The 2012 Indianapolis 500 Race Odds are out, and here at Bankroll Sports, we are taking our best shots at the odds to win the Indy 500 to see if we can strike it big in the biggest race of the year for the IRL.

2012 Indy 500 Odds, Picks & Info
2012 Indy 500 Date: Sunday, May 27th, 2012
2012 Indy 500 Green Flag Time: 12:00 ET
2012 Indy 500 Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN
2012 Indy 500 Favorite: Ryan Briscoe (+350)
Defending Indy 500 Champion: Dan Wheldon
2012 Indy 500 TV Coverage – Network: ABC

The one thing that we have to remember about this race is that there is no shot at a defending champion. The IRL world is still mourning the passing of Dan Wheldon, who died in a fiery crash not all that long after taking the 2011 Indy 500. That being said, it is going to make the most sense to go with some of the chalkier drivers to win this race. That might mean backing someone like Ryan Briscon (2012 Indy 500 Favorite: 3.50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Briscoe is going to be starting on the pole, and that generally means good things in this 33-car field. Unfortunately for the Aussie, he hasn’t had a great career here at the Brickyard, finishing 27th last year and 24th the year before. He has had just one Top 5 finish in his career at the Indy 500, but we know that Briscoe has the goods to be able to get the job done this time around.

Next in line is going to be one of the sentimental favorites to win the Indianapolis 500, and that is Helio Castroneves (Indy 500 Betting Lines: 5.50 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). The Brazilian has won this race a number of times before, most recently in 2009 when he bested a fantastic field of very talented IRL drivers. Last year was disappointing for Castroneves, as he finished just 17th in a bit of a fluky race, and he is going to want to make amends for what amounted to be a bad run in a bad season. Castroneves already has one win this year under his belt to go with two other Top 5 finishes, and he is second in the IRL points standings as we speak.

List Of Past Indy 500 Champions (Since 2000)
2011 Indy 500 Champion: Dan Wheldon
2010 Indy 500 Champion: Dario Franchitti
2009 Indy 500 Champion: Helio Castroneves
2008 Indy 500 Champion: Scott Dixon
2007 Indy 500 Champion: Dario Franchitti
2006 Indy 500 Champion: Sam Hornish Jr.
2005 Indy 500 Champion: Dan Wheldon
2004 Indy 500 Champion: Buddy Rice
2003 Indy 500 Champion: Gil de Ferran
2002 Indy 500 Champion: Helio Castroneves
2001 Indy 500 Champion: Helio Castroneves
2000 Indy 500 Champion: Juan Pablo Montoya

One of the more interesting names that could be on the docket this year is the man that was the runner up at the Indy 500 last year, JR Hildebrand (Odds to Win the Indy 500: 40 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook). Is Hildebrand the best driver in the world? Of course not. However, he was one of the few drivers that finished on the lead lap, and he was able to stay out of trouble for Panther Racing. Now, the American is starting 18th in this field, and he is gonig to be one to really look out for when this race is said and done with.

Last year, we were high on Will Power (Current Indy 500 Betting Odds: 6 to 1 at SportBet Sportsbook), and this year, we are as well. This is a man that has won three straight IRL races after finishing seventh in the first race of the year. The problem that we have with Power? He has never won here at the Indianapolis 500, and he really never has had a remarkable race here. Power was one of the favorites in last year’s race, but he was never really a factor, finishing 14th. If all of this is going to come to an end though, Power has the ability to do it, and he is going to be starting in fine position in the middle of Row 2 when the green flag drops on Sunday.

2012 Indy 500 Starting Grid
Row 1: Ryan Briscoe, James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay
Row 2: Marco Andretti, Will Power, Helio Castroneves
Row 3: Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan, EJ Viso
Row 4: Rubens Barrichello, Alex Tagliani, Graham Rahal
Row 5: Ana Beatriz, Charlie Kimball, Scott Dixon
Row 6: Dario Franchitti, James Jakes, JR Hildebrand
Row 7: Takuma Sato, Townsend Bell, Justin Wilson
Row 8: Michel Jourdain Jr., Simon Pagenaud, Sebastian Saavedra
Row 9: Sebastien Bourdais, Wade Cunningham, Oriol Servia
Row 10: Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway, Katherine Legge
Row 11: Bryan Clauson, Simona De Silvestro, Jean Alesi

Indy 500 Betting Odds @ SportBet Sportsbook (as of 5/25/12):
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Ryan Briscoe 3.50 to 1
Helio Castroneves 5.50 to 1
Will Power 6 to 1
James Hinchcliffe 7 to 1
Dario Franchitti 8.50 to 1
Marco Andretti 8.50 to 1
Scott Dixon 10 to 1
Ryan Hunter Reay 10 to 1
Tony Kanaan 13 to 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 18 to 1
Graham Rahal 30 to 1
JR Hildebrand 40 to 1
Rubens Barichello 50 to 1
Alex Tagliani 55 to 1
Takuma Sato 80 to 1
Oriol Servia 85 to 1
Justin Wilson 100 to 1
Ed Carpenter 100 to 1

Indy 500 2012 Odds @ WagerWeb Sportsbook (as of 5/25/12):
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Alex Tagliani 45 to 1
Dario Franchitti 8.75 to 1
Ed Carpenter 80 to 1
Graham Rahal 25 to 1
Helio Castroneves 4.25 to 1
James Hinchcliffe 6.50 to 1
JR Hildebrand 40 to 1
Justin Wilson 80 to 1
Marco Andretti 7.50 to 1
Oriol Servia 80 to 1
Rubens Barichello 45 to 1
Ryan Briscoe 2.75 to 1
Ryan Hunter Reay 10 to 1
Scott Dixon 8.50 to 1
Takuma Sato 80 to 1
Tony Kanaan 12 to 1
Will Power 5.50 to 1
Field (Any Other Driver) 15 to 1

Current Indianapolis 500 Betting Lines @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 5/25/12):
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Ryan Briscoe 15/4
Helio Castroneves 11/2
Will Power 6/1
James Hinchcliffe 17/2
Dario Franchitti 9/1
Marco Andretti 10/1
Scott Dixon 10/1
Ryan Hunter-Reay 12/1
Tony Kanaan 14/1
Josef Newgarden 20/1
Graham Rahal 35/1
JR Hildebrand 35/1
Rubens Barrichello 50/1
Alex Tagliani 50/1
E.J. Viso 65/1
Justin Wilson 75/1
Oriol Servia 75/1
Ed Carpenter 75/1
Takuma Sato 80/1
Charlie Kimball 100/1
Simon Pagenaud 100/1
Ana Beatriz 100/1
Sebastian Saavedra 100/1
Michel Jourdain 100/1
James Jakes 125/1
Mike Conway 125/1
Sebastien Bourdais 125/1
Townsend Bell 125/1
Wade Cunningham 125/1
Bryan Clauson 150/1
Jean Alesi 150/1
Simona De Silvestro 200/1
Katherine Legge 200/1

Odds to finish in the Top 3 the Indy 500 @ Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Ryan Briscoe 6/5
Helio Castroneves 17/10
Will Power 9/5
James Hinchcliffe 5/2
Dario Franchitti 11/4
Scott Dixon 3/1
Marco Andretti 3/1
Ryan Hunter-Reay 7/2
Tony Kanaan 17/4
Josef Newgarden 6/1
Graham Rahal 10/1
JR Hildebrand 10/1
Rubens Barrichello 15/1
Alex Tagliani 16/1
E.J. Viso 20/1
Ed Carpenter 22/1
Justin Wilson 22/1
Oriol Servia 22/1
Takuma Sato 25/1
Sebastian Saavedra 30/1
Charlie Kimball 30/1
Simon Pagenaud 30/1
Ana Beatriz 30/1
Michel Jourdain 30/1
James Jakes 35/1
Mike Conway 35/1
Sebastien Bourdais 35/1
Townsend Bell 35/1
Wade Cunningham 35/1
Bryan Clauson 45/1
Jean Alesi 45/1
Simona De Silvestro 60/1
Katherine Legge 60/1

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Ryan Briscoe #2 -130
Will Power #12 EVEN

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Ryan Briscoe #2 -150
Helio Castroneves #3 +120

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Helio Castroneves #3 -120
Will Power #12 -110

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Helio Castroneves #3 -140
Marco Andretti #26 +110

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
James Hinchcliffe #27 -150
Ryan Hunter-Reay #28 +120

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Alex Tagliani #98 -115
Graham Rahal #38 -115

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
JR Hildebrand #4 -130
Takuma Sato #15 EVEN

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Dario Franchitti #10 -125
Scott Dixon #9 -105

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Oriol Servia #22 -150
Ed Carpenter #20 +120

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Mike Conway #14 -150
Sebastien Bourdais #7 +120

Indy Car – Indy 500 -Head to Head Matchups
Alex Tagliani #98 -140
Rubens Barrichello #8 +110

Indy Car – Indy 500 – Head to Head Matchups
Marco Andretti #26 -115
Dario Franchitti #10 -115

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, and that means that racing fans are getting all revved up for one of the biggest races of the year! Indy 500 betting action is on the way, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re starting our engines and getting you ready for the 94th Indianapolis 500!  In this article you will find all the 2010 Indy 500 Odds and other free Indy 500 picks along with a informative preview for the race. 

Where else could we possibly start than with defending champion and pole sitter Helio Castroneves (+250 at Brobury Sports)? Castroneves has won this event three times in his career (2001, 2002, and 2009), and he is the favored choice of the oddsmakers to pull off the feat for a fourth time. If he can pull off the feat, he will become the fourth person in the history of the race to have won it four times, joining AJ Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Castroneves is also one of just three international drivers that can say that they have won this race more than once, joining fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi and the Netherlands’ Arie Luyendyk. Castroneves can also become the first driver to ever win this even back-to-back on two separate occasions. Four other drives have ever pulled off the stunt aside from Castroneves (Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser). No one had accomplished this feat since 1970-1971 with Unser capturing back-to-back checkered flags at the Brickyard before Castroneves did it in 2001 and 2002.

The man that led the most laps last year was New Zealand’s Scott Dixon (+350 at Brobury Sports). The 2003 and 2008 Indy Car champion hasn’t had the greatest history in this race, as he has retired twice, and has three other finishes outside of the Top 5 in his career. He did win this race in 2008 and could become one of those non-American drives to win the running of the Indy 500 multiple times Dixon is coming off of a huge win at Kansas Motor Speedway for Chip Ganassi Racing, and he’d love nothing more than to bring the team a second consecutive win in the 500.

Keep a close eye on Ryan Briscoe (+400 at Brobury Sports) as well. In spite of the fact that Briscoe has qualified well at the Brickyard in his career (starting second in 2009, third in 2008, and seventh in 2007), he has only cracked the Top 5 once when the race was said and done, that coming in 2007. Team Penske has yet to field a winner in the biggest Indy Car race of the season. Briscoe led a few laps early on in the race last year, but a 15th place finish was considered a huge setback.

She may have some long odds to capture the checkered flag in this race, but Danica Patrick (+3000 at Brobury Sports) could really make some history if she can find a way to make it to Victory Lane for the second time in her career. Patrick finished third in this race a year ago. She was the fourth woman ever to get behind the wheel of a car in the Indy 500. Patrick hasn’t had a good run of it this year for Andretti Autosport Racing, as she only has one Top 10 finish and has largely criticized her team for the product that she is racing in on a weekly basis. Patrick enters this week in 16th place in the IRL standings with just 86 points.

Current 2010 Indianapolis 500 Odds @ Brobury Sportsbook (as of 5/26):
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Alex Tagliani +2000
Dan Wheldon +2500
Danica Patrick +3000
Dario Franchitti +400
Ed Carpenter +5000
Helio Castroneves +250
Hideki Mutoh +3000
Justin Wilson +10000
Marco Andretti +2000
Mike Conway +10000
Raphael Matos +5000
Ryan Briscoe +400
Ryan Hunter-Reay +3000
Scott Dixon +350
Takuma Sato +10000
Tony Kanaan +2500
Vitor Meira +4000
Will Power +600
Field +2500