After a three-month delay, the Indy 500 will finally take place on Sunday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There will be no fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but little else will be different at the Brickyard.
Fans haven’t been allowed at any of the previous six IndyCar races, but drivers are still disappointed they won’t see people in the stands.
The empty facility was evident for the traditional Carb Day, Friday’s final day of practice before Sunday’s race. Pole sitter Marco Andretti told reporters that IMS owner Roger Penske had to make the decision not to have fans.
“He’s taken a lot of hits in the business part of this,†Andretti said. “So we know we are lucky to be racing here.â€
Scott Dixon is the favorite to win the race, sporting 9/2 odds at most sportsbooks. Alexander Rossi is next at 6/1 at the Westgate SuperBook USA.
Odds to Win Indianapolis 500
| Driver | Westgate | BetMGM | Bovada |
| Scott Dixon | 9/2 | 9/2 | 9/2 |
| Alexander Rossi | 6/1 | 8/1 | 15/2 |
| Marco Andretti | 7/1 | 9/1 | 13/2 |
| Ryan Hunter-Reay | 10/1 | 9/1 | 17/2 |
| Will Power | 12/1 | 11/1 | 14/1 |
| Josef Newgarden | 12/1 | 10/1 | 10/1 |
| Simon Pagenaud | 12/1 | 14/1 | 10/1 |
| Takuma Sato | 16/1 | 16/1 | 15/1 |
| Rinus VeeKay | 20/1 | 18/1 | 18/1 |
| Colton Herta | 20/1 | 20/1 | 18/1 |
| Marcus Ericsson | 20/1 | 40/1 | 30/1 |
| Helio Castroneves | 25/1 | 35/1 | 22/1 |
| Felix Rosenqvist | 30/1 | 25/1 | 25/1 |
| Patricio O’Ward | 30/1 | 40/1 | 22/1 |
| Ed Carpenter | 30/1 | 50/1 | 55/1 |
| James Hinchcliffe | 30/1 | 25/1 | 20/1 |
| Graham Rahal | 30/1 | 25/1 | 30/1 |
| Oliver Askew | 40/1 | 50/1 | 45/1 |
| Santino Ferrucci | 50/1 | 50/1 | 40/1 |
Joset Newgarden, who is at 10/1 to win the Indy 500, said Friday’s practice showed him his car is ready to go.
“I think it is pretty good to be honest with you,†Newgarden said. “You don’t want to be over confident but I feel cautiously optimistic.â€
So who else might be in the winner’s circle after the Indy 500? We take a look at some possible contenders and pretenders.
Drivers to Consider
Scott Dixon (9/2)
There is a good reason he’s the favorite. Dixon has dominated the sport this year. He has three victories in six races this year, and two other top-5 finishes. The only red flag is that he hasn’t won an Indy 500 since 2008.
Josef Newgarden (12/1)
Newgarden has never won an Indy 500, but he’s brimming with confidence, and we like that. In addition, he’s third in the IndyCar points standings and in the last race, the Iowa IndyCar 250, he led 214 of 250 laps at Iowa Speedway before finishing second.
Rinus VeeKay (20/1)
The 19-year-old might be a solid long shot to take a flyer on. He is making his Indy 500 debut, but he had the fastest qualifying time of any of the Chevrolet drivers.
Driver to Avoid
Marco Andretti (7/1)
He’s is the pole winner, but Andretti has only won one race since 2006, and this year he has just one top-10 result. The odds are too low to take a chance on him.
