Will Power leads the NTT IndyCar driver standings as the series heads to Newton, Iowa, for a doubleheader of short-track racing. Iowa Speedway and its ⅞-mile oval will host a race on Friday night at 9:15 Eastern time and then again at 8:45 pm Eastern on Saturday. Both of these races will air on NBC Sports. There are 23 cars entered into both races, and the short oval, combined with the high number of cars, means that it will be rush hour for two races. The drivers who can handle the high traffic most effectively will be the ones who emerge victorious. We have some thoughts on the drivers in for the Iowa IndyCar 250s race as you consider whether to add IndyCar betting odds to your weekend.
NTT IndyCar: Iowa IndyCar 250s (July 17 & 18)
Scott Dixon comes in having won three races out of his last four, and he is the favorite for the first race. His odds for the opening race are +300, slightly ahead of Josef Newgarden, who is the defending champion at Iowa Speedway. His odds are +450 — and he also won at this track in 2016. His teammates on Team Penske are also smart picks. Power and Simon Pagenaud both come in at +600. Given that Newgarden is the defending champion and has two wins on this track, I like the slight edge in value that he gives you over Dixon.
If you want to add some value to your wager card, consider Felix Rosenqvist, who sits at +2000. He won on Sunday at Road America, picking up his first victory ever as part of the IndyCar series. He had a solid race in Texas but then crashed out of P2 in the waning minutes of the race. Ed Carpenter, who sits at +3300, is a specialist on the oval, and his team has brought speed to Iowa for five straight years. His performance in Texas was solid as well. Zach Veach is listed at +2800. In June, he came in fourth down in Texas. In 2019 he finished seventh at Iowa, and as he continues to grow into the sport, ovals are emerging as a promising place for him.
How about some long shots? Well, there is Rinus Veekay, who sits at +10000. He will be driving the #21 car for Ed Carpenter Racing, and that car has four straight top-five finishes, with three different drivers. Those results included two runner-up results and a victory. Robert Wickens cracked the top five at Iowa Speedway in 2018. Pato O’Ward at +6600 and Oliver Askew at +8000 show some value because of the results that Arrow McLaren has turned in over the years. Conor Daly (+8000) and Tony Kanaan (+5000) have also been shooting up the finish order sheets lately.
When it comes to the second race, we will already know the starting lineup after qualification before the first race. The first lap of qualifying will set the starting lineup for the first race, and then the second lap will determine the lineup for the second race. It’s smart to wait until the outcome of the first race to bet on the second one. Which drivers put on a terrific race in the opener but had bad luck near the end or made a mistake at just the wrong time? You could pick up some significant value betting on the right driver after observing how the opener ends up.
