Álex Palou finished his dominant Drivers’ Championship-winning campaign in style, leading the most laps and taking home his fifth win this season at Portland.
Palou was followed to the checkered flag by Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, and Josef Newgarden, completing the top five. This weekend, IndyCar heads down the Pacific Coast for its season finale from legendary Laguna Seca Raceway, where racing began in 1960, with IndyCar’s first stop happening in 1983.
Insidersbettingdigest has our final IndyCar betting preview this season, picking our winner and top-five finishers at Laguna Seca in our Grand Prix of Monterey predictions.
IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey 2023 Betting Odds
Unfortunately for those who bet on IndyCar, there were no odds for Laguna Seca available as of publication.
For those who bet on motorsports, we recommend checking your favorite sportsbook closer to race day before shifting their motorsports betting focus.
| Driver (Team) | Championship Points |
| Álex Palou (Chip Ganassi) – Drivers’ Champion | 618 |
| Marcus Ericsson (Chip Ganassi) | 423 |
| Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) | 470 |
| Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) | 461 |
| Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi) | 527 |
| Will Power (Team Penske) | 393 |
| Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) | 448 |
IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Information
IndyCar Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
95 Laps (212.61 mi/342.163 km) | One Lap: 11 Turns over 2.238 miles (3.602 km)
Location: WeatherTech Raceway – Laguna Seca, Monterey, California
Date & Time: Sunday, September 10th, 2023, 2:30 PM ET
How to Watch: NBC, Peacock, Universo, NBC Sports App, IndyCar Live
IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey Recent Results
Since Laguna Seca returned to the IndyCar schedule in 2019, there have been three races, with two previous winners, one of whom highlights Insidersbettingdigest’s Grand Prix of Monterey predictions.
Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta won back-to-back races at Laguna Seca (2019, 2021), with a year gap between wins due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023 IndyCar Drivers’ Champion Álex Palou won the 2022 race at Laguna Seca. Palou should be among your IndyCar picks this weekend and in 2024 if – but likely when – Palou returns to defend his Championship next season.
IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey Betting Preview and Prediction
Álex Palou
With a contract issue with McLaren stealing headlines, Álex Palou seemed undeterred and unphased while taking the race win in Portland. While Palou has five race wins and has finished in the top ten in every race this season, he’s only had three five finishes in the last six races. Fortunately for his Championship-winning campaign, those finishes were in the top three.
Whether it’s to win back-to-back races at Laguna Seca or finish in the top five, the reigning Champion is a must-pick for the final IndyCar race of the season.
Josef Newgarden
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden’s domination of ovals will continue in 2024, where Newgarden will look to improve on his third-place finish in the 2023 IndyCar Drivers’ Championship. Newgarden returned to the top five, finishing fifth at Portland – his eighth top-five and 11th top-ten finish this season – after two consecutive sub-20th place finishes previously.
Follow Newgarden’s season-long trends and take him for a top-five finish.
Pato O’Ward
McLaren’s Pato O’Ward finished fourth at Portland, giving him three straight top-five finishes and his fourth in the last five races. However, O’Ward only has nine top-five finishes this season but should provide excellent betting value when he finishes in the top five at Laguna Seca.
Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon gave Palou a late-season Championship challenge, winning back-to-back races at Indianapolis and Gateway. Dixon’s third-place finish at Portland was his fourth-consecutive top-five finish and fifth in the last seven races.
With ten top-five finishes and fifteen top-ten finishes in 2023, multiple-time Champion Dixon should be one of your picks to finish in the top five.
IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey Betting Pick
Insidersbettingdigest is taking Álex Palou to win at Laguna Seca, and Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, and Will Power to finish in the top-five for our Grand Prix of Monterey predictions.
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