The 2021 IndyCar season kicked off in Alabama and it was a bit of a surprise winner, with Alex Palou taking the checkered flag. There were a couple of familiar faces joining Palou on the podium, but you do have to say that the result was unexpected. This week, the drivers will hit the streets of St. Petersburg for what should be an exciting event. Will we get another surprising result with this one, or will we see some of the bigger names in the sport make their mark? Let’s take a quick look at some of the drivers who will almost certainly be among the favorites to win this weekend and so you can bet against their IndyCar odds.
2021 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | IndyCar Betting Analysis
Scott Dixon
When you’ve won as many titles as Dixon has, you can expect to head into every race as a driver that bettors will consider putting some money on. Dixon saw his season get off to a solid enough start in Alabama, as he managed a podium finish, coming in 3rd behind Palou and Will Power. As successful as he has been over the years, this is a race that has not seen him deliver the best results. That said, he has posted podium finishes in 3 of his last 4 runs in St. Petersburg, but the wins on this course have been tough to come by. This is a driver you can never count out, though.
Will Power
Power is a driver that has been incredibly consistent over the past decade or so, never finishing worse than 5th in the driver standings since 2010. While he has racked up the wins, and picked up a championship, during that time, he does only have 1 win at St. Petersburg, which came in 2014, the same year as he topped the driver standings. Power saw his 2021 season get off to a good start with a 2nd place finish in Alabama. That might well be a sign that he is once again ready to take another run at the top spot.
Josef Newgarden
With just 1 race gone in the season, it is a bad idea to start making rash judgements. Josef Newgarden, who finished second overall in the driver standings last year, came into the new season as one of the favorites to challenge for the championship. With that in mind, he is going to be sorely disappointed at finishing 23rd in the opening race of the season in Alabama, a place where he had a good track record. If you are willing to toss that one out, then you need to seriously consider him as a favorite this weekend given that he has won on each of the last 2 years in St. Petersburg.
Pato O’Ward
O’Ward has yet to pick up his first win in IndyCar, but you do get the sense that it’s only a matter of time before it happens. He went into the opening race of the season in Alabama as one of the favorites and will almost certainly be disappointed with his 4th place finish. You do get a feeling that he might be able to get his first win in St. Petersburg, though. In his last season in Indy Lights back in 2018, he won there, and then finished 2nd in St. Pete last season. Well worth taking a look at here.
