🏁 Indy 500 Predictions & Odds 2026: IndyCar Picks, Props, Best Bets
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is just around the corner, so let's dive into our 2026 Indy 500 predictions. Alex Palou's dominant start to the season continued with him taking the pole for this event, and he'll look to go back-to-back at the Brickyard - although Josef Newgarden's leading time on Carb Day means Palou is no lock to find Victory Lane.
📈 Indy 500 odds: 2026 Indianapolis 500
Latest Indy 500 odds at BetMGM as of Friday, May 22; subject to change.
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alex Palou | +290 |
| Pato O'Ward | +600 |
| David Malukas | +700 |
| Conor Daly | +700 |
| Josef Newgarden | +1000 |
| Santino Ferrucci | +1000 |
| Alexander Rossi | +1000 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1200 |
| Felix Rosenqvist | +1300 |
| Scott Dixon | +1800 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +2200 |
| Takuma Sato | +2200 |
| Christian Rasmussen | +3000 |
| Kyffin Simpson | +3000 |
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💡 How to bet the Indy 500
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also known as the Brickyard, is a 2.5-mile flat, rectangular oval. IndyCar drivers hit speeds north of 230 mph on the straightaways before navigating sharp 90-degree corners at each turn. This year's running of the Indianapolis 500 is the second oval race on the schedule.
Ovals, especially Indianapolis, had been the playground for Team Penske up until last season. That said, they may have found something again: Josef Newgarden and David Malukas brought the Penske Chevrolets back to the podium at Phoenix this year, and the two showed impressive speed on Carb Day, too.
🏆 Best bet to win the Indy 500
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske (No. 2)
Newgarden, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, flashed race-winning speed on Carb Day. Perhaps more importantly, he also led the way in Monday's penultimate practice session. In 2025, Palou led the way in the penultimate practice before winning; in 2024, Newgarden did the same.
Team Penske wasn't where it needed to be in 2025, but Newgarden managed to cap off the year with an oval win at Nashville. He extended that streak into 2026 with a win at Phoenix. His 23rd-place starting position is a red flag, but he won the 2023 race from 17th.
With Palou trading as short as +250 (28.6%), give me the two-time winner for +1000 (9.1%). While we're at it, back him to score at least a top 5 for +150 (40%) at Caesars.
📡 SBR Edge
The penultimate practice session carries considerable predictive weight for the Indianapolis 500. In addition to the last two Indy 500 winners leading the way in that session, a top 3 driver in the session has led at least the second-most laps every year since at least 2019.
🔥 More Indy 500 picks & prop bets
I love Newgarden in this spot and at this price - I can't remember the last time I saw four digits next to his name at this event - but he shouldn't be the only driver on your Indy 500 betting card. Using the system of targeting the top 3 drivers in the penultimate practice session necessarily points to two other names.
Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (No. 75)
- Takuma Sato to win: +3000 via bet365 (0.17u)
- Takuma Sato top 10: +105 via Hard Rock Bet (1.33u)
Sato, like Newgarden, is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. While he isn't a full-time driver in the IndyCar Series, he hasn't missed this event since 2010. Sato has been fast at the Brickyard so far, producing the second-fastest speed in the penultimate practice session and the fifth-fastest time on Carb Day.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan equipment isn't world-beating stuff, but Sato parlayed it into a win in 2020 and a podium in 2019. He was also able to pilot it to ninth last year. Sato also has a top 10 in five of his last nine starts, so I like him to produce another such result for +105 (48.8%) at Hard Rock.
Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing (No. 19)
- Dennis Hauger top 10: +400 via Hard Rock Bet (0.5u)
Rookie Dennis Hauger is unlikely to win this race outright. Despite his dominant, championship-winning performance in IndyNXT last year, he failed to win any of the oval events. That said, he scored a runner-up finish at both Iowa and Milwaukee and a third-place result at Nashville. Hauger was third-fastest in the penultimate practice session and 10th-fastest on Carb Day, so I like getting some exposure to him for a mere top 10 for +400 (20%). In a 33-car field, every driver's raw odds of such a finish are 30.3%.
💰 My best Indy 500 bets
Here are the actual IndyCar bets I'm making for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 with the best odds from our best sports betting sites for Sunday's Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
| Best bets | Best odds | Units → profit |
|---|---|---|
| Josef Newgarden to win | +1000 via FanDuel | 0.33u -> 3.3u |
| Josef Newgarden top 5 | +150 via Caesars | 1.17u -> 1.76u |
| Takuma Sato to win | +3000 via bet365 | 0.17u -> 5.1u |
| Takuma Sato top 10 | +105 via Hard Rock | 1.33u -> 1.4u |
| Dennis Hauger top 10 | +400 via Hard Rock | 0.5u -> 2u |
Total wagered: 3.5 units | Max profit: 10.26 units
🏆 Past Indy 500 winners
Here is a list of the last 10 Indy 500 winners in the IndyCar Series:
| Race | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2024 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske |
| 2023 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske |
| 2022 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2021 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing |
| 2020 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
| 2019 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske |
| 2018 | Will Power | Team Penske |
| 2017 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport |
| 2016 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta Autosport |
Although he hasn't won an Indianapolis 500 since 2008, Scott Dixon has led more laps in this race (677 - just under 3.5 full runnings!) than any driver in history, including 95 in 2022.
📊 2026 Indy 500 starting grid
| Pos | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 2 | Alexander Rossi | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | David Malukas | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Felix Rosenqvist | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 5 | Santino Ferrucci | AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Pato O'Ward | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet |
| 7 | Kyffin Simpson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 8 | Conor Daly | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 11 | Rinus VeeKay | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Takuma Sato | RLL Racing | Honda |
| 13 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 15 | Christian Rasmussen | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 16 | Marcus Armstrong | Meyer Shank Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Marcus Ericsson | Andretti Global | Honda |
| 18 | Christian Lundgaard | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet |
| 19 | Will Power | Andretti Global | Honda |
| 20 | Nolan Siegel | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet |
| 21 | Louis Foster | RLL Racing | Honda |
| 22 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Arrow McLaren | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Romain Grosjean | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda |
| 25 | Kyle Kirkwood | Andretti Global | Honda |
| 26 | Katherine Legge | HMD Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Mick Schumacher (R) | RLL Racing | Honda |
| 28 | Graham Rahal | RLL Racing | Honda |
| 29 | Dennis Hauger (R) | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda |
| 30 | Jacob Abel (R) | Abel Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | Sting Ray Robb | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Caio Collet (R) | AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Jack Harvey | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Chevrolet |
📺 How to watch the 2026 Indy 500
- Date: Sunday, May 24
- Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.)
- TV: FOX
- Track: 2.5-mile flat oval (200 laps, 500 miles)
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