2015 Indianapolis 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers

2015 Indianapolis 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers: The most storied event in auto racing will add another chapter this weekend with the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. Some of the greatest drivers in history have won the event, and every driver that gets behind the wheel of an open-wheel car dreams of one day having their name added to the Borg-Warner Trophy while they sip the celebratory jug of milk in victory lane.

2015 Indianapolis 500 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Contenders and Sleepers

The Favorites

He is starting on the pole for Sunday’s race, and no driver in the field has led more laps at Indianapolis than Scott Dixon. He is also a former winner of the Indy 500, and in 12 total starts, he has amassed five top-five finishes and eight top-10s. More impressively, he has finished sixth or better in seven of his last nine starts in the event.

After settling for second in the Indianapolis 500 last year, Helio Castroneves will try for his record-tying fourth win in the race this weekend. In addition to his three wins, Castroneves has seven top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 14 starts at Indianapolis to go along with a 7.1 average finish. He is starting the in the top five Sunday, and he could add to a resume that is already one of the best in the event’s history.

It took him a while to actually win the Indy 500, but even before his victory in 2013, Tony Kanaan had proven he was a force in the event. In 13 starts, he has notched seven top-10 finishes, including six top-five finishes. Perhaps more importantly, he has led the third most laps at Indianapolis of any driver in the field this weekend.

The Contenders

He made his first start in the Indy 500 back in 2000, and Juan Pablo Montoya led 167 of the 200 laps on his way to a dominating win. He didn’t race again in the event until last season, but the layoff didn’t cause much rust as he managed to lead 16 laps and finish in the top five. Montoya heads into this weekend’s race sitting atop the IndyCar Series standings, and it is safe to say his success at Indianapolis has stood the test of time.

Although the “Andretti Curse” is hanging over him, there is no denying that Marco Andretti knows how to get around Indianapolis. In nine starts in the Indy 500, he has six top-10s and five top-five finishes. In fact, Andretti has finished third or better at Indianapolis four times, and he has led at least 20 laps in the event in each of the last three years.

While he hasn’t shown a ton of speed thus far, counting out Ryan Hunter-Reay this weekend would be a huge mistake. After all, he is the defending winner of this weekend’s race, and he has finished on the podium in back-to-back Indianapolis 500s, leading a combined 82 laps in the process. The defending race-winner won’t go down without a fight.

Road racing may be his specialty, but defending series champ Will Power has improved his oval racing skills over the years. He has logged three top-10 finishes in seven starts in the Indianapolis 500, and while those numbers aren’t outstanding, he has been trending in the right direction. He led 16 laps in the 2013 race, and he led 22 laps last year on his way to an eighth-place finish.

The Sleeper

The sample size is small, but Carlos Munoz has certainly made a lot of noise in his first two starts in the Indianapolis 500. He started second and finished second while leading 12 laps in his Indy 500 debut in 2013, and last year, he started seventh and finished fourth. With two top-five finishes in two starts, his upside his obvious.

Get the latest 2015 Indy 500 Odds for the big race.