The 110th renewal of the Indianapolis 500 is set for today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
We have a significant favorite in the Indy 500 odds in pole-sitter Alex Palou, while long shot Katherine Legge will be the first woman to attempt double duty of racing in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 later in the day.
My Indy 500 predictions and free betting picks for Sunday, May 24 are targeting Santino Ferrucci and Scott McLaughlin.
Odds to win 2026 Indianapolis 500 today
| Driver |  |
|---|---|
| Alex Palou | +280 |
| Pato O'Ward | +600 |
| David Malukas | +650 |
| Conor Daly | +750 |
| Josef Newgarden | +850 |
| Alexander Rossi | +1100 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1100 |
| Santino Ferrucci | +1100 |
| Felix Rosenquist | +1400 |
| Scott Dixon | +1600 |
| Christian Rasmussen | +2000 |
| Helio Castroneves | +2500 |
| Takuma Sato | +2500 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +3000 |
| Kyffin Simpson | +4000 |
| Rinus Veekay | +4000 |
| Marcus Ericsson | +4000 |
| Christian Lundgaard | +4000 |
| Will Power | +4500 |
| Ed Carpenter | +5000 |
Odds as of 5-24.
Here's the full Indianapolis 500 qualifying order.
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Indianapolis 500 expert picks and predictions
Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 5-22.
Indianapolis 500 betting favorites
Alex Palou (+250)
Implied odds: 28.6%
Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou finally got the monkey off his back by winning the 2025 Indianapolis 500, and he's heavily favored to make it back-to-back victories after securing the pole.
It's hard to knock his current form, as he's begun the year with three wins from six starts.
However, he is the shortest Indy 500 favorite since 2008. That alone will make many handicappers (myself included) look elsewhere in a 33-car scramble,
Pato O'Ward (+600)
Implied odds: 14.3%
Pato O'Ward has four Top 5s through six races, trailing only Palou and Kyle Kirkwood, who each have five.
However, O'Ward has finished 17th or worse in two of his last three races.
Still, bettors should be encouraged by his third-place effort in last year's Indy 500, as well as his 2025 win at Iowa, one of only six left-turn-only tracks the IndyCar Series visits on a yearly basis.
Conor Daly (+700)
Implied odds: 12.5%
Despite his eighth-place starting position, it's tough to make a case for Conor Daly, especially at these odds.
Daly is 0-for-13 at the Indy 500, with his best finish being a sixth. He's 0-for-132 all-time in the IndyCar Series.
Daly will be making his first start all year in this race.
Indianapolis 500 sleeper
Santino Ferrucci (+1100)
Implied odds: 8.3%
Santino Ferrucci is flying under the radar to some extent due to his record of only one Top 10 through six races in 2026. However, those were all over road/street courses.
Narrow things down to left-turn-only venues, and Ferrucci's case looks a lot stronger.
Ferrucci ran fifth in this race a year ago, fifth at Illinois, and eighth at Nashville. The No. 14 pilot, who rolls off the grid in fifth, has not missed the Top 10 at IMS since 2019.
Indianapolis 500 fade
Conor Daly (+700)
Implied odds: 12.5%
Despite his eighth-place starting position, it's tough to make a case for Conor Daly, especially at these odds.
Daly is 0-for-13 at the Indy 500, with his best finish being a sixth. He's 0-for-132 all-time in the IndyCar Series.
Daly will be making his first start all year in this race.
Indianapolis 500 bonus pick
Scott McLaughlin (+1100)
Implied odds: 8.3%
Scott McLaughlin took a while to get his season back on track after a stunning pre-race crash in the 2025 Indy 500. However, he ended the year with solid back-to-back thirds on round courses.
He has three Top 10s in 2026, and a sixth-place finish at IMS from 2024 to lean on. His redemption story begins from P9 today.
Pick made on 5-24.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway track analysis
IMS is a 2.5-mile rectangular oval featuring two 0.625-mile straightaways, four identical 0.250-mile turns, and two 0.125-mile connecting straight sections known as “short chutes” between Turns 1-2 and Turns 3-4. The corners are banked at 9.2 degrees, which is relatively flat compared to America's second-most famous race track, Daytona International Speedway (31 degrees on the turns).
Indianapolis Motor Speedway trend to know
The betting favorite has won only one of the last 13 Indy 500s.
How to watch the Indy 500 today
| Location: | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, IN |
| Date: | Sunday, May 24, 2026 |
| Start time: | 12:45 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
Indy 500 weather
There's a 35% chance of precipitation on a 73-degree Sunday at Speedway, IN. If the track is deemed too slick to race upon, the Indy 500 could be moved to Monday.
Previous Indy 500 winners
| Year | Winner | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alex Palou | Honda |
| 2024 | Josef Newgarden | Chevrolet |
| 2023 | Josef Newgarden | Chevrolet |
| 2022 | Marcus Ericsson | Honda |
| 2021 | Helio Castrovenes | Honda |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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