The Indianapolis 500 has always been held in May. But the 104th edition, scheduled for May 24, had to be moved amid the coronavirus pandemic and will now take place Sunday.
That makes for an especially big weekend for racing fans, because there's also a double dip of NASCAR races in Dover, Delaware. The Cup Series' Drydene 311 will take place on Saturday (4 p.m. ET), with the second race at the same time Sunday.
Senior writer Ryan McGee and editor Scott Symmes both cashed in when Chase Elliott won the GoBowling.com 235 on the Daytona International Speedway road course last week. Meanwhile, Simon Pagenaud will attempt to defend his Indy crown Sunday.
Who will take the checkered flags this weekend? McGee, Symmes and Fantasy's Mike Clay offer their best bets.
Note: Odds from Caesars Sportsbook unless otherwise noted. Dover best bets
Symmes: Harvick, who is a force just about everywhere these days, has been stellar at Dover in recent years. The aero package for this track is similar to the one that was used in 2018 when Harvick was a cut above at the Monster Mile. He cruised to victory in the spring and dominated the fall race before a tire issue derailed his day. Harvick led a whopping 487 laps in those two races. He was pretty good last year as well, finishing fourth in both races.
McGee: I never bet against the Clam Prince of New Jersey at Dover. It's his hometown racetrack, as his family has long skippered a fleet of seafood ships out of New Jersey that chug right past the one-mile concrete oval in Delaware on a daily basis. Truex's first Cup Series win came there in 2007, and he still gets misty-eyed when talking about smelling the familiar salt air in his nose in Victory Lane. Sentimentality aside, he has added two more wins there, and his numbers over the past 10 Dover races (two wins, six top-5s, eight top-10s, 5.6 average finish) are tops among all drivers and it's not even close.
Clay: Dover is close enough to Truex's native New Jersey to qualify as one of his many home tracks. His first Cup Series trip to victory lane actually came at this track while driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2007, but it's his performances the past six seasons that tend to suggest he has a hometown advantage. Truex has finished in the top 10 in all but two of his 12 Dover starts since 2014. He has two wins in that time, most recently last May, and he followed up that victory with a runner-up finish in the fall. Truex is hot right now, having finished third in each of the past five races. He'll get two shots to better that result in this weekend's doubleheader.
Symmes: Truex is hungry for playoff points to bolster his championship chances, so he's probably salivating over the prospect of a doubleheader at his favorite track. Truex, who won the spring race at Dover last season and was second in the fall, has top-4 finishes in six of the past seven races at the Monster Mile -- a run that also includes a victory in 2016. Truex has been very strong lately, as he's riding the momentum of five straight third-place finishes. His confidence and comfort level at Dover could give him the slight boost he needs to grab a victory (or perhaps two).
McGee: Seven-Time's career Dover stats (11 wins, 3,110 laps led) are the greatest ever, long ago surpassing the likes of Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. Even during Johnson's previous career slumps, Dover was the one track that could get him back on track. If he's going to finally snap the longest drought of his life and make the playoff field, this is the time and the place. Indianapolis 500 best bets
McGee: Forget the Andretti Curse. The kid is gone, replaced by a 33-year old man who has the GOAT, grandfather Mario, whispering in his ear. Even the favorite, Scott Dixon (4-1 at DK), has admitted how happy he would be if Andretti finally won the 500 in his 15th try. Heck, I want an Andretti to win the 500 for no reason other than that the year 2020 would finally have to take the L.
Symmes: Rossi was hoping to qualify better than ninth, but passing at Indy hasn't been a problem for the Californian. Rossi's hard-charging moves have been a big part of the show in recent Indianapolis 500s, and those efforts have resulted in an average Indy finish of 3.75 -- the best of anyone since 2016. Rossi, who won the Indy 500 on a fuel gamble as a rookie in '16 and was runner-up last year, is determined to earn another chance to kiss the bricks. If he does, it probably will come in memorable fashion.
Simon Pagenaud (10-1 at DK)
McGee: He has flown completely under the radar all month but is still the defending champ, still drives for Roger Penske and is still ranked second in the IndyCar standings. Yes, he qualified only 25th, but what else is new? Pagenaud has been brutal in qualifying all season, cracking the top 17 only once, but he's also turning those terrible starting spots into great finishes, with a win and four top-10s in six races. His average starting position has been 18th, and his average finish has been 5.8, second only to Dixon. So yeah, Pagenaud can make it to the front Sunday. He has been doing it all year.
Clay: Sato nearly kissed the bricks in his third attempt at the Indy 500 in 2012, but found the wall on the final lap after an overzealous move for the lead. Five years later, he became the first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500 while driving for Andretti Autosport in his lone season with the team. Sato finished third last year, and he will be rolling off from that spot when the green flag flies on Sunday. Since 2000, half of all Indy 500 winners have started inside the top four. These odds are too attractive to pass up on a prior winner starting from the front row.
Symmes: Sato has been feast or famine in recent Indianapolis 500s, but he's often a factor in the sport's biggest race. Sato, who finished third last year, won the Indy 500 in 2017, and he came close to winning it in 2012. Sato has a fast car (he's starting third) and has never been hesitant to make bold moves at high speeds. A lot of attention is being paid to fellow front-row starters Marco Andretti and Scott Dixon -- and rightfully so -- but don't forget about Sato. He could end up being the man to beat.
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Best bets for Indianapolis 500, NASCAR at Dover 🏁
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