It’s that time of year when we see motor sports make a return. NASCAR is already back and now we have IndyCar ready to return this coming weekend. We can only hope that the 2022 version of the IndyCar season is as exciting as what we saw last year, with the championship going all the way down to the final race. It was Alex Palou who ended up winning it all, which most fans of the sport saw as a bit of an upset. He has a lot to do to repeat as champion, especially with so many other good drivers waiting in the wings ready to take a run at him. The ball gets rolling on St. Petersburg this weekend, so let’s take a look at some drivers who might get off to a winning start along with their IndyCar Odds.
2022 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | IndyCar Betting Analysis
Alex Palou +700
The fact of the matter is that after finishing 16th overall in his first season in IndyCar, no one really expected him to be much of a factor in his 2nd year. We got an indication very early on that Palou might be ready to make a run, winning the opening race of the season in Alabama. He ended up winning 3 races last year, but as good as he was throughout the 2021 season, one of his worst performances came in St. Petersburg. He will be looking to make amends for that by getting the new season off to a fast start.
Josef Newgarden +600
Newgarden came close to winning his 3rd world championship last year, but he came up a little short, finishing 2nd overall for the 2nd straight season. While he was technically still in the hunt heading into the final race of the season in 2021, Newgarden admitted that it would take a lot for him to steal the championship, which proved to be the case. Newgarden definitely has to be considered one of the favorites this weekend, as he has a 1st place finish and a pair of 2nd place finishes in his last 3 races in St. Petersburg.
Pato O’Ward +900
The 2020 season proved to be a breakout for O’Ward, who finished 4th overall. For a large portion of the season in 2021, it looked as though he was going to take the next big step and win it all. Things went off the rails a little in the final 3 races of the season, a run that saw O’Ward drop down to 4th overall in the driver standings. He is coming into the season as one of the favorites to win it all, and he has a decent history in St. Petersburg, finishing 2nd in 2020.
Scott Dixon +800
Given that Dixon has won the IndyCar championship 6 times over the years, it was surprising to see him not really delivering the goods last season. He only managed a single win last season, which was a drop off from what we are used to seeing from him on any given season. As good as he has been over the years, Dixon has not had a ton of success in St. Petersburg, although he has delivered some top 5 finishes in the past few seasons.
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