Indy betting begins on Sunday with the first race of the season in Brazil. Defending champion Dario Franchitti is the favorite to win again this season with a short list of contenders who could knock him off. Those that bet on Indy really have only a handful of drivers to realistically look at each week.
Indy betting is really all about two teams. Team Penske has Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Will Power. Target Ganassi has Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. There really are not any other serious contenders to consider when you bet on Indy. Can other drivers occasionally win a race? Yes. Will they win very often? No.
A team to watch that might at least steal a few races is KV Racing Technologies who has Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso. They will at least give you some value in Indy betting. Andretti Autosport will get more publicity but they probably won’t win many races and they will be overvalued every time. Their drivers have the big names but they can’t. Save your money if you are going to wager on Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Danica Patrick and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will have Justin Wilson and Mike Conway this season but neither is likely to make much of a splash. Panther Racing has Dan Wheldon but he is not likely to win much this season. In fact, Wheldon has already said he doesn’t expect to win at Brazil. You may want to bet against Wheldon all season in Indy betting. Gil de Ferran might steal a race for Luczo Dragon Racing this season but it would still be a surprise to see him win. Vitor Meira returns to AJ Foyt Enterprises but he probably won’t win a race.
If you are going to bet on Indy then you really want to consider Penske or Ganassi cars. “We know the competition is going to be tougher than last year,” defending series champion Dario Franchitti said, “There will be the usual suspects that were in the title fight last year, and I think you’ll add a couple more. Andrettis will pick up the pace, and Penske will be as tough as they have ever been. We’ll have to work harder if we want to come home with another championship.” Last season Franchitti and teammate Scott Dixon combined to win 10 races for those that bet on Indy. Those two drivers and the Penske trio are likely to dominate all year in Indy betting.