Grand Prix of Sonoma Picks
Which driver will close out the 2017 IndyCar Season with a victory and win the Grand Prix of Sonoma tonight? Here’s our predictions for the race.
The Grand Prix of Sonoma is a 196-mile race that will be held at Sonoma Raceway. The race takes place today at 6:30PM ET and will air on NBCSN. According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Scott Dixon is favored to win this race with +225 odds. Other short odds to win are Will Power (+400), Josef Newgarden (+400) and Simon Pagenaud (+400).
Scott Dixon isn’t in a must-win situation, but he is close. Dixon is in second in the IndyCar point standings behind Newgarden and a win will lock up a championship for him. He comes to one of his best tracks in order to attempt that. Dixon has won at Sonoma multiple times, including in 2015 and 2014. Dixon has also finished second in his last two races. Look for him to be the man to beat tonight.
Josef Newgarden doesn’t have to win to claim his first IndyCar championship, he just needs to finish ahead of Dixon. That said, Dixon is likely to be near the front of the pack, so Newgarden may need to win. Newgarden finished sixth here a year ago. However, his 2017 has been far better than 2016. He looks like a new driver this year and three wins with three runner-up finishes proves that. Newgarden may be ready to cap a title with a win tonight.
Helio Castroneves is another driver in the mix for the points title. He is 22 points out of first place, so he really needs the win to have a shot at the championship. Castroneves has won at Sonoma before, so grabbing the win today certainly isn’t out of question. He has just one win in 2017, but has only finished outside the top 10 in one race. Castroneves is consistently in the mix, which always gives him a shot to win. With the added aggression of desperation, he could be the winner tonight.