Indianapolis 500: Las Vegas Odds to Win and Long Shot Pick

The 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 will take place Sunday May 29 and the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook has posted odds to win on the event. There are several surprises listed as long shots and the usual suspects listed as favorites for the event.

Alex Tagliani was a surprise pole sitter for this year's Indianapolis 500 as well as Oriol Servia on the outside of the front row. Ryan Briscoe's crash on Saturday put him in a box on a dramatic bump day but his teammate Helio Castroneves was not in much better shape. Briscoe will start next to Danica Patrick on the ninth row while Helio will start on the sixth row. The following odds are for the most notable drivers while a field bet will net a 20-1 profit it it hits.

The Favorites to Win the Indianapolis 500

Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon will be the odds on favorites to drink the milk at the end of this year's Indy 500. Both Chip Ganasssi drivers are 4-1 to win the race. Dario and Dixon have won three of the last four at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it is a major reason why they are favored.

Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe are currently 9-2 to win the race. The Roger Penske drivers are both capable of bringing home the Borg Warner trophy but their odds are too slim to give them any run. Castroneves has been struggling this year and Briscoe will be in a back up car for the 500.

Will Power is currently 7-1 to win and he is the highest starting Penske driver. Power is more comfortable on a road course but he will be in a Penske engineered piece and that is good enough to consider him a cover bet. Power will be in the mix in the last 25 laps and he has the best owner on top of his pit box. Power is a good cover bet at 7-1.

The Medium Favorites With a Chance to Win

Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Tony Kanaan are all 15-1 to win. Danica and Marco are both Andretti Autosport drivers and the only two Andretti Autosport drivers to make the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan is not with the team this season but this may be a good thing for Kanaan.

Andretti Autosport sent two drivers packing: Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Reay were sent home after they failed to make the field. Ryan Hunter-Reay would have been a 25-1 shot to win the race had he made the field.

There are three other drivers with 25-1 odds to win the Indianapolis 500. Graham Rahal survived "Bump Day" and now can be considered a legitimate long shot to win next weekend. Two other 25-1 drivers with shots to win are Dan Wheldon and veteran Paul Tracy. Tracy still has a chip on his shoulder after his victory over Helio Castroneves was nullified by officials in 2002. Tracy and Wheldon have a slim chance to win but the key word is slim. Danica Patrick has the fastest car of the medium favorites and 15-1 is worth a bet to win.

Long Shots With a Chance to Win

There are several drivers with odds exceeding 50-1 that have a chance to take home the trophy. Vitor Meira with odds of 50-1 can pull off a win in this event. Meira, driving for A.J. Foyt, would be a fitting victor in the 100th anniversary edition of the race.

Alex Tagliani's odds will fall now that he is sitting on the pole for the first time in his Indy 500 career. Tagliani is currently 60-1 and it his odds should settle in at 35-1. Still a great opportunity for some money to be made. Sam Schmidt Racing will be hard pressed on their pit stops and this may be Tagliani's undoing.

The best long shot to win this year's Indianapolis 500? A woman has the best odds of winning this year. There will be four women in the field: Danica Patrick, Ana Beatriz, Pippa Mann and Simona de Silvestro. Among the four women, the best long shot bet will be de Silvestro at 100-1. Although she is dealing with some burned hands after a horrific wreck on May 21, Simona will have the best chance of the drivers with odds of 100-1 or greater.

Sources:

Las Vegas Hilton Superbook Odds to win Indianapolis 500

IndyCar.com Starting field for Indianapolis 500