Pato O’Ward will try to continue a trend when he takes part in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After failing to qualify for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 2019, O’Ward finished sixth in his debut the following year. The 24-year-old improved by two spots in each of his next two appearances and will try to become the first driver from Mexico to claim the checkered flag. O’Ward is the +500 favorite in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Alex Palou is +575, Scott Dixon is +700 and Alexander Rossi is +900, while Rinus VeeKay rounds out the top five 2023 Indianapolis 500 contenders at +1000. The green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. ET. Before making any 2023 Indy 500 picks, you need to see what SportsLine’s Micah Roberts has to say.
A former Vegas bookmaker, Roberts was the first to offer expanded auto racing betting and now hands out winners to his followers on SportsLine.
As a rookie in 2016, Rossi shocked the world by winning the Indy 500 as a +8000 long shot. Roberts, the nation’s premier auto racing betting expert, was all over Rossi.
The following year, sportsbooks listed Takuma Sato as a +2500 long shot, but Roberts liked his speed during practice runs and listed him in the top 10 of his projected leaderboard. The result: Sato stunned the IndyCar world with his first win since 2013, and anybody who backed him saw a massive return.
Roberts also had 2018 winner Will Power, who was listed at +1000, in his top 10 and correctly predicted Simon Pagenaud to win the Indianapolis 500 a year later.Â
Now, Roberts has studied the 2023 Indianapolis 500 starting grid and locked in his IndyCar picks. Head to SportsLine to see his complete projected 2023 Indy 500 leaderboard.
2023 Indianapolis 500 expert picks
One shocker: Roberts is fading Pato O’Ward, even though he is the 2023 Indianapolis 500 favorite at +500. In fact, Roberts says O’Ward, who was the 2020 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year after finishing sixth and was runner-up in the race last year, barely even cracks the top 10 on Sunday.
“I didn’t see the speed from him like I did with (Alex) Palau in practices,” Roberts told SportsLine. “Top-10 speed, yes, but not the fastest that’s worthy of being the favorite.” You can see who else to fade here.
Another curveball: Roberts is high on Will Power, even though he is a long shot at +1600 in the 2023 Indy 500 odds. The 42-year-old Australian is the reigning IndyCar Series champion after winning his second career title last year and also has been runner-up on four occasions. Power has been 14th or worse in the Indy 500 the last three years, but is hoping to regain the form he displayed from 2014 to 2019, when he posted five top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2018.
“Power is eighth in points through five races this season with one podium finish,” Roberts told SportsLine, “but he may offer the best value on the board because he displayed a lot of speed in Monday’s final practice session.” You can see who else to back here.
How to make 2023 Indianapolis 500 predictions
Roberts also has identified a longshot driver with a strong chance of taking the checkered flag. Vegas is lukewarm on this driver, so anyone who backs him could cash in huge. You can only see who it is at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2023 Indianapolis 500, and which long shot should you be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the full projected leaderboard from the nation’s premier auto racing handicapper, and find out.
2023 Indianapolis 500 odds, field
See full 2023 Indy 500 picks, predictions, and best bets here.
Pato O’Ward +500
Alex Palou +575
Scott Dixon +700
Alexander Rossi +900
Rinus VeeKay +1000
Marcus Ericsson +1100
Takuma Sato +1100
Felix Rosenqvist +1200
Josef Newgarden +1400
Santino Ferrucci +1500
Scott McLaughlin +1500
Will Power +1600
Tony Kanaan +1700
Colton Herta +2000
Kyle Kirkwood +2500
Conor Daly +3000
David Malukas +4000
Romain Grosjean +4500
Ed Carpenter +5000
Simon Pagenaud +5000
Graham Rahal +5000
Helio Castroneves +5500
Marco Andretti +6000
Ryan Hunter-Reay +6000
Benjamin Pedersen +7500
Christian Lundgaard +10000
Jack Harvey +20000
Agustin Canapino +25000
Callum Ilott +25000
Devlin DeFrancesco +30000
RC Enerson +30000
Katherine Legge +30000
Sting Ray Robb +30000
