The 2023 INDYCAR season continues weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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INDY NXT by Firestone Preview: INDY NXT by Firestone OUTFRONT Showdown (Entry List) – Saturday, August 26th, 2023 3:25PM (ET) Peacock – The INDY NXT by Firestone championship battle remains tight as Christian Rasmussen leads Hunter McElrea by 33 points. Nolan Siegel (-55) and Jacob Abel (-57) aren’t all that far behind if results go well for them this weekend and I expect Jacob Abel to contend for the win after his strong oval performance last month at Iowa. Matthew Brabham won this event last year with Andretti Autosport and returns this weekend with Juncos Hollinger Racing.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Sunday, August 27th, 2023 3:30PM (ET) NBC – Alex Palou has all but sealed the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship as he heads into the weekend holding a 101 point lead over Scott Dixon and 105 over Josef Newgarden with just three races remaining. Last year’s Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval debut this weekend in the Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 this weekend substituting for the still-not-cleared Simon Pagenaud. Conor Daly replaces Jack Harvey in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 30 by team decision. Previous driver performance at the circuit shows five winners in the field in Newgarden (5), Dixon (1), Takuma Sato (1), Will Power (1), and Helio Castroneves (1). Newgarden has won the lats three races at the venue and is looking to finish off a streak of winning every oval race this season. Looking at the box scores from the 2022 and 2021 at World Wide Technology Raceway, Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, and Pato O’Ward finished in the Top 5 in both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, that trio is joined by Sato, Power, and Marcus Ericsson. The entered Top 5 in laps led at the circuit are Newgarden (484), Power (329), Castroneves (271), Dixon (251), and Sato (167).

My pick to win: Josef Newgarden – It’s Josef Newgarden on an oval…don’t overthink it until given reason to otherwise.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Pato O’Ward $28, Takuma Sato $27, David Malukas $23, & Devlin DeFrancesco $22 – It’s difficult to add Newgarden or any of the Penske cars to your team as expensive as they are regardless of their likely dominance. O’Ward should be a big factor for a podium and don’t be surprised if Sato and Malukas contend for Top 5’s as well with their history at the circuit. Devlin was solid here last year and coming off the best weekend of his career at IMS.

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The 2023 INDYCAR season continues weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the Streets of Nashville. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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INDY NXT by Firestone Preview: INDY NXT by Firestone Music City Grand Prix (Entry List) – Sunday, August 6, 2023 10:05AM (ET) Peacock – It’s a big weekend in INDY NXT as the championship race tightens up with just six races left. Christian Rasmussen leads Nolan Siegel (-22), Jacob Abel (-43), Hunter McElrea (-46), and Louis Foster (-53). Francesco Pizzi and Yuven Sundaramoorthy will make their series debuts this weekend with Abel Motorsports while Cape Motorsports’ second car is back with Matthew Brabham at the wheel.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Big Machine Music City Grand Prix – Sunday, August 6th, 2023 12:00PM (ET) NBC – The series rolls into one of the wildest weekends of the year as the Streets of Nashville have provided plenty of drama, or rather chaos, on the tight circuit. Alex Palou comes in with an 80 point lead over his nearest challenger, Josef Newgarden, in the championship with just five races left. Last year’s Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut this weekend substituting for the still-not-cleared Simon Pagenaud in the Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 this weekend. Previous driver performance at the circuit shows Scott Dixon (2022) and Marcus Ericsson (2021) as the only winners of this relatively new event. Looking at the box scores from the 2022 and 2022 races at Nashville, only Scott Dixon finished in the Top 5 in both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, Dixon is joined by Palou, Newgarden, and Felix Rosenqvist.

My pick to win: Colton Herta – Andretti Autosport has been the class of the field in terms of speed on street courses this season and Herta has been ridiculously fast at Nashville with just one pole to show for it. That changes this weekend as the California native gets his breakthrough win of the season at a circuit that has caused him plenty of heartbreak.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Colton Herta $27, Kyle Kirkwood $26, Marcus Ericsson $29, & Linus Lundqvist $18 – You know my thoughts on Herta. Kirkwood has been strong on streets courses with a win at Long Beach. Ericsson is always steady and has a victory at the circuit. I plan on taking a chance with the best of the $18 drivers and that might just be the debut man this weekend with a solid car and race-winning experience last year at Nashville in Indy Lights.

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The 2023 INDYCAR season continues weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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INDY NXT by Firestone Preview: INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway (Entry List) – Saturday, July 22, 2023 11:00AM (ET) Peacock – The first oval weekend of the year for INDY NXT by Firestone figures to be a big one as the series championship has heated up. The Top 5 in the standings are separated by less than 50 points now. That Top 5 is Nolan Siegel, Christian Rasmussen, Hunter McElrea, Louis Foster, and Jacob Abel. McElrea won this race last year so watch out for him again this weekend. Matthew Brabham will drive the No. 75 entry this weekend for Juncos Hollinger Racing after the team announced they parted ways with Matteo Nannini this week.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend – Hy-Vee Homefront 250: Saturday, July 22nd, 2023 3:00PM (ET) NBC & Hy-Vee One Step 250: Sunday, July 23rd, 2023 2:00PM (ET) NBC – It’s a doubleheader weekend for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES this weekend at a track where Josef Newgarden has been absolutely dominant at over the course of his career His success at Iowa may be the only hope for a title race at this point as Alex Palou’s championship lead is now 117 points over second place Scott Dixon and 126 points over third place Newgarden. Conor Daly will be substituting for the still-not-cleared Simon Pagenaud in the Meyer Shank Racing No. 60 this weekend. Previous driver performance at the circuit shows four former winners entered in Josef Newgarden (4), Ryan Hunter-Reay (3), Helio Castroneves (1),  and Pato O’Ward (1). Newgarden and O’Ward are the two most recent winners at the circuit, though Newgarden would have won both races last year if not for a mechanical issue. Looking at the box scores from the 2022 Race 1 and 2022 Race 2 races at Iowa, O’Ward, Will Power, and Dixon finished in the Top 5 in both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, those three are joined by Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean. The Top 5 in laps led at Iowa entered this weekend are Newgarden (1,506), Castroneves (644), Power (234), Dixon (130), and O’Ward (97).

My pick to win: Josef Newgarden (x2) – This is Josef Newgarden’s house until proven otherwise. Outside of the previously mentioned mechanical issue in the second race at Iowa last year, he’s won every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on an oval for a calendar year. Look at those laps led. It’d be foolish to pick anyone but him this weekend regardless of what happens.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Pato O’Ward $30, Alexander Rossi $28, Conor Daly $24, & Benjamin Pedersen $18 – At an insane $42 this weekend, it’s nearly impossible to pick Newgarden. Just get his bonus points when picking the Top 3 and take him as the winner. O’Ward should be on the podium and that’s still good value at $30. Rossi steps into a great car in his Arrow McLaren machine and I like his potential this weekend. In a weekend tough to predict at the lower dollar amounts, I like what Daly might be able to do this weekend for his price. Pedersen will be my pick for best of the $18 options heading into the weekend as Foyt had a good oval showing at Indy even if that’s entirely different and Pedersen had a solid performance last year at Gateway what was then Indy Lights.

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The 2023 INDYCAR season continues weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Detroit, Michigan. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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INDY NXT by Firestone Preview: INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix (Entry List) – Race 1: Saturday, June 3, 2023 11:55AM (ET) Peacock & Race 2: Sunday, June 4, 2023 12:40PM (ET) Peacock – It’s a doubleheader weekend for INDY NXT by Firestone after a couple weekends off following Matteo Nannini’s surprisingly dominant weekend at IMS. With a deep and diverse field heading to a brand new circuit, it’s hard telling what to expect this weekend. Christian Rasmussen has been by far the most consistent finisher to start the season and must be considered a favorite this weekend.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix – Sunday, June 4, 2023 3:00PM (ET) NBC – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES makes its debut on the new downtown Detroit circuit this weekend after a long stretch at Belle Isle. The series has great momentum after a tremendous Indy 500 and there’s plenty of anticipation for this weekend’s race on the new circuit. It looks narrow with plenty of low-speed corners and a dual-sided pit lane so there will be plenty of opportunity for chaos and excitement. Let’s hope there’s just not too much of the former.

My pick to win: Romain Grosjean – The Andretti Autosport team seems to be the class of the field on street courses after winning the pole at St. Pete (Grosjean) and Long Beach (Kirkwood). Grosjean is due for his long-awaited first win in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and this could be a great time for him to do it.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Romain Grosjean $27, Kyle Kirkwood $25, Felix Rosenqvist $26 & Marcus Armstrong $22 – You know my thoughts on Grosjean. Kirkwood qualified in the Fast Six at both street courses races in 2023 just like Grosjean and will be an equal threat to win. Rosenqvist was thought to be a street course specialist when he returned to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES years ago and while that hasn’t played out as strong as expected, he does post solid street course results and needs a strong finish after crashing out at Indy from a strong position. Armstrong has shown great speed in his road and street program and is a great value choice at just $22.

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The 2023 INDYCAR season continues weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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INDY NXT by Firestone Preview: INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix (Entry List) – Saturday, May 13, 2023 1:00PM (ET) Peacock – HMD Motorsports won both races in INDY NXT on the IMS road course last year so expect them to be strong as always. However, Andretti Autosport cars did finish second in both races. I’d expect one of the championship-leading trio of Rasmussen, Siegel, and Frost from HMD to be the likely winner but be aware of McElrea and Foster from Andretti this weekend.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: GMR Grand Prix – Saturday, May 13, 2023 3:30PM (ET) NBC – The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicks off the Month of May this weekend on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Wet weather is in the forecast again so it should be an exciting GMR Grand Prix weekend once again after a thriller in the rain last year in May. Previous driver performance at the circuit shows seven former winners entered in Will Power (5), Simon Pagenaud (3), Scott Dixon (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Rinus VeeKay (1), Colton Herta (1), and Alexander Rossi (1). Herta and Rossi were the two winners last year for Andretti Autosport. Looking at the box scores from the 2022 GMR Grand Prix and Gallagher Grand Prix on the IMS road course, only Power finished in the Top 5 in both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, Power is joined by Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, and Dixon.

My pick to win: Colton Herta – It’s hard to pick against Herta after his two dominant drivers here last year despite P14 and P9 qualifying efforts. He should have won both races but suffered a mechanical issue in the Gallagher GP. Andretti has shown tremendous speed so far this season and that should bode well for Herta qualifying further up front.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Colton Herta $28, Romain Grosjean $27, Alexander Rossi $27, & Agustin Canapino $17 – You know my thoughts on Herta. Grosjean has been a rocket everywhere this year and has a pole position here before. Rossi is the latest winner at the circuit and should enjoy his Arrow McLaren machinery as this is a track where the team has qualified well. Canapino is probably the most reliably of the budget options at just $17.

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INDYCAR returns this weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on the Streets of Long Beach, California. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach – Sunday, April 16, 2023 12:00PM (ET) NBC – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES hits the track for one of the biggest weekends of the season for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. It should be an exciting weekend of action after a thrilling PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway. Previous driver performance at Long Beach shows eight former winners entered in Will Power (2), Alexander Rossi (2), Helio Castroneves (1), Takuma Sato (1), Scott Dixon (1), Simon Pagenaud (1), Colton Herta (1), and Josef Newgarden (1). Newgarden (2022) and Herta (2021) are the two most recent winners. Looking at the box scores from 2022 and 2021, only Newgarden and Alex Palou finished in the Top 5 of both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, those two are joined by Power, Dixon, and Rossi. The entered Top 5 laps led at Long Beach are Castroneves (194), Power (172), Rossi (151), Dixon (104), and Herta (71).

My pick to win: Alexander Rossi – Rossi has been excellent at Long Beach historically and absolutely dominant when his car is right. Arrow McLaren has an excellent street course package and Rossi clearly feels comfortable with the team right now. It’s no coincidence he’s a popular pick this weekend and was used for NBC’s promotional commercial for the weekend. It’s a big chance for the American with his new team.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Alexander Rossi $28, Romain Grosjean $26, Colton Herta $27, & Augustin Canapino $18 – You know my thoughts on Rossi. Grosjean has qualified P6 for each of his two races at Long Beach and has always looked strong on street courses. He was the fastest driver at the season opener at St. Pete and will be hungry for his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win this weekend. Herta always puts on a show at this event and the Andretti cars have a great street course program. Canapino has been immensely impressive to start the season and looks to be a smart budget pick to get himself to the finish (famous last words and I apologize in advance).

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INDYCAR returns this weekend with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2023 PPG 375 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: PPG 375 – Sunday, April 2, 2023 12:00PM (ET) NBC – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns after nearly a month off after the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg for what should be an exciting first oval race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. Previous driver performance at Texas shows seven former winners entered in Scott Dixon (5), Helio Castroneves (4), Will Power (2), Josef Newgarden (2), Graham Rahal (1), Ed Carpenter (1), and Pato O’Ward (1). Newgarden (2022), O’Ward (2021 Race 2), and Dixon (2021 Race 1) are the three most recent winners. Looking at the box scores from 2022, and 2021 Race 2, and 2021 Race 1 only Dixon finished in the Top 5 of all three races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, Dixon is joined by Newgarden, McLaughlin, Alex Palou, and Simon Pagenaud.

My pick to win: Scott Dixon – Even relative to his own lofty standards, Scott Dixon has been outstanding at Texas over the years. In addition to the five wins and Top 5 streak mentioned above, Dixon has two poles and has started in the Top 5 in each of the last five races at the circuit. This note from INDYCAR says all that needs to be said: “Dixon has led five of the last six race races, 678 of 1,404 laps in all (48.2 percent). That accounts for him being INDYCAR’s all-time leader in laps led at this oval with 1,043 laps, more than double the number of the active driver in second place. His average finish in all races at TMS is 6.7.”

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Scott Dixon $30, Scott McLaughlin $30, David Malukas $22, & Sting Ray Robb $18 – You know my thoughts on Dixon. This has been one of McLaughlin’s best tracks over the last two seasons as well where he dominated until the last turn of the last lap last year and finished P2 in his first oval race back in 2021 Race 1. Dale Coyne Racing cars have been fast over the years at Texas and Malukas had a solid showing last year. You just have to hope the rookie class will aim to make it to the finish after some tumultuous results at St. Pete and Robb should have the best car of them all. Keep an eye on Takuma Sato’s price for this event as well. At the time of writing it had not been posted yet and he should be one to watch this year with his speed and aggressiveness on ovals in an ultra quick Chip Ganassi Racing machine.

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The 2022 INDYCAR season continues with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2022 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires Preview: Indy Lights at Iowa Speedway (Entry List) – Saturday, July 23, 2022 12:15PM (ET) Peacock – Indy Lights heads to Iowa Speedway for their first oval race weekend of the season. Linus Lundqvist continues to hold a big lead in the championship that seems inevitable at this point. But there has been a lot more parity in recent events and an oval event should exacerbate that situation even more. David Malukas won the only two Lights races of the season last year at WWT Raceway so expect the HMD/GRG teams to be strong as always but Andretti Autosport and Kyle Kirkwood finished second in both races so the Andretti team will be right there too. I genuinely have no idea what to expect this weekend let’s just hope it’s as good of a race as it appears it should be.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend – HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash on Saturday, July 23, 2022 4:00PM (ET) NBC & Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google on Sunday, July 24, 2022 3:00PM (ET) NBC – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to the Iowa Speedway bullring for after a year off in 2021 for what should be an exciting doubleheader weekend with the excitement of new partners promoting the event and all they’re bringing with them. The pre-race and post-race concerts this weekend feature a lineup any music festival would strive for in Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton. The championship battle remains tight with the top 5 drivers of Marcus Ericsson, Will Power, Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden, and Scott Dixon separated by just 44 points and others not far behind.

Previous driver experience at Iowa shows three former winners in the field in Newgarden (3), Helio Castroneves (1), and Simon Pagenaud (1). Newgarden and Pagenaud won the last two races in 2020. Looking at the box scores from 2020 Race 2 and 2020 Race 1, Newgarden, Pagenaud, and Dixon finished in the Top 5 in both races. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, that duo is joined by Jack Harvey, Alexander Rossi, and Ericsson. The active Top 5 in laps led at the circuit are Newgarden (1,150), Power (131), Dixon (130), Pagenaud (98), and Takuma Sato (59).

My pick to win: Josef Newgarden & Felix Rosenqvist – I mean look at those laps led stats above and how can you not pick Newgarden this weekend? All five race wins by drivers entered in the race this weekend were won with Team Penske. Newgarden is almost certain to win one of these two races. I’m going with a big surprise for the other winner this weekend in Rosenqvist. He’s had some sneaky good results on ovals and has shown a lot more speed in recent events. Oliver Askew and Pato O’Ward had good weekends for Arrow McLaren SP at Iowa a couple years ago so look out for Felix this weekend.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Josef Newgarden $30, Felix Rosenqvist $26, Conor Daly $23, & David Malukas $19 – You know my thoughts on Newgarden and Rosenqvist. Daly has a pole at Iowa with Carlin!!! of all teams in 2020 and will bring that knowledge and experience to ECR this year with a team that will be hungry for some good results. Malukas has been very impressive in recent events and won two oval races in Lights last year.

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The 2022 INDYCAR season continues today with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2022 XPEL 375 at Texas Motor Speedway. OpenWheel.com will be covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.

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NTT INDYCAR SERIES Preview: XPEL 375 – Sunday, March 20, 2022 12:30PM (ET) NBC – The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES takes a trip down to Texas Motor Speedway after a couple weeks hiatus from the opening race in St. Petersburg, FL. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has been making the trip to Texas Motor Speedway since 1997 and today will be the 35^th series race at the track. With 27 entrants it’s shaping up for a real shootout under the Texas afternoon sun.

Qualifying for this year’s race was open, enabling teams to experiment with lower downforce setups since cars weren’t impounded prior to today’s race. The top 15 qualifiers laid down qualifying times within two-tenths of each other; which equates to an average speed variance of 0.772 mph over two laps! The top five qualifiers include four different teams and overall, there hasn’t been one team more dominate than the others this weekend. Seven past winners make up the starting grid in Texas today: Scott Dixon (5x), Helio Castroneves (4x), Will Power (2x), Ed Carpenter (1x), Graham Rahal (1x), Josef Newgarden (1x), and Pato O’Ward (1x). Twelve drivers in today’s field have led laps at Texas over the years, but six entrants are making their first start on the superspeedway: Devlin DeFrancesco, Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Jimmie Johnson, and Romain Grosjean.

My pick to win: Felix Rosenqvist – Six drivers have won at Texas Motor Speedway from the pole including two drivers in today’s field: Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon. Arrow McLaren SP now has a proven track record at Texas with Pato O’Ward winning race two in 2021.

My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Felix Rosenqvist $21, Will Power $29, Josef Newgarden $29, Kyle Kirkwood $18 – I’m starting to think that Team Penske will be off to the races this year and another win in Texas would cement that sentiment; so, I’ve picked both Power and Newgarden. Both Power and Newgarden are proven winners on ovals and have both been quick this year in Texas. Felix Rosenqvist has been quick at Texas the last couple of years and starting on the pole will hopefully keep him out of any early cautions. Kyle Kirkwood will likely be my “cheap” pick most races this year. Kyle’s upside his huge, he’s consistently won on every tier of the Road to Indy ladder and I believe he is highly capable of getting some top 10 finishes this year.

Betting Notes: Scott Dixon, starting P5 is listed as the favorite at +500. Two underrated odds in my opinion are series points leader Scott McLaughlin starting P2 and listed at +1000 and pole sitter Felix Rosenqvist listed at +1600. Felix and Arrow Mclaren SP have proven their speed at Texas the last couple of years, but just haven’t had the results to back it up. Long shot of the week (greater than +2500 odds) pick: Romain Grosjean at +3000. Even though this is Romain’s first race at a superspeedway, last year’s race in St. Louis proved that he was a quick learner and able to make some incredible moves on his first oval race. Now teamed up with Andretti Autosport, I don’t think it would be too outlandish to see Romain Grosjean bring home a win. (Odds provided by DraftKings)

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