The 109th edition of the Indianapolis 500 is set for Sunday, with the green flag dropping at 12:45 p.m. ET. The race will run for 200 laps on a 2.5-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As noted by the speedway’s official site, eight former Indianapolis 500 winners are entered into this year’s starting field.

Robert Shwartzman, however, is on the pole for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”, becoming the first rookie in 42 years to start first. Shwartzman is the third rookie to ever pull off the feat.

Josef Newgarden is aiming to become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in three consecutive years. But Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward are tied for the best odds to win the race at +500 each on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Indianapolis 500 best odds

*Odds are to win the race via DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 23*

• Alex Palou +500
• Pato O’Ward +500
• Scott Dixon +650
• Robert Shwartzman +750
• Takuma Sato +900
• Scott McLaughlin +900
• Josef Newgarden +950
• Felix Rosenqvist +1200
• Kyle Larson +1800
• David Malukas +1800
• Alexander Rossi +1800
• Christian Lundgaard +2000
• Marcus Ericsson +2000
• Conor Daly +2500
• Colton Herta +2500
• Will Power +2500

Indy 500 favorites

Alex Palou (+500 at DraftKings Sportsbook): The IndyCar series champion is currently the points leader, and he has won four of the first five races so far this season. He was the fastest in Monday’s practice session. He was also the fastest on the opening day of qualifying. Palou finished in the top 500 in his last two starts in this event.

Pato O’Ward (+500 at DraftKings Sportsbook): O’Ward was narrowly edged out by Newgarden in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and will look to close the deal this time. He has placed second twice in the last four races this season, but did not place in the top 10 in practice. Dixon will start third and is at +250 to finish first or second.

Scott Dixon (+650): Dixon will start fourth, and his only win in this event was in 2008. He was not among the top 10 fastest drivers in practice. He did run better in qualifying, though, and he has three top 6 showings in his last five starts in this event, per the official site of IndyCar. Dixon is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

Robert Shwartzman (+750): This could be a very risky play, as Shwartzman has never raced on an oval before. He may either contend for the win or wreck, and will be one of the more difficult drivers in the field to forecast. You may want to look elsewhere for a more solid payout.

Takuma Sato (+900): This may be the best target for a better payout. Sato will start on the front row along with the rookie, and he is a two-time Indy 500 winner. He won the race in 2017 after starting in second.

This is the only IndyCar race that Sato will compete in this season, so he may take a true win-or-bust approach. Other than the top two favorites, Sato may be your best wagering choice.

Scott McLaughlin (+900): He will start in 10th place after crashing in qualifying. It may be best to steer clear of Team Penske drivers after the team’s controversy in qualifying. McLaughlin took the pole at last year’s Indy 500 and finished in sixth.

Josef Newgarden (+950): If you are going to go with a Penske driver anyhow, Newgarden is the obvious pick because of his outstanding recent runs in this event. He will start in the back row because of the team penalties.

It’s not out of the question that he can win from that far back, but his path to making history with three consecutive wins in the Indy 500 just became much tougher.

Felix Rosenqvist (+1200): He qualified to start in the fifth spot on the grid. Rosenqvist has one career IndyCar win.

Kyle Larson (+1800): This will be a fun one to wager on, as Larson will do the unique “double dip” of also attempting to race in NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 later in the day. He will start from the 19th position and finish 18th in the event in 2024.