Indy 500 Odds: Danica Patrick a Longshot to Win
Writing by admin on Friday, 25 of May , 2007 at 2:20 pm
It’s a handicapper’s dream date.
There’s nothing like a ridiculous stereotype to make a value bettor jump for joy. Imagine how much money intrepid cappers have made on black quarterbacks, Asian pitchers and European basketball players. Is it time for female drivers to join the club?
Danica Patrick hopes so. She’s getting 30-1 odds to win this Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. That doesn’t seem to make sense for someone driving for the very competitive Andretti Green Racing team, especially for someone starting in the middle of the third row. Is it because Patrick is a woman? Is it because she’s an attractive woman? Or do these odds accurately reflect her chances of winning this weekend?
Patrick became a household name after qualifying for, and nearly winning, her first Indy 500 in 2005. She finished fourth for Rahal Letterman Racing; Patrick has yet to improve on that result in her short IRL career, despite the move to Andretti Green for the 2007 season. She will. Even Patrick herself has admitted it’s going to take some adjustment to driving for one of the top teams in the sport.
But her breakthrough probably won’t happen at the Brickyard. Undervalued, perhaps, but Patrick has to beat the following drivers in order to win: Dan Wheldon (9-4), Scott Dixon (5-2), Tony Kanaan (4-1), Helio Castroneves (5-1), Sam Hornish Jr. (5-1) and Dario Franchitti (8-1). That group includes four of the last six Indy 500 champions. Patrick’s best finish with Andretti Green was a seventh at last month’s Kansas IndyCar 300. Unless her learning curve increases dramatically between now and Sunday afternoon, she’ll likely have to settle for a similar result.
Let’s just hope for her sake she picks up that first victory sooner rather than later. The longer she goes without, the more often you’ll see her picture next to Anna Kournikova’s. Great for the rest of us, but an unfair dig at both women.
For all your Indy 500 odds, check out the Bodog Sportsbook.
Category: Online Sports Odds
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