often referred to as the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” There isn’t a single driver who is considered an undisputed favorite.

However, as we move into 2025 and the attention turns to the upcoming season, it is the driver of the No. 2 Chevrolet who is tipped as the most likely winner. He is ranked slightly above Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, a position he secured by overtaking him for the lead and ultimately claiming victory in the final lap of the 2024 race.

Here are the way-too-early top 10 favorites for this year’s Indy 500.

Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) has odds of +600,

Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) stands at +700,

Kyle Larson (McLaren-Hendrick) is at +800,

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) has odds of +1000,

Both Scott McLaughlin and Will Power (Team Penske) have odds of +1000,

Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi (Chip Ganassi Racing) are both at +1200,

Colton Herta (Andretti Global) has odds of +1400,

And Santino Ferrucci (A.J. Foyt Enterprises) is at +1600.

Full odds can be found here.

It’s unexpected to find Scott McLaughlin and Alex Palou positioned so low in the standings given their favorite status. Despite this, it’s worth noting that McLaughlin claimed pole position for the race last year, led the most laps, and went on to win his first two oval races, which were also his inaugural IndyCar oval victories. Remarkably, he clinched the oval championship before the season finale.

Despite experiencing his poorest Indy 500 qualifying performance ever, Palou persisted in his quest for that initial oval victory. Remarkably, he even found himself contending for the win towards the end of both 2022 and 2023 races. In 2022 and 2023, it seemed as though he had a car capable of winning, but technical problems in the pits during both years necessitated comebacks from 30th place to finish ninth and fourth respectively.

On Sunday, May 25, starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Fox will broadcast the Indy 500 live from the renowned “Racing Capital of the World.

2025-01-02 14:32

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