This weekend will see the final race of the IndyCar season, but it will be something of an anti-climactic affair, as the championship has already been won. Alex Palou took the checkered flag in Portland last weekend, clinching his 2nd championship and rendering this weekend’s race meaningless. That said, there is still prize money to be won, and the other drivers will be looking to finish the season in as high a position as possible. In short, this is still a race where IndyCar betting opportunities abound, and it may actually be trickier than usual. Will Palou take his foot off the gas now that he is the champion, or will he look to win again and put an exclamation point on his season? It’s tough to know how this might play out, but let’s look at the drivers sure tone in the hunt on Sunday.

IndyCar Betting Analysis and Prediction for the Grand Prix of Monterey | IndyCar Lines by MyBookie Sportsbook

When: Sunday, September 10 at 2:30 pm ET
Where: Raceway Laguna Seca
TV / Streaming: NBC, Peacock

Alex Palou

As we just said, the pressure is off Palou, which could end up playing out in a couple of different ways. He may want to go all out to get another win and pad his stats, or he could take it a little easier knowing that he is already the champion. I don’t see a driver as good as Palou is doing anything else than going for the win, so he has to be seen as the favorite this weekend. Palou already has 5 wins this season, by far his best showing, and when you consider that he won this race in 2022, he has to be the guy you look at first when it comes time to wager on this race.

Bet Alex Palou to Win IndyCar
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race

Scott Dixon

You have to give some mad props to Dixon, as he extended the championship race longer than a lot of us thought it would go. Palou looked to have things all locked up a few weeks ago, but when he cooled off a little, Dixon stepped up and started winning races. He had won 2 in a row heading into Portland, and while he had another solid run, he had to settle for a 3rd place finish in that one. The Laguna Seca track is one where Dixon has not had a ton of success, so even taking him to finish in the top 4 seems like a risky bet.

Bet Scott Dixon to Win IndyCar
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race

Josef Newgarden

Newgarden is another driver that looked to be in the championship race after winning a doubleheader in Iowa a month or so ago. That threat did not last long, though, as he failed to build on that big weekend. In fact, Newgarden has now delivered back-to-back races where he finished outside the top 20 and is finishing the season with a whimper instead of a bang. He did finish 2nd in this race in 2022, so perhaps he can deliver something special on Sunday now that the pressure is off.

Bet Josef Newgarden to Win IndyCar
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Race

Another driver that you may want to consider this weekend, albeit with a risky bet, is Colton Herta. He is having a disappointing season, to be sure, but he also won on this track in back-to-back seasons. With the championship decided, it may just open the door for a driver to deliver a surprise finish to the season, so why not Herta?

2023 IndyCar Final Race

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

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