By: Spencer Neff
August 20, 2020

Indianapolis 500 weekend is finally here. On Sunday, 33 drivers will take to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hoping to add their name and face to the famed Borg-Warner Trophy.

Before this weekend gets underway, here are some picks for your Fantasy IndyCar team. For this race, the total salary and number of drivers to pick has doubled. In this race, players will be given eight spots to select with an available $200 budget.

There is a fantasy league available for IndyCar1909, please message me with your email address to be invited to join.

Now, let’s get to this week’s picks.-

Favorites

Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport)-$28

Although Rossi’s speed from last Saturday’s qualifying did not transfer over to Sunday, he should still be among the favorites. For the second consecutive year, he will start the race in ninth. In his previous four starts, he has an average finish of 3.25.

Following a thrilling battle in last year’s race with eventual winner Simon Pagenaud, Rossi left frustrated with a second-place effort.Despite a disappointing start to 2020, Indianapolis could be the place for him to turn his season around.

On Sunday, Rossi will be as motivated as ever for his second win the “500” and to become the first two-time American winner since Al Unser Jr. in 1994.

Helio Castroneves (Team Penske)-$28

It may be difficult to consider a driver who starts 28th a favorite but Castroneves’ record at IMS speaks for itself. As he prepares for his 20th start in the “500”, the popular three-time winner is still seeking that elusive fourth victory, tying him with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears.

Since his last win in 2009, Castroneves has finished second in 2014 and 2017, two of the five closest finishes in history. During practice, many pointed to the Penske cars of Castroneves and Pagenaud as potential favorites. This weekend, they could celebrate Car Owner Roger Penske’s first Indianapolis 500 with the team’s 19th trip to Victory Lane.

Other Favorites: Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske)-$31, Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)-$33, Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport)-$28, Conor Daly (Ed Carpenter Racing)-$23

Sleepers

Spencer Pigot (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with Citrone/Buhl Autosport)-$23

Returning to RLLR for the first time since his debut in 2016, Pigot has flown under the radar in a sense. On Saturday, he qualified 12th for his second race of 2020. Last year, Pigot started 3rd and finished 14th, completing all 200 laps for the first time in a career-best effort at the race.

If things go well throughout the day for Pigot and his team, a Top 10 is within reach.

Zach Veach (Andretti Autosport)-$24

Although Veach starts further back in the field than his teammates (17th), the team has shown solid speed over the past week. Further backing that up, Veach led two laps and finished a career-best fourth at the Texas Motor Speedway season opener, the only other super speedway in 2020.

In three previous starts, Veach has yet to finish better than 23rd. After improving eight spots from his best prior starting spots, Veach has a chance for the best Indianapolis 500 of his young career.

Other Sleepers: Alex Palou (Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh)-$20, Patricio (Pato) O’Ward- Arrow McLaren SP -$23), Sage Karam (Dreyer and Reinbold Racing)-$23, Charlie Kimball (A.J. Foyt Racing)-$23

My Picks

Helio Castroneves (Team Penske)-$28

Alex Palou (Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh)-$20

Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport)-$29

James Davison (Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing, Byrd and Belardi Auto Racing)-$21

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)-$33

Dalton Kellett (A.J. Foyt Racing)-$18

Spencer Pigot (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with Citrone/Buhl Autosport)-$23

Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing)-$28

Top 3

1. Ed Carpenter
2. Scott Dixon
3. Alexander Rossi

Header Image By Chris Jones/INDYCAR