Fire Up the Grill & the Engine! Honda Indy 200 Odds: Top 3 Contenders & Who Wins at Mid-Ohio?

We are basically at the midways point of the IndyCar season with 8 races in the books and 9 still to come, and while that is a lot of racing to look forward to, the drivers sitting outside first are going to need to get up to speed rather quickly. Alex Palou is putting together a fantastic season and opening a lead at the top, but he will be well aware that there are zero prizes given for having the lead after half a season.

The chasing pack will get another shot at closing the gap this weekend with the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, but can they put the pressure on, or will Palou continue to open up his lead?

There looks to me to be a clear favorite here based on past performances in this specific race, but let’s take a look at the current IndyCar lines on the board

IndyCar Betting Analysis and Prediction for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Race | MyBookie Racing Betting Preview

Sunday, July 2nd at 1:30 pm ET
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio
90 Laps | 203.22 mi (327.05 km)

Alex Palou

You know that you are in pretty good shape when a 5th place overall finish is seen as a bit of a disappointment. That is what Palou went through after ending the 2021 season as something of a surprising champion. Last season proved to be a backward step, perhaps because of the pressure of being a defending champion, but he is having no such issues in 2023. Palou has won 3 of the last 4 races to get to 324 points, which has him 74 points ahead of the nearest challenger. That type of form is tough to maintain, but this is a race he likes. He may not have won at Mid-Ohio, but he does have 2 podium finishes in each of the last 2 seasons.

Marcus Ericsson

During his time with IndyCar, the highlight for Ericsson was his win in the Indianapolis 500 in 2022. That vaulted him to the top of the driver standings, but he went off the boil after than win and fell all the way to 6th overall, matching his final finish in the 2021 season. He looks set to better that this season, but if he is to seriously challenge for the title, he needs to get back to winning, which he did in the opening race of the year. Ericsson finished 2nd in this race a couple of years back and ran 6th in 2022. I think he might be a solid top 5 pick in this one.

Josef Newgarden

We are all somewhat sitting back and waiting for Newgarden to move into high gear this season, but it hasn’t really happened yet. He has certainly had his moments, winning a pair of races to this point, but he has tended to follow up those positive performances with rather lackluster showings. Still, this is a driver that has won a World Championship and knows how to get the job done, so he might yet come good. He won this race in 2021, so this might be his weekend.

Pato O’Ward

After winning the Indy Lights championship in his first full season in 2018, O’Ward moved up, with the expectation that a championship at this level might be in his near future. While he has certainly had his moments, I think it’s fair to say that we are still waiting to see the best from him. Right now, he is sitting in 4th overall, but he has a ton of ground to make up on Palou. He does have a trio of 2nd place finishes, so don’t totally count him out.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

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