It’s the greatest spectacle in racing to many and one of the biggest sporting events in Indiana—and not by a mile, but by 500. The Indy 500 brings even more excitement to the state now that you can bet on it at Indiana sportsbooks, both live and online.
Auto racing betting options are aplenty in Indiana and expand even further when it comes to America’s greatest motor race. Read on for a complete look at all your Indy 500 betting options, including 2021 race details, where to bet, Indy 500 odds this year, and exactly how you can bet by app or via online sportsbooks in Indiana right now.
For the first time in 74 years, the Indy 500 wasn’t held over Memorial Day Weekend in 2020.
The global COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to move the race to Aug. 23, 2020, and the more than 250,000 seats at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were left empty.
Takuma Sato won the race, having previously won the 2017 Indy. It was also the second Indy 500 win for car owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman.
Organizers are now hopeful things can get back to normal for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2021.
The 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 30, 2021, over Memorial Day Weekend at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Before the 2020 Indy 500, track owner Roger Penske said that the fan experience will always be his top priority and he looked forward to welcoming fans back to IMS next May. To that end, tickets are on sale through the IndianapolisMotorSpeedway.com website, with many of the “Race Day Reserved Seats” already sold out.
The 2021 Indy 500 is a part of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series season. That means the following teams and drivers are expected to compete:
The 2021 Indy 500 will include a traditional 33-car starting field. That means there will be at least a dozen Indy-only entries in the race. Indy-only entries may include:
The favorites to win the 2021 Indy 500 would have to be reigning IndyCar Series Drivers’ Champion Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) and reigning Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing).
That said, Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport), Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske), and Will Power (Team Penske) are all previous Indy 500 winners and in the mix for this year’s race.
Expect the top Indiana online sportsbooks to offer various odds boosts, bonuses and promos surrounding the 2021 Indy 500. Here’s a look at what three Indiana online sportsbooks did for the Indy 500 in 2020:
The reason this promo sounds like free money is because it practically was. All you had to do was deposit a minimum of $20 and bet a minimum of $20 on any driver to win.
Then, as long as the driver completed a single lap, PointsBet would award you a $100 bonus. Of course, you also got paid at the posted Indy 500 betting odds if the driver went on to win the race. Takuma Sato bettors truly enjoyed this one with Sato going off at around +1600 ahead of the race.
If you bet on any driver to win the race at Unibet Sportsbook last year, you got up to $25 in site credit back if they failed to get there, but still managed to finish in the top five.
DraftKings Sportsbook went the traditional odds boost route in 2020, boosting the odds on polesitter Marco Andretti up to +875.
Betting on the Indy 500 just might be the easiest thing you ever do. However, you can also get as advanced as you like with a good number of Indy 500 props and live betting options. The following basic race bets are available for the Indy 500 at online and mobile sportsbooks in Indiana:
There’s no secret to successful betting on the Indy 500. Just do a little research into the race, teams, and drivers in the field. You’ll go from guessing to making informed and educated Indy 500 picks in no time.
These three basic Indy 500 betting tips should also help:
Ahead of the 100th Indianapolis 500 in 2016, the Associated Press surveyed the 27 living race winners at the time about the most memorable moments and drivers in the history of the race. Here’s what they discovered:
Here’s a look at the past ten Indy 500 winners and the pre-race odds on these drivers to win:
Year | Drivers | Odds |
---|---|---|
2020 | Takuma Sato | +1600 |
2019 | Simon Pagenaud | +800 |
2018 | Will Power | +1000 |
2017 | Takuma Sato | +1500 |
2016 | Alexander Rossi | +2000 |
2015 | Juan Pablo Montoya | +550 |
2014 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | +1200 |
2013 | Tony Kanaan | +1500 |
2012 | Dario Franchitti | +900 |
2011 | Dan Wheldon | +1000 |
2010 | Dario Franchitti | +450 |
The first Indianapolis 500 was held in 1911. Ray Harroun won.
The Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where it is held have been auto racing’s most famous race and venue ever since.
The race is often referred to as the greatest spectacle in racing. A lot of the reason why is the fact the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, nicknamed The Brickyard, normally attracts a quarter-million spectators on race day.
The 500-mile race includes 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval track. The Indy cars are of the open-wheel and open-cockpit variety, putting the drivers at great risk. The Indy Car Racing format is named for the prestigious race.
The track is referred to as The Brickyard because of its partial brick surfacing. Its 250,000-plus seats make it the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.
There are several traditions associated with the Indy 500. including the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana,” before the race, the winner drinking a celebratory bottle of milk, and the race starting with 33 drivers on a three-wide ten-row grid.
The Indianapolis 500 winner drinking milk in Victory Lane is a tradition that’s been around since 1936 when it was the drink of choice for Indy 500 champion Louis Meyer. His mother said it would be the most refreshing on a hot day.
The singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana,” right before the race starts is a tradition dating back to 1946. It may not be Indiana’s state song, but it’s as Indiana as a song gets.
Late actor, singer, and comedian Jim Nabors and the Purdue Marching Band led the crowd in singing the song most years from 1972 to 2014. Chicago Blackhawks anthem singer Jim Cornelison has done it since 2017.
J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr., and Rick Mears have all won four Indy 500 races.
Seven drivers have won three times, but only one of those drivers is still active: Brazil’s Hélio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing).
2020 Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) has two wins, as do nine other inactive drivers.
Roger Penske has 18 team wins at the Indy 500. His first was in 1972 and most recent in 2019. Penske now owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well.
The driver with the fastest lap time in qualifying starts in the best position on a unique three-wide ten-row grid at the Indy 500. Starting in the first row is an advantage.
Polesitters have won 21 Indy 500 races. Drivers in the 2nd position have 11 wins and those in the 3rd position in the grid have 12. That means close to half the Indy 500 races have been won by drivers from the first row.
There have been ten rookie winners at the Indy 500. Most recently Colombia’s Juan Pablo Montoya won it as a rookie in 2000, Brazil’s Hélio Castroneves in 2001, and American Alexander Rossi in 2016.
Brazilian Tony Kanaan (KV Racing Technology) posted the fastest Indy 500 time ever in 2013. He ran the 500 miles in 2:40:03.4181 with an average speed of 187.433 miles per hour.
Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi were neck-and-neck battling for the lead on the 199th lap in 1989 when they touched wheels. Unser spun out and hit the outside wall as Fittipaldi cruised to victory.
In 1994, some five years later, Fittipaldi and Unser were teammates. Fittipaldi had the lead, Unser was second, and on lap 184 he tried to lap him. Unfortunately, Fittipaldi ran over the rumble strips on the inside and lost control crashing into the outside wall. This time, Unser cruised to victory.