Indy 500 Odds & Predictions – Best Early Week Bets to Make

• The Indianapolis 500 takes place this Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Rookie Robert Shwartzman won the pole and Pato O’Ward enters as the betting favorite
• Below, see my Indy 500 expert predictions, odds, and early week bets.

The NTT IndyCar Series heads to the famous 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500 this Sunday, May 25th, The green flag drops around 12:45 pm ET, with live coverage on FOX. Do not forget auxiliary coverage on Sirius, NBC Sports, and Peacock, among other places. If the race is anything like qualifying, the 2025 edition of the race expects to be full of fireworks.

The speedway is the ultimate test of patience. One lapse creates a crash at over 230 mph. Cautions were the name of the game early in last year’s race and in years past. Over 200 laps and 500 miles, anything can truly happen.

Now, we list the Indianapolis 500 odds. Already, readers will notice a few names seemingly not in their expected slots.

Indy 500 Betting Odds

Former Indy 500 winner, Marcus Ericsson also rolls in at +2000. At +500 odds, the implied probability for Pato O’Ward to win the race is 16.67%. Alex Palou comes in at +550 (15.38%), with Scott Dixon (+650) not too far off. Palou remains the favorite though to win another IndyCar Series title

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Odds as of May 19 (post-qualifying) at DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the top US betting sites for wagering on the All-Star Race. 

Indy 500 Race Details

Indy 500 Early Best Bet

The weather expects to be dry for race weekend and race day with temperatures cooler than usual in the 60’s. Qualifying got a jolt and a half when Robert Shwartzman snagged the pole being the first rookie to do so in over 40 years. The Fast Six definitely lived up to its billing with three drivers going over 232 mph. Shwartzman turned in an opening lap over 233 mph. That car has been fast throughout May, but what will it be like on Sunday?

This Spring race offered a huge jolt that has now become a huge elephant in the room.

The track is built for speed! It will be interesting to see what fallout comes of the Penske punishment. More than likely, none of the three Penske cars in the field have much of a chance to win, One of them might place or show and even that is a stretch. That team will be raced hard for a good, long while. Among those who qualified inside the Top 12, Pato O’Ward stands the most to gain. He led up until the final lap when Josef Newgarden overtook him to win the race.

Bettors wonder about Kyle Larson. Larson qualified in 19th. It will be interesting to see if he learned from his restart issues last year. Larson kept losing at least a second on restarts and was not a factor later in the race (finished 18th). The key for driers is surviving the early chaos and potential technical pitfalls. Typically, there are 5-6 pit stops for each car on average.

Admittedly, I like the betting favorite here. Pato O’Ward has been close a few times and could taste the milk last year. If there was a time for O’Ward to win, this is it. The McLaren is sneaky fast again with late-run speed.

• Indy 500 Prediction to Win: Pato O’Ward (+500 at DraftKings).

Indy 500 Specials Via FanDuel

A Few More Early Indy 500 Betting Options

First, a special thanks to Joey Mulinaro for his specials. Out of the three, the O’Ward-Palou second chance at +280 is our best choice. This will be the most prime opportunity for either driver.

DraftKings has Alexander Rossi to finish third at +500 and that could be a fun wager (finished 4th in 2024). Also, I favor drivers like Colton Herta to end up in the Top 3 (+700) or Conor Daly (+650).