FlurrySports gives picks and Indy 500 betting odds for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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Sunday marks the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, the crown jewel of American open-wheel racing and one of the most prestigious motorsports events in the world. There is nothing quite like it. The month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a spectacle unto itself, and the race has a way of producing storylines that no other event can match.
Indy 500 betting presents a unique challenge. With 33 cars on the grid and 500 miles of racing, chaos is always a factor. However, history provides a useful filter — nearly two-thirds of all Indy 500 winners have started from one of the top six positions on the grid, and the average starting position of the race winner over the past decade sits at 6.1. Clearly, qualifying results matter a great deal here.
With that context in mind, it’s also worth noting that certain drivers simply have a track record at Indianapolis that demands respect. Experience at this 2.5-mile oval is not easily replicated, and the combination of elite equipment and proven results here has a way of separating legitimate contenders from the rest of the field.
Below, we break down the 2026 Indy 500 betting odds and offer our outright winner selections for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Indy 500 Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
110th Indianapolis 500
Date: Sunday, May 24, 2026
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway — Speedway, IN
Start Time: 12:45 p.m. EST
Coverage: FOX
Distance: 500 miles (200 laps)
Pole Sitter: Alex Palou
Defending Champion: Alex Palou
Indy 500 Betting Odds to Win
Given that 21 of the previous 109 Indianapolis 500 race winners started on the pole, it’s only fitting that the pole-sitter enters as the favorite. What may come as a surprise to some is the gulf that separates Alex Palou from the rest of the field in the Indy 500 betting odds.
As the pole-sitter and defending Indy 500 champion, Palou is situated as a commanding favorite at +250 odds. The next closest driver to him is Pato O’Ward at +600. Connor Daly, David Malukas and Alexander Rossi round out the list of five drivers priced shorter than 10-1 to win on Sunday.
While both have starting positions on the first two rows and strong historical stats at The Brickyard, it’s tough to argue in favor of O’Ward and Rossi at their current price points following an incident in the post-qualifying practice session on Monday. Rossi will be in a backup car for the race and received medical attention for injuries that stemmed from the wreck. O’Ward will also be in a backup car after sustaining heavy damage.
Two Team Penske drivers are priced at 10-1 in the Indy 500 betting odds. This race has not been kind to Scott McLaughlin over the years. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden, a two-time winner, will have ground to make up after qualifying 23rd.
A couple of intriguing part-time veteran drivers check in at 30-1 odds. Helio Castroneves will take another crack at winning a record-setting fifth Indianapolis 500 while Takuma Sato seeks his third career victory in this race.
The table below lists the latest outright odds for the full field.
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Indy 500 betting odds are taken from BetUS Sportsbook.
| Driver | Odds to Win | Indianapolis 500 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Palou | +250 | Marcus Ericsson | +4000 |
| Pato O’Ward | +600 | Ed Carpenter | +4000 |
| Conor Daly | +700 | Christian Lundgaard | +4000 |
| David Malukas | +800 | Marcus Armstrong | +6000 |
| Alexander Rossi | +900 | Caio Collet | +6000 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1000 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | +7000 |
| Josef Newgarden | +1000 | Romain Grosjean | +8000 |
| Santino Ferrucci | +1100 | Louis Foster | +8000 |
| Felix Rosenqvist | +1200 | Graham Rahal | +8000 |
| Scott Dixon | +1600 | Nolan Siegel | +10000 |
| Takuma Sato | +3000 | Mick Schumacher | +10000 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +3000 | Jack Harvey | +15000 |
| Kyffin Simpson | +3000 | Dennis Hauger | +15000 |
| Helio Castroneves | +3000 | Jacob Abel | +20000 |
| Christian Rasmussen | +3000 | Sting Ray Robb | +30000 |
| Will Power | +4000 | Katherine Legge | +30000 |
| Rinus VeeKay | +4000 |
Indy 500 Betting Picks and Predictions: Who Will Win the Indianapolis 500?
Favorite: Alex Palou (+250)
It is almost impossible to leave Alex Palou off of any Indy 500 betting card. What is perhaps more remarkable is seeing a driver with odds implying a better than 28% chance to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing — and having a hard time arguing against it. Palou is the defending race winner and will start from the pole, giving him every advantage before the green flag even drops.
Including last year’s victory, Palou has four top-5 finishes in the last five Indy 500s and five top-10s across six career starts. He has also won the IndyCar Series championship three consecutive years and four of the last five overall, carrying the points lead into this weekend.
The Indy 500 is its own beast and history is littered with dominant drivers who couldn’t crack it — but Palou has already done it, and he keeps finding ways to contend regardless. At this stage of his career, the case for him being one of the best to ever strap into an IndyCar is not a stretch.
Value Pick: David Malukas (+800)
An 8-1 price point on a driver who is winless in the IndyCar Series to date may be off-putting to some. After two underwhelming results in the 500 with Dale Coyne Racing earlier in his career, Malukas made a statement last year with AJ Foyt Enterprises, finishing runner-up in the Indy 500. Now he steps into arguably the best equipment in the field with Team Penske — and the results are already showing.
Malukas will start from the front row after qualifying third, the best starting position of his Indy 500 career. The only other oval track that the series has raced at so far this year was at Phoenix Raceway, and Malukas led a race-high 73 laps before settling for third. Phoenix and Indianapolis Motor Speedway are very different tracks, but that can only be considered a positive data point to go along with the Team Penske outlook boost.
Penske always seems to have a plan at Indianapolis, and with Josef Newgarden buried deep in the field after a difficult qualifying effort, there could be an even greater focus and emphasis on Malukas’ car. His two best IndyCar finishes have both come on ovals, and it feels like he is set up well for another one.
Long Shot Hopeful: Christian Rasmussen (+3000)
If you are looking for an Indy 500 betting “dart throw” with a legitimate case behind it, Christian Rasmussen is worthy of consideration. He is set to start 15th in his third Indy 500 driving for Ed Carpenter Racing after a decent effort in qualifying.
Rasmussen has done something remarkable in each of his first two Indy 500 starts — he has improved his finishing position by exactly 12 spots both times. After placing 12th as a rookie in 2024, he came home sixth last year. At some point, a pattern stops being a coincidence. His oval pedigree in the IndyCar Series has been shockingly strong since his arrival as well.
The first IndyCar win of Rasmussen’s career came last year at the Milwaukee Mile. He was threatening for another at Phoenix earlier this season before late contact with Will Power ended the run. Even so, he made 60 on-track passes and led 69 laps after starting 18th. Clearly, he keeps finding speed when it matters on ovals. The 30-1 price point is underselling what he has been able to do both at The Brickyard and other ovals in the series.
