With 4 races of the season gone in IndyCar, we are all now beginning to look ahead to the Indianapolis 500. It is the biggest race on the schedule, but there is still some business to attend to before we get to that race. The drivers will be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend on the road course for the GMR Grand Prix. This event was broken into 3 separate races last season, but we are back to normal this year. This is one of the more exciting races on the schedule due to the unique track configuration, and there are some definite favorites this weekend, so let’s take a closer look along with their IndyCar odds.
2021 GMR Grand Prix | IndyCar Betting Analysis
Josef Newgarden +450
One of the best drivers of recent years saw his 2021 IndyCar season get off to a terrible start in Alabama, which is never great when you have designs on winning another championship. Since then, Newgarden has upped the ante and finished 2nd twice and 6th in his other race. That is enough to no have him sitting in 4th in the driver standings and within striking distance of the leader. Newgarden is always among the favorites for most races and his recent form certainly warrants it. In the 3 races on this track last season, Newgarden had a win and did not finish worse than 7th. That certainly suggests that he has a shot at winning this weekend.
Scott Dixon +500
If you are not a huge follower of IndyCar, you may not be aware that Scott Dixon is the Indy equivalent of Lewis Hamilton in F1. He wins championships for fun, and even when he doesn’t, he is always among the leaders. He is off to another quick start and is currently sitting atop the driver standings after 4 races. He has already picked up his first win of the season and has not finished worse than 5th this year. He won in his first appearance on this track last season, but he wasn’t really in the hunt in the other two races later in the season. Dixon is always worth taking a shot on.
Will Power +450
Power is another driver who has been consistently good in his time in IndyCar, but he is in a bit of a rough patch at the moment. He started out well enough, finishing 2nd in the opening race of the year, but over the last 2 races he has failed to crack the top 10. He needs a solid performance that will break him out of this current slump, and this might just be the track where it happens. Power has won here 4 times since 2017, including winning last season. His performances over the past couple of races may not be great, but maybe that ends this weekend.
Pato O’Ward +750
Last season was the first full year in IndyCar for O’Ward, and he certainly made the best of it, finishing 4th overall. Despite that solid performance, he was not able to nab his first win in Indy, but that run ended in Texas in the last race, where he picked up his first career win. While winning back-to-back races is tough, you certainly cannot count O’Ward out, as he is sure to still be on a high. His best finish in the 3 raves at this track last season was 5th, so more evidence that he could be in the conversation.
