Columnist Jeff Haney: CART drivers favored in Indy 500 proposition

Wednesday, May 23, 2001 | 9:42 a.m.

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com.

Indianapolis 500 fans never tire of arguing the relative merits of drivers in the CART FedEx Series against those in the rival Indy Racing League.

Oddsmaker Micah Roberts took the debate a step further.

He put a number on it.

In one of several intriguing Indy 500 betting propositions, Roberts asks, "The winning driver will be from which series: CART or IRL?" Of the 33 drivers scheduled to start Sunday's race (9 a.m., ABC, Ch. 13), seven are considered CART drivers for betting purposes while 26 represent the IRL.

Although the IRL has a big edge in quantity, Roberts says the quality lies on the CART side.

The CART drivers are a small favorite in the matchup, having opened Monday morning at minus 115, with the IRL side listed at minus 105.

"The CART guys appear to be head and shoulders above the IRL drivers," said Roberts, sports book director at Santa Fe Station and head motor sports linemaker for all Station Casinos properties. "When you look at teams like Penske and Ganassi, you realize their technology and their resources are so much more advanced than those of the IRL teams.

"When it comes to trying to win the greatest, most historical event in racing, you know they are going to use all those resources to the best of their ability."

Of the two co-favorites in the race, one is from CART -- Gil de Ferran -- and one is from the IRL -- Buddy Lazier. Each is a 5-1 betting choice.

Of the seven top favorites, though, four represent the CART series: de Ferran, Las Vegan Jimmy Vasser (7-1), Helio Castro-Neves (7-1) and Tony Stewart (8-1). Stewart is a NASCAR star who is driving for CART team owner Chip Ganassi at Indy.

The other IRL drivers listed at short odds are Greg Ray (6-1) and Scott Sharp (8-1).

Roberts and the Stations offered early Indy wagering a few weeks ago, then released complete revised odds after Sunday's "Bump Day" at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

At the Station properties, a line has been hung on each of the 33 drivers in the race (no "field" bet) in addition to three propositions and 10 head-to-head driver matchups.

Since betting re-opened Monday, the most significant line move has come on Ray, who was bet down from 10-1 to 6-1 to win the race.

"Bettors tend to like guys who start up front in the Indy 500, and also drivers known as 'fly guys,' meaning they have a gung-ho attitude and figure to go out as fast as possible and hope they can hang on until the end of the race," Roberts said.

"They're betting Ray, and I expect to see some more action on guys like Scott Sharp, Robby Gordon (12-1) and Mark Dismore (14-1), and maybe Jeff Ward (12-1)."

Notably, all of those drivers are from the IRL. But press Roberts into predicting the overall winner, and he chooses a CART driver -- Vasser, who at 7-1 is tied for the fourth betting choice overall.

"The CART series is really the next step, right below Formula One, in terms of high-quality technology," said Roberts, a rabid racing fan as well an analyst of the sport. "The IRL would have to be considered the lowest level (of the three) as far as crews and engine builders go."

Of the IRL drivers, Roberts figures Lazier and Sam Hornish Jr. (10-1) have the best chances of winding up in victory lane.

"Lazier is not a guy who will run his car into the ground," Roberts said. "He'll be around the last 50 laps, which is the idea. You want to be out there at the end, in position to win."

Another betting proposition involves Stewart, who plans to compete in the Indy 500 and, later in the day, the NASCAR Winston Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (2:45 p.m., Fox, Ch. 5). The Stewart prop is an over/under on Stewart's combined finish in both races, and is listed at 19 1/2 (over minus 115, under minus 105).

The final Indy prop is an over/under on the number of drivers to finish on the lead lap. It's listed at 5 1/2 (over plus 125, under minus 145).

When it comes to the total amount of wagering, Roberts says the Indy 500 is tied for second place with the Daytona 500, behind only the annual NASCAR Winston Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"Vegas is still our No. 1 betting race," Roberts said.