Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Odds: Palou paces the field again

We’ve reached the halfway point in the IndyCar season as the grid heads to Lexington, Ohio, this weekend for the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. It’s been the season of Álex Palou so far, especially over the last six weeks. The 2021 IndyCar champion has won three of the previous four races: the GMR Grand Prix, Detroit, and Road America. This week, he fittingly leads the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio odds and the latest odds to win the championship. Here’s how the rest of the odds look for Sunday’s race.

Palou favored over championship rivals

At +350, Palou has the shortest odds again for a win in a midwestern IndyCar race. He’s yet to win at Mid-Ohio in four races but had a strong showing last season and in 2021. After starting seventh in both years, he made his way up to finish third in 2021 and second last year.

Winner Scott McLaughlin had to hold him off over the closing part of the race. No driver can match Palou’s recent performances. He now leads the IndyCar champion odds at -300. Road courses are his best type of track (six of his seven career wins have come there), so it’ll be hard to get the best of him this weekend.

Colton Herta (+600) has the second-best odds for victory. These short odds aren’t surprising given how much he led the Sonsio Grand Prix and his pace that weekend. After months of middle-of-the-pack performances, he put everything together for a good race at Road America. Oddsmakers feel it’s a sign of things to come, but it may have been a one-off.

Josef Newgarden (+650) is the only other driver besides Palou to win multiple events in 2023. Newgarden’s a two-time winner at Mid-Ohio with victories in 2017 and from the pole in 2021. He took his third podium of the season last time out at Road America and stuck near Palou for much of the race. Last season his championship campaign was set back by inconsistency. A win here would cut Palou’s 81-point gap and put concerns of last year to rest.

Pato O’Ward (+700) finally saw his stretch of bad results end in Road America. A late crash in the Indy 500 ended his chance at victory. A problem in the pits and a subsequent crash ruined his race in Detroit. He got back on track in Elkhart Lake with a third-place finish.

That result gives him four podium finishes in 2023. Only Palou can match that number, but none of O’Ward’s podiums are wins. He’s nearly 100 points behind Palou with nine IndyCar races left. Unfortunately, Mid-Ohio is one of his worst tracks on the calendar. Last year, he took the pole position only to suffer a fuel system problem that ended his race on lap 52.

Last year’s winner McLaughlin rounds out the top group at +750. McLaughlin has been solid but unspectacular in 2023; a win in Alabama is his only top-five finish this year. But he’s great on road courses (three of his four wins have come there), and Mid-Ohio’s one of the best tracks in his young IndyCar career.

It’s been over a decade since someone won back-to-back Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio races. Seeing him do that would be a slight surprise but not a complete shock.

Longer Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio odds worth looking at

Scott Dixon (+1000) has more wins at Mid-Ohio than anyone else on the IndyCar grid. In 17 career races there, he’s notched six wins and finished in the top 10 all but one time. He’s been solid but unspectacular over the last couple of months. He’s finished between seventh and fourth in the last five races. Mid-Ohio’s one of the better tracks in his IndyCar career, and a win would not be a surprise.

Alexander Rossi (+1100) had an off week in Road America after strong performances in Indianapolis and Detroit. He’s steadily improved in 2023, besides that 10th-place result last time out.

Mid-Ohio is one of his best tracks historically. Eight races have yielded a win (2018) and two other podiums (both in 2020). He could get back on track with another strong performance this weekend.

Marcus Ericsson (+1400) sits second in the championship despite just one win in the season opener in St. Petersburg. That’s because the Swede’s been one of the most consistent drivers over the first half of the IndyCar schedule.

He’s finished 10th or higher in every race with three podiums, including the win in St. Petersburg, third in Long Beach, and second in the Indy 500. He’s podiumed at Mid-Ohio before (second in 2021) and has raced well at road courses this year. A win here would make him the biggest challenger to Palou’s early dominance.

Predictions for the Honda Indy 200

It’s tough to see anyone catching Palou with his form lately. An IndyCar driver hasn’t had three wins in four races since 2020. It’s been longer since someone’s had four wins out of five.

Because of that, O’Ward looks like the best choice among the favorites. This is a crucial race for his championship hopes, and he needs to make the top step of the podium. After last year’s bad luck, he’ll make good on it this weekend.

If you want Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio odds with a better payout, look to Rossi or Ericsson. The former has one of the best track records at Mid-Ohio, and the latter’s been one of the most consistent drivers in 2023.

For IndyCar betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Road America GP: Palou takes statement win from a surprising Herta
• Close IndyCar field for the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America
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• 2023 Indy 500 Prop Bets: More to pick this week than just the winner
• Indy 500 Betting Preview: Historic qualifying predicts close fight for victory