As is so often the case in IndyCar, it all comes down to the final race of the season.
We have the defending champion sitting atop the driver standings right now and in total control of his own destiny, but are we going to see one more twist in the tale before we get to crown the IndyCar champion for 2024?
Today’s MyBookie Big Machine Music City Top Favorites |
| 1. Àlex Palou | 525 points |
| 2. Will Power | 492 points |
| 3. Scott McLaughlin | 475 points |
| 4. Colton Herta | 462 points |
My Big Machine Music City Analysis
We will get our answer on Sunday afternoon in Nashville after the running of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.
It is going to be an exciting one for fans, but who will come out on top in this all-important race?
Let’s take a look at the current leaders in the driver standings to see if we can figure it out.
^Àlex Palou
With 2 championship wins in the last 3 seasons, Palou was always going to be the favorite to do it again this year.
He is very much in control heading into the final race of the season, sitting atop the driver standings with a 33-point lead over his closest rival.
He doesn’t need to win this race to repeat as champion, but I’m sure he would love to close out the season with something of an exclamation point.
Winning might not be a given, though, as Palou is now winless in 8 straight races.
He has been on the podium in Nashville in back-to-back seasons, so a similar finish looks to be a good bet.
^Will Power
The only driver mathematically capable of catching Palou at this point is Will Power, who actually has 1 more win (3) than his rival this season.
The reality here, though, is that he needs to win this race and hope that Palou has an off day, as simply finishing in the top 9 would be enough for the champ to claim another title.
The bad news for Power is that this is a track that has not been particularly kind to him over the years, with 10th place his best finish in Nashville in the past 3 seasons.
^Scott McLaughlin
In the grand scheme of things, it has been a very decent season for McLaughlin, but he is going to need to settle for one of the lesser placings, as he cannot catch Palou, even with a win in Nashville.
While he cannot win it all, he will be looking to end the season as the driver with the most wins. He has 3 already, including a victory last time out in Milwaukee, so there is something at stake for McLaughlin here.
He has finished 2nd in each of the last 2 seasons in Nashville, so I think he could be a good win bet in this one.
^Colton Herta
In fairness to Herta, he has been very consistent this season, finishing outside the top 10 in just 4 races this season.
The problem is that he hasn’t been able to turn that into victories, with 1 to his name in 2024.
He is always expected to be hanging around the leaders, but I’m not so sure if we can take him for the win or a top 3 given that 5th is his best finish on this particular track.
^Big Machine Music City Info
Race: Sunday, September 15 at 3:00pm ET
Where: Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee
TV / Streaming: USA, Peacock, IndyCar Live, SiriusXM
Only one can call themselves 2024 champion.
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) September 9, 2024
📺: #MusicCityGP – Sunday at 3 PM ET on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/CV5rQ0FgNy
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2023 Big Machine Music City
Winning a championship in any sport means maintaining a high level of consistency from start to finish. Some sports that have longer seasons, such as baseball and basketball, allow for little slumps in the season, but for the most part, those who excel tend to keep those poor streaks to the bare minimum. In motor sports, there is no such forgiveness, as a poor run of 2 or 3 races can mean sliding down the driver standings in a hurry. The IndyCar season is coming down the stretch now, with just 5 races to go, and while the current leader has a nice edge over the rest of the drivers, it is a lead that is starting to get whittled down. This weekend, the drivers will be in Nashville for the next race on the schedule, but will we see that lead narrowed even further?
IndyCar Betting Analysis and Prediction for the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix | IndyCar Lines by MyBookie
When: Sunday, August 6 at 12:00 pm ET
Where: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
TV / Streaming: NBC, Peacock
Alex Palou
Palou is out in front of the pack with 477 points this season, which has him 80 points ahead of the nearest challenger. This is his championship to lose, and while he has won 4 races this season, including a stretch that saw him win 3 in a row, he has failed to win in the last 3 races, although he did end up on the podium twice in those outings. He could probably take the championship without winning another race this season, but you can bet that he would like to get things sewn up with room to spare. Palou finished 3rd in Nashville last season, a result that he would probably take again this time around. Top 5 is a solid bet here.
Bet Alex Palou to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race
Josef Newgarden
Newgarden knows exactly what it takes to win a championship, and he is not going down this season without a fight. He looked to be well out of it heading into the doubleheader in Iowa last weekend, but he shook things up in a big way by taking both races to get to 397 points this season. It was a great weekend for the former champion, but he is going to need more of those if he is to overcome the gap at the top and win his 3rd title. This race was not kind to him last season, but I think he is a very good bet this weekend.
Bet Josef Newgarden to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race
Scott Dixon
Throughout his time in IndyCar, Dixon had made a habit of winning championships, or at least staying in the hunt all the way to the end. We are seeing more of the same this season, with Dixon currently sitting 3rd overall. The chances of him winning it all this season are currently slim to none, especially when you consider that he hasn’t won a single race this season. He has only won 2 races in the last 3 seasons, and as good as he is, it doesn’t seem likely that he will suddenly get hot.
Bet Scott Dixon to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race
Marcus Ericsson
During his time with IndyCar, Ericsson has had some big moments, with none bigger than his win at the Indianapolis 500. The problem here is that those moments are few and far between, just like his wins. He opened this season with a win, but he has yet to add a second victory to his resume in 2023. He is always a very decent top 5 finisher bet, but I’m not sure I’d be playing him to win this weekend.
Bet Marcus Ericsson to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race
Driver Standings |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Palou | 477 points | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 2 | Josef Newgarden | 397 points | Team Penske |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | 357 points | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 4 | Marcus Ericsson | 330 points | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| 5 | Scott McLaughlin | 329 points | Team Penske |
Manufacturer Standings |
||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honda | 978 points |
| 2 | Chevrolet | 943 points |
2023 IndyCar Schedule
| Month | Day | Race | IndyCar Betting |
| August | 6 | Big Machine Music City GP | Bet On IndyCar |
| August | 12 | Gallagher GP | Bet On IndyCar |
| August | 27 | Bommarito Automotive Group 500 | Bet On IndyCar |
| September | 3 | Bitnile.com GP of Portland | Bet On IndyCar |
| September | 10 | Firestone GP of Monterey | Bet On IndyCar |
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