IndyCar BITNILE.COM Grand Prix: Palou Leads the Standings – Top 4 Picks for Portland Race

There are few things as exciting as a championship race that goes all the way down to the wire. Just a couple of short weeks ago, it didn’t look as though we were going to that in IndyCar, but things have changed rather dramatically in that regard. That said, it could potentially be all over this weekend depending on the outcome of the Grand Prix of Portland, but there is also the possibility that we will not know who the 2023 IndyCar champion is before the end of the final race of the season. There are just 2 races to come in what is turning into a great battle, and it all begins this Sunday in Portland. Who will win this race, and will we see that battle go down to the final race of the season? Let’s take a look at the major players to consider in your IndyCar betting odds.

IndyCar Betting Analysis and Prediction for the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland | IndyCar Lines by MyBookie Sportsbook

When: Sunday, September 3 at 3:00 pm ET
Where: Portland International Raceway
TV / Streaming: NBC, Peacock

Alex Palou

As we mentioned at the top of this piece, the championship race looked to be done and dusted a couple of weeks ago, with Palou sitting on top of the driver standings with what appeared to be an unassailable lead. Perhaps Palou got a little too comfortable, or perhaps he began to feel the pressure, but after a streak that saw him win 3 straight races, he has now failed to win in the last 6, opening the door for the chasing pack. In fact, he hasn’t even cracked the top 5 in the last 3 races, finishing 7th in each of those. Palou won in Portland when he won the championship in 2021, so could we see history repeat here?

Scott Dixon

We should all know better by now that it is never a good idea to count Dixon out of any race, including the race for the IndyCar championship. Arguably one of the best drivers to ever race in this sport, Dixon is turning up the heat on Palou after winning each of the last 2 races. He still has work to do to complete the improbable comeback, but you can’t say that he isn’t making things very exciting indeed. Dixon probably needs a win in Portland this weekend, and since he finished 3rd in each of his last 2 runs there, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Josef Newgarden

A few weeks ago, Newgarden was the man we were looking at as the most likely contender to Palou, but he is now going to need to settle for the lesser spoils. He won a doubleheader in Iowa, but then followed that up with a trio of disappointing runs that essentially took him out of championship contention. He will still be looking to play the role of spoiler, though, but he will need to do a whole lot better than he did in his last couple of Portland races to make that happen.

Pato O’Ward

While the goal of every driver on the IndyCar circuit is to win the championship, we also cannot forget that there is a lot of prize money up for grabs in each race. What that means is that while the championship is now out of sight for most, there is still a lot of money up for grabs in the final 2 races of the season. O’Ward will be looking for his share, and even though he has yet to win a race in 2023, he did have a solid run in Portland last year and needs to be considered as a viable betting option.

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