🏎️ Indy 500 Odds & Betting Favorites 2026 Today: Palou Remains Favorite on Raceday
It's (almost) time for the crown jewel of the IndyCar series, and we're having a look at the Indy 500 odds and betting favorites ahead of the green flag. Alex Palou's odds have lengthened as the week has gone on, so that's good news if you think he can capture a second victory in the 110th Indy 500.
You can catch all the action on FOX with action starting in just under an hour at 12:45 p.m. ET.
📊 Indy 500 odds & betting favorites 2026
Latest Indy 500 odds at BetMGM as of Sunday, May 24; subject to change.
| Driver | Odds | Probability | Profit ($10 bet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Palou | +310 | 24.39% | $31 |
| Pato O'Ward | +625 | 13.79% | $62.50 |
| David Malukas | +750 | 11.76% | $75 |
| Josef Newgarden | +800 | 11.11% | $80 |
| Conor Daly | +1000 | 9.09% | $100 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1400 | 6.67% | $140 |
| Santino Ferrucci | +1400 | 6.67% | $140 |
| Alexander Rossi | +1400 | 6.67% | $140 |
| Felix Rosenqvist | +1600 | 5.88% | $160 |
| Scott Dixon | +2200 | 4.35% | $220 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +2500 | 3.85% | $250 |
| Takuma Sato | +3000 | 3.23% | $300 |
| Christian Rasmussen | +3500 | 2.78% | $350 |
| Helio Castroneves | +3500 | 2.78% | $350 |
🏁 Early pick to win Indy 500
Alex Palou (+280)
Alex Palou has already claimed the pole for the Indy 500, and now he's looking to become the seventh driver to win in back-to-back years. Why will he do it? Well, for starters, he's peak Palou right now. He's won three of the season's first six races and is the most dominant driver the sport has seen in decades.
His pole-winning qualifying runs featured a four-lap average speed of 232.248 mph in the final Fast Six session, making him the first driver since Helio Castroneves to win the pole while trying to defend a championship. Taking the most aero-sensitive car of all time to the front of the pack is a huge tactical advantage and should be enough to hold off the Chevrolet-powered cars that have shown incredible straight-line speed during practice runs.
2️⃣ The Double
It could be a historical day on Sunday as Katherine Legge aims to become the first woman to complete "The Double" and race in both the Indy 500 and then in NASCAR's Coca Cola 600.
Since 1994, five drivers have done both races. Only one - Tony Stewart in 2021 - has completed all 1,100 miles across both races.
Kyle Larson has attempted The Double in each of the last two years. Last year he crashed in both, failing to compete either. The year prior he missed the start of the NASCAR event after the Indy 500 ran late.
📈 Indy 500 trends & history
- The pole-sitter curse -> Only 21 previous pole sitters have actually won the race
- Penske dominance -> Josef Newgarden is starting fifth, but he's the most recent back-to-back winner
- Sink or swim rookies -> 10 rookies have won the race in the past, most recently Alexander Rossi in 2016
- Temperature warning -> Sunday's forecast looks warm following a rainy practice week; a warmer track tends to favorite Chevrolet-powered cars (Penske, McLaren)
🏁 Rookie Watch
Mick Schumacher is the highest-profile rookie in this year's 33-car field. The son of racing-superstar Michael Schumacher is a long shot at +15000, but he's not the only rookie in the field.
Caio Collet (+6000) has the shortest odds of any rookie, while (Dennis Haugher (+15000) leads the way in the Rookie of the Yard Award with 100 points (Collet has 74, Schumacher has 54).
Indy 500 Starting Grid
Two cars were disqualified following post-qualifying inspections, shaking up the starting grid. The No. 4 car driven by Caio Collet (A.J. Foyt Enterprises) and the No. 24 driven by Jack Harvey (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) were both found with unapproved modifications to the Dallara-supplied EMS covers and the cover-to-A-arm mounting points.
With the grid settled, here's a look at how things will go off on Sunday.
| Row | Position | Driver | Position | Driver | Position | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Alex Palou | 2 | Alexander Rossi | 3 | David Malukas |
| 2 | 4 | Felix Rosenqvist | 5 | Santino Ferrucci | 6 | Pato O'Ward |
| 3 | 7 | Kyffin Simpson | 8 | Conor Daly | 9 | Scott McLaughlin |
| 4 | 10 | Scott Dixon | 11 | Rinus VeeKay | 12 | Takuma Sato |
| 5 | 13 | Ed Carpenter | 14 | Helio Castroneves | 15 | Christian Rasmussen |
| 6 | 16 | Marcus Armstrong | 17 | Marcus Ericsson | 18 | Christian Lundgaard |
| 7 | 19 | Will Power | 20 | Nolan Siegal | 21 | Louis Foster |
| 8 | 22 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 23 | Josef Newgarden | 24 | Nomain Grosjean |
| 9 | 25 | Kyle Kirkwood | 26 | Katherine Legge | 27 | Mick Schumacher |
| 10 | 28 | Graham Rahal | 29 | Denni Hauger | 30 | Jacob Abel |
| 11 | 31 | Sting Ray Robb | 32 | Caio Collet | 33 | Jack Harvey |
🚗 Backup Car
It's a big blow for Pato O'Ward, who qualified sixth: the Mexican driver for Arrow McLaren will be forced into a backup car for Sunday's race.
His No. 5 Chevy suffered enough damage in Monday's crash that sent Rossi to hospital that he'll need to shift to a backupu Dallara DW12 chassis.
O'Ward has been chasing the Indy 500, but this news has resulted in his odds shifting from +600 to +650 as the second-shortest favorite on the board.
🏆 Past Indy 500 winners
| Year | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2024 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske |
| 2023 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske |
| 2022 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2021 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing |
| 2020 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
| 2019 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske |
| 2018 | Will Power | Team Penske |
| 2017 | Takuma Sato | Andretti Autosport |
| 2016 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian |
🗓️ 2026 Indy 500 race week schedule
Monday, May 18 : post-qualifying practice (1 p.m. ET - 3 p.m. ET, FS1/FOX One)- Friday, May 22: Miller Lite Carb Day (11 a.m. ET - 1 p.m. ET, FS1/ FOX One)
- Friday, May 22: Pit Stop Competition (2:30 p.m. ET - 4 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX One)
- Sunday, May 24: Indy 500 (12:45 p.m. ET Green Flag, FOX/Fox One)
📺 How to watch the Indy 500 2026
- Date: Sunday, May 24
- Time: 11 a.m. ET (show), 12:45 p.m. ET (green flag)
- Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.)
- How to watch: FOX
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