Practice for the IZOD IndyCar Series opened Saturday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, two weeks ahead of the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. And Monday, MGM Las Vegas unveiled the drivers with the best odds of winning the Memorial Day weekend classic.
Spoiler alert: let's hope you're not expecting underdogs near the top.
Will Power, the current series point leader, was slated as the favorite of MGM Resorts International's Race & Sports Books in Las Vegas. Power is listed at 7/2, just ahead of his Team Penske teammate and three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Helio Castroneves at 4/1. Power has three wins already this season, but has never won at Indianapolis.
The first of two Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars was listed third with 2008 winner Scott Dixon earning a 9/2 line. His teammate Dario Franchitti tied Penske's Ryan Briscoe at 6/1.
One-half of the last year's heartstopping finish, Panther Racing's JR Hildebrand, earned a 20/1 line for this year's race. Hildebrand led late in the 2011 race before crashing in the final corner of the final lap to hand the race to the late Dan Wheldon.
Andretti Autosport, fielding five cars this year, had three drivers with listed lines in Marco Andretti (10/1), Ryan Hunter-Reay (12/1), James Hinchcliffe (30/1). James Jakes and Sebastian Saavedra were two of six drivers grouped in to the field category at 13/1.
Rubens Barrichello, the former Formula 1 driver from Brazil competing in his first oval race, was listed 25/1 - ahead of last year's pole-sitter Alex Tagliani (35/1).
In the early days of practice for the race (qualifying is Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20), driver Josef Newgarden has been surprisingly fast. Monday afternoon, Newgarden posted a lap of 222.486 mph - the fastest lap in the first three days of practice - in his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda. Newgarden was listed at 75/1 Monday morning by MGM Las Vegas.
The 96th Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, May 27.
Complete Odds for the 2012 Indianapolis 500:
Will Power - 7/2
Helio Castroneves - 4/1
Scott Dixon - 9/2
Ryan Briscoe - 6/1
Dario Franchitti - 6/1
Tony Kanaan - 10/1
Marco Andretti - 10/1
Ryan Hunter-Reay - 12/1
Graham Rahal - 15/1
Ed Carpenter - 18/1
J. R. Hildebrand - 20/1
Rubens Barrichello - 25/1
Simon Pagenaud - 25/1
James Hinchcliffe - 30/1
Alex Tagliani - 35/1
E.J. Viso - 35/1
Mike Conway - 35/1
Justin Wilson - 40/1
Sebastien Bourdais - 40/1
Oriol Servia - 45/1
Wade Cunningham - 45/1
James Jakes - 50/1
Charlie Kimball - 75/1
Josef Newgarden - 75/1
Katherine Legge - 80/1
Simona de Silvestro - 100/1
Ana Beatriz - 100/1
Field (All Others) - 13/1
Geoffrey Miller has covered racing since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffreyMiller.
