Trent Reinsmith
The biggest race of the annual IndyCar season takes place on Sunday, May 29th with the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. The Indy 500 is the sixth competition in the 17-race IndyCar season. The 2022 IndyCar season began on February 27 with the running of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The season comes to an end on September 11 with the completion of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
IndyCar racers earn points based on their finishes. The points per race total range from 50 for a first-place finish to 5 points for those who come in 25th or below in a race. Of course, those who finish between 2nd (40 points) and 24th (6 points) receive a different number of points.
Last season, Alex Palou won the IndyCar Series with 549 points. The only other racer to top the 500-point mark in 2021 was Josef Newgarden, who had 511 points. Pato O’Ward, who had 487 points on the season, finished in the third spot.
Before we look at the picks and predictions for who will come out on top of the 2022 IndyCar Series Standings, take a look at the picks for the 2022 Indy 500, and make sure to visit our list of best-betting sites for NASCAR in 2022.
2022 IndyCar Series picks
| To Win 2022 IndyCar Series |  |  |
| Will Power | TBA | TBA |
| Álex Palou | TBA | TBA |
| Scott McLaughlin | TBA | TBA |
| Josef Newgarden | TBA | TBA |
| Scott Dixon | TBA | TBA |
| Colton Herta | TBA | TBA |
| Pato O'Ward | TBA | TBA |
| Marcus Ericsson | TBA | TBA |
| Romain Grosjean | TBA | TBA |
| Rinus VeeKay | TBA | TBA |
| Simon Pagenaud | TBA | TBA |
| Graham Rahal | TBA | TBA |
| Takuma Sato | TBA | TBA |
| Felix Rosenqvist | TBA | TBA |
| Alexander Rossi | TBA | TBA |
Will Power
Will Power, who is part of Team Penske, leads the 2022 IndyCar Series standings with 170 points heading into the 2022 Indy 500. Power is one of two racers who has finished inside the top-10 in each of the five IndyCar races in 2022. He is the only driver who has finished in the top five in each of the 2022 races.
Power, who does not have a win in 2022. Has one pole start this year. His best finishes were at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He ended each of those races in the third spot. Power finished in fourth in the other three races this year.
Power won the 2018 Indy 500 and he was the 2014 IndyCar Champion.
Alex Palou
Alex Palou is the defending IndyCar Series Champion. Palou, who is part of Chip Ganassi Racing, had three wins in 2021 and earned 549 points for his efforts. Palou has not won a race in 2022, but he has finished in the top-five three times and inside the top-10 on four occasions. With that, Palou has racked up 156 points heading into the 2022 Indy 500.
Palou is looking to become the first driver since Dario Franchitti won three championships in a row between 2009-11 to go back-to-back as champion. Last year, the 24-year-old became the youngest driver to win the title since 23-year-old Scott Dixon took home the honors in 2003.
Palou might not have a win this year, but he has come very close, finishing second at the Grand Prix of Alabama and Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. He also has a third-place finish at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Palou is coming off his worst finish of the year. He placed 18th at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis after starting in the second spot. Palou is starting second to Scott Dixon at this year’s Indy 500.
Scott McLaughlin
Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske has 152 points on the season. He has finished three races in the top-three, including a win at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, but also has a 14th and a 20th place finish on his record this year.
McLaughlin has been racing in the IndyCar series since 2020. He finished in the 14th spot last year, which was his first full year of IndyCar racing. McLaughlin is a former Supercars Champion who is still getting his wheels under him. The 28-year-old New Zealander is someone to watch going forward.
McLaughlin starts the 2022 Indy 500 in the 26th position.
Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon is the only IndyCar racer other than Will Power to finish in the top-10 in all five races in 2022. Dixon has 133 points this season and is coming off a fourth-place finish in 2021. The 41-year-old, who races for Chip Ganassi Racing, is the pole-sitter for the 2022 Indianapolis 500. He also started in that spot in 2021 and finished the race in the 17th position.
Dixon is always a threat to win the IndyCar Series. He has six championships to his name and has only finished outside the top four once since 2006 when he placed sixth in 2016.
Our Pick
Scott Dixon has been so consistent for so many years, it’s hard to pick against him. Look for Dixon to get his first win since 2020.
Pick: Scott Dixon to win 2022 IndyCar Series Championship.
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