2023 Indianapolis 500 odds, predictions, time, date, grid: Model reveals surprising IndyCar picks
Sunday will be the traditional running of the Indianapolis 500. CBS News reported in some important numbers for sports fans on Friday.
Helio Castroneves will aim for his record fifth race victory and is one of nine former champions in the Indianapolis 500 2023 field. Alex Palou, who sits atop the IndyCar Series standings, will be on the pole, with Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist also landing spots in Row 1. of the 2023 Indy 500 grid.
Pato O'Ward is the 5-1 favorite at Caesars Sportsbook in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds. Palou follows at 23-4, with 2008 winner Scott Dixon at 7-1. Defending champion Marcus Ericsson is at 11-1 to repeat, while Castroneves is a 55-1 long shot. Before scouring the 2023 Indy 500 starting grid and making any 2023 Indianapolis 500 predictions, be sure to see the latest 2023 Indianapolis 500 picks from SportsLine's proven projection model.
Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary auto racing prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.
McClure's model is off to a red-hot start in NASCAR this season, already nailing Martin Truex Jr.'s Clash win (20-1), Joey Logano's Duel win (8-1), Kyle Busch's Fontana victory (10-1), Denny Hamlin's triumph in Kansas (6-1) and Kyle Larson's wins at Martinsville (6-1) and the NASCAR All-Star Race (13-2). In Austin, it listed Tyler Reddick as one of its best values and he went on to win for a 10-1 payout. It also impressively nailed five of Larson's wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 12 winners since 2021. Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks saw huge returns.
Now, the model simulated the 2023 Indianapolis 500 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected 2023 Indy 500 leaderboard.
Top 2023 Indianapolis 500 predictions
One surprise: the model is high on Scott McLaughlin, even though he's a 15-1 long shot in the latest 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The New Zealander has improved every season on the IndyCar Series since his 2020 rookie year. He ranked 35th that year before jumping to 14th in 2021 and fourth a year ago. He sits in fifth place in the IndyCar Series standings, won last month in Alabama, and has two other top-10 finishes this season.
McLaughlin has four victories since the start of last season and enters the 2023 Indy 500 on a hot streak with nine top-10s over his last 11 starts. He also has the fortune of driving for Team Penske, the most successful team in Indianapolis 500 history with 18 wins. McLaughlin is being undervalued because he's yet to find success at The Brickyard, but he's currently in the best form of his career and is backed by a team that's second to none at the Indy 500. See who else to back at SportsLine.
And a massive shocker: Pato O'Ward, the Vegas favorite at 5-1, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top five. O'Ward was the 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing sixth and has improved his performance each year. But after leading for 26 laps in last year's race, and being even with Ericsson entering turn one on the final lap, O'Ward finished second.
That second-place finish would be a harbinger of the 2023 IndyCar Series, as O'Ward has three runners-up but no victories. He's failed to win over his last 10 races, but Arrow McLaren's drought extends much longer at The Brickyard. O'Ward's team has never won an Indy 500, despite having 45 starters since 2001. O'Ward always finds a way to be in contention, but history isn't on his side in terms of winning on Sunday. There are far better values in the 2023 Indy 500 starting grid. See which other drivers to avoid at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 Indianapolis 500 picks
The model is also targeting two other drivers with 2023 Indy 500 odds of 15-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can see all of the model's Indy 500 projected leaderboard over at SportsLine.
So who wins the Indy 500 2023? And which long shots make a run at the checkered flag? Check out the latest 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2023 Indianapolis 500 leaderboard, all from the model that correctly predicted 12 winners since 2021.
2023 Indianapolis 500 odds (via Caesars Sportsbook)
See full 2023 Indy 500 picks at SportsLine
Pato O'Ward (5-1) Alex Palou (23-4) Scott Dixon (7-1) Alexander Rossi (9-1) Rinus VeeKay (10-1) Marcus Ericsson (11-1) Takuma Sato (11-1) Felix Rosenqvist (12-1) Josef Newgarden (14-1) Scott McLaughlin (15-1) Santino Ferrucci (15-1) Will Power (16-1) Tony Kanaan (17-1) Colton Herta (20-1) Kyle Kirkwood (25-1) Conor Daly (30-1) David Malukas (40-1) Romain Grosjean (45-1) Graham Rahal (50-1) Simon Pagenaud (50-1) Ed Carpenter (50-1) Helio Castroneves (55-1) Ryan Hunter-Reay (60-1) Marco Andretti (60-1) Benjamin Pedersen (75-1) Christian Lundgaard (100-1) Jack Harvey (200-1) Agustin Canapino (250-1) Callum Ilott (250-1) RC Enerson (300-1) Devlin DeFrancesco (300-1) Katherine Legge (300-1) Sting Ray Robb (300-1)
Indianapolis 500 starting grid
Row 1- Scott Dixon, Rinus VeeKay, Felix Rosenqvist Row 2- Santino Ferrucci, Pato O'Ward, Scott Dixon Row 3- Alexander Rossi, Takuma Sato, Tony Kanaan Row 4- Marcus Ericsson, Benjamin Pedersen, Will Power Row 5- Ed Carpenter, Scott McLaughlin, Kyle Kirkwood Row 6- Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay Row 7- Romain Grosjean, Hélio Castroneves, Colton Herta Row 8- Simon Pagenaud, David Malukas, Marco Andretti Row 9- Devlin DeFrancesco, Agustín Canapino, Callum Ilott Row 10- R. C. Enerson, Katherine Legge, Christian Lundgaard Row 11- Sting Ray Robb, Jack Harvey, Graham Rahal