IndyCar Betting 2024 Favorites at The Thermal Club

The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge: In sports, we all love a big spectacle, which is exactly what we are getting this weekend in IndyCar.

MyBookie Best IndyCar Series Betting Site | The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge

The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge is a unique race on the Indy calendar, as it will not have any bearing on the driver standings given that there are no points up for grabs. There is, though, $1.7 million in prize money waiting to be picked up by the drivers taking part. The weekend is split into an open test, group qualifying sessions, a pair of heat races, and a 12-car all-star style race. Given the prize money, which is second only behind the Indianapolis 500, you can bet that every driver taking part will be bringing their A game as they look to make it a big pay day. Let’s look at a few drivers who might well be in the hunt for the top prize.

Josef Newgarden

While this race is of the non-championship variety, you can bet that Newgarden will be looking to build on his great start to the 2024 IndyCar season. He won the opening race of the new season in St. Petersburg after a disappointing 2023 season where he finished 5th overall, which was his worst showing since 2018. This is a driver that has won 19 races over the last 5 seasons, so he is very familiar with the checkered flag, making him a serious threat this weekend.

Josef Newgarden Odds to Win $1 Million Challenge
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Alex Palou

Palou comes into this season as the defending champion and has now won the World Championship twice in the last 3 seasons. He will be looking to bounce back after a poor start to the year, at least by his standards. Palou finished 6th overall in St. Petersburg, but the fact of the matter is that he had an even worse start to the season the year prior and still went on to win it all. Still, he will certainly want to at least get back on the podium, and with the pressure somewhat off this weekend, he might just find his way there.

Alex Palou Odds to Win $1 Million Challenge
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Scott McLaughlin

While he may not get a ton of attention when compared to other drivers in Indy, McLaughlin has been consistently goof over the past 2 seasons, finishing in the top 4 overall in each of those years. He is off to another good start with a podium finish in St. Petersburg, so he needs to be considered a possibility this weekend. The main drawback with McLaughlin is that he does not win a lot, with just 3 total wins in his time with IndyCar. Still, he would be worth a look as a top 3 finisher here.

Scott Mc Laughlin Odds to Win $1 Million Challenge
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Pato O’Ward

This is another driver who doesn’t win very often but who always seems to be there or thereabouts in the majority of races. He did not win a single race in 2023, but he was on the podium 7 times, so it’s fair to assume that he might well be in the big money this weekend. His season got off to a very decent start with a 2nd place finish in St. Petersburg, and while I’m not sure he wins this weekend, a top 3 finish does not seem like a particularly bad bet.

Pato O’Ward Odds to Win $1 Million Challenge
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IndyCar The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge

When: Sunday, March 24 at 3:00pm ET
Where: The Thermal Club
TV / Streaming: NBC, Peacock
Radio: SiriusXM
Open Test Session 1: Friday, March 22, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET
Open Test Session 2: Friday, March 22, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm ET
Open Test Session 3: Saturday, March 23, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET
Open Test Session 4: Saturday, March 23, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm ET
Qualifications: Saturday, March 23, 8:00 pm – 8:45 pm ET
Race: Sunday, March 24, 12:30 pm ET