It's racing season and IndyCar is just around the corner as 27 teams and drivers will take the green flag on the season on the streets of St. Petersburg on March 2.
So, while that's still a month and a half away, I couldn't wait to get my first bet in on a driver with massive value.
With a new season comes new team and driver combinations, and that's exactly where I'm looking at with my early best bet for this race.
IndyCar at St. Petersburg Best Bet
Arrow McLaren made an offseason move to pick up the talented Christian Lundgaard, who already has a win to his name with the mid-tier Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team at Toronto, another street course.
McLaren is team capable of putting together a championship effort. Phenom Pato O'Ward grabbing a top-five finish in the championship in four of his five seasons with the Papaya outfit.
That includes a win at last year's race at St. Petersburg, and a runner-up finish two years ago after his engine burped on the final two laps while leading, which allowed Marcus Ericsson to pass him for the win.
That means in Lundgaard we're getting the following.
- A road course-winning driver
- Upgrading to a championship-caliber team
- On the track, his team won at last year and should have won at two years ago
- 25-1 odds.
I also bet him to finish in the top three at +700.
There's also likely value on any prop that would include Lundgaard, such as odd car number to win, winning car number under 11.5, and related bets.
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Picks
Christian Lundgaard to Win (+2500, Caesars; Bet to +1200)
Christian Lundgaard Top-3 Finish (+700, Caesars; Bet to +300)
