The biggest single day on the motorsports calendar is nearly upon us, and fan-favorite IndyCar Series driver turned broadcaster James Hinchcliffe is ready to put on a show.
Hinchcliffe is returning for his third Indianapolis 500 with NBC as an analyst Sunday, and he shared his race predictions for who could win the 108th running of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. And he’s not looking too far beyond the front row, which Team Penske swept with pole winner Scott McLaughlin, Will Power and Josef Newgarden leading the field to green.
“It’d be it’d be hard to look past the front row for a favorite,” Hinchcliffe told For The Win on Wednesday.
“Penske did such a great job in qualifying. You’ve got last year’s winner with Newgarden third, you’ve got the winner from 2018 with Power in second and you’ve got McLaughlin on pole, who hasn’t won this one yet, but man, I know he wants to more than anything. So I’ll pick the pole sitter, Scotty Mac, for the win as the as the odds-on favorite.”
Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin (3) reacts after winning the pole position Sunday, May 19, 2024, during Fast 6 qualifying for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar-USA TODAY NETWORK)
The Penske trio are fairly safe and obvious picks, especially as the top-3 favorites, according to BetMGM. McLaughlin leads the way at +550 (bet $100 to win $550), followed by Newgarden +600 and Power +700.
Also placed at +700 is Indy 500 rookie Kyle Larson, who’s attempting the Memorial Day Double by racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
For Hinchcliffe’s sleeper pick, he said he’s going with Andretti Global’s Colton Herta, who’s at +1200.
“Andretti has had some really good pace on the race, the race trim a little bit behind where they wanted to be in qualifying, but in traffic cold, his car looks very, very competitive. And traffic’s the name of the game on Sunday. So definitely one to watch out for there.
“And in terms of a complete dark horse, it’s tough to say it because he’s starting up fairly high, [but I’ll go] with Takuma Sato,” Hinchcliffe continued. “But he’s just a month of May driver this year. He’s running with Rahal [Letterman Lanigan Racing], who have had a pretty bad month otherwise. All their other cars [qualified] in the high 20s or worse, but he managed to put it up there in the top 12. And he’s a two-time winner of this race, and there’s just some special about Indy and Sato. So I’ll put him as the dark horse.”
May 28, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon Indycar driver Takuma Sato celebrates winning the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
Hinchcliffe won’t be the only racer on Sunday’s Indy 500 broadcast. Danica Patrick and Jimmie Johnson will also contribute to pre-race coverage, as two drivers who have done both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at least once. So they’re nicely poised to shed light on what Larson may experience during his Double attempt.
But Johnson may have a unique advantage having done the Indy 500 in 2021 and having experience in NASCAR’s Next-Gen car, which Larson recently said is more similar to an Indy car compared with past stock cars.
“Jimmie was such a great addition to the IndyCar Series when we had him for that short time [during the 2021 and 2022 seasons],” Hinchcliffe said. “And especially with Kyle doing The Double, no one’s going to be able to kind of translate to the viewers what it’s like for a driver with a predominantly stock car background to jump into the 500 and experience what he is going through.
“Jimmie’s insight is going to be invaluable. It’s going to be so fun to hear. I can’t wait to hear what he’s got to say about it as the race unfolds and recalling some of his memories of his first 500 and getting to do that race and all the all the curveballs that Indy throws at you.”
