2012 Indianapolis 500 Podium Predictions: Sunday afternoon, the Indianapolis 500 will be run for the 96th time in the race’s storied history, and for one driver, the day will forever change their life. It is the dream of every open-wheel driver win the Indy 500, drink the jug of milk in Victory Circle, and have their name etched on the Borg-Warner Trophy. The dream will come true Sunday for one driver, and with qualifying and all the practice sessions in the books, the only thing left is the 500-miles around the 2.5-mile oval. Before the green flag waves over the most famous race on American soil, here is one last prediction of who will be standing on the podium after the checkered flag flies.
Winner: Helio Castroneves (17/10 odds)
Castroneves made a name for himself by winning his first two starts in the Indianapolis 500, and he has had nothing but success at the track throughout his career. In 11 starts, he has nine top-10 finishes, six top-five finishes, three wins and a series-leading 7.4 average finish. He qualified sixth for Sunday’s race, and six straight Indy 500 winners have started sixth or better. Perhaps most importantly, his equipment is as good as it gets as his Penske Racing team has put a driver in Victory Circle in all five races in 2012. Castroneves knows how to run up front and how to win at Indianapolis, and he has plenty to race for this weekend. One more win at Indy ties him with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears for the most wins in the race’s history with four. He has a golden opportunity to do just that Sunday, and Castroneves will get it done.
Second Place: Marco Andretti (21/10 odds)
His Indianapolis 500 resume includes three finishes of third or better in six starts, including a second-place finish by the second-smallest margin in the race’s history. More importantly, his car has been a rocket since it unloaded of the hauler. He qualified fourth and has been in the top three in the last three practice sessions leading up to the race. Not to mention that he shouldn’t have to worry about wearing out his stuff early in the race trying to move through the field with his two Andretti Autosport teammates starting in the top four, as well. Based on his prior starts and his practice times, Andretti should be the favorite to win Sunday. The only thing holding me back is the Andretti Curse. There has to be a reason why Mario Andretti’s Indy 500 win in 1969 is the last time an Andretti put their name on the Borg-Warner Trophy. Something strange is bound to happen that costs Andretti the victory.
Third-Place: Scott Dixon (10/3 odds)
The Chip Ganassi Racing Hondas have been struggling to compete with the Chevrolets all season and throughout the track activities at Indianapolis. However, Dixon and his teammate Dario Franchitti finally found a setup that works on Carb Day, and the duo paced the final practice before Sunday’s race. Dixon will have a little work to do after qualifying 15th, but now that he has finally found some speed, his natural feel for Indianapolis should do the rest. In nine starts at the track, he has seven top-10 finishes, four top-five finishes and a win. His 8.2 average finish is the second best among drivers in Sunday’s field, and in last year’s race, he led more laps than any other driver. I don’t think Dixon’s Honda has enough to overtake the top-tier Chevrolet drivers, but he will maximize his result with what he does have to work with.
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