2009 Indy 500 Preview

It's not too early to start thinking about this year's Indy 500 odds, as the IndyCar Series recently began its 2009 campaign. The 93rd edition of the biggest open-wheel race in the United States runs on May 24th at venerable Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and sportsbook players should know that the winner of the Indy 500 has gone on to win the championship for four straight years.

Defending series champion Scott Dixon is favored to repeat at +200, and he continued the winning tradition of drinking milk in Victory Lane in Indianapolis last year. The Indy 500 was one of six wins on the year for Dixon, but he should be warned: no one has gone back-to-back at Indy since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002, and the last six have been first-time winners.

Dario Franchitti and Castroneves are next at +300, but Castroneves is awaiting the verdict of his tax-evasion case, so he may not even make it to Indy, much less win the championship. Franchitti will be near the top of the racing betting odds as he won in 2007, and he'll be looking to rebuild his reputation after an unimpressive and short stint in NASCAR. Franchitti has finished in the top 7 of the last three Indy 500s.

Tony Kanaan is probably the best driver in the field to never win at Indy, so he'll definitely be near the top of the Indy 500 odds. Kanaan, the 2004 series champion, has +500 odds to win the title, and he's looking to turn around his fortunes at the Brickyard. Kanaan's best finish here since a second-place run in his 2004 championship season was a fifth-place in 2005, and he crashed out after leading a number of laps last year.

Speaking of Indy incidents, Danica Patrick's pit-road scrape with Ryan Briscoe got almost as much attention as Dixon's win. Patrick may not have good Indy 500 odds, as she is only listed at +2500 to win the championship, but prior to last year's troubles, Patrick had run well at Indy, posting a pair of eighth-place finishes as well as a fourth-place run in her 2005 debut. Meanwhile, Briscoe, who has much better title odds of +800, ran fifth in 2007 and had a good car before running into Patrick. He also won the first race of the year in St. Petersburg.

Two darkhorses are former winner Dan Wheldon and Graham Rahal, who have title odds of +1200. Wheldon, who did the 500/championship double in 2005, should have decent Indy 500 odds as he tries to bounce back from a tough second-half of 2008. Meanwhile, Rahal is the youngest driver to ever win in IndyCar with his victory in St. Petersburg last year, but he crashed out of his Indy debut in 2008. Still, Rahal is talented enough, and he's got a great pedigree as his father, Bobby Rahal, won the 500 in 1986. Rahal could also offer great value in this year's Indy 500 odds, so he's worth a look.

By: Bet Online

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