The 2023 Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, nicknamed "The Brickyard." The green flag drops at 12:45 p.m. ET for the 107th running of the race. Marcus Ericsson is the defending champion, while Alex Palou is on the pole. Pato O'Ward is the 5-1 favorite in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Palou (23-4), Scott Dixon (7-1) and Alexander Rossi (9-1).

Our proven projection model has simulated the race 10,000 times and came up with a surprising leaderboard. Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary auto racing prediction computer model takes into account a slew of factors including track history and recent results.

McClure's model is off to a red-hot start this season in NASCAR, already nailing Martin Truex Jr.'s Clash win (20-1), Joey Logano's Duel win (8-1), Kyle Busch's Fontana victory (10-1), Denny Hamlin's triumph in Kansas (6-1) and Kyle Larson's wins at Martinsville (6-1) and the NASCAR All-Star Race (13-2). In Austin, it listed Tyler Reddick as one of its best values and he went on to win for a 10-1 payout. It also impressively nailed five of Kyle Larson's wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 12 winners since 2021. Anyone who followed its lead on those NASCAR picks saw HUGE returns!

Now, the model has dialed in on IndyCar at The Brickyard 2023 and released its projections. 

The Indianapolis 500 has been a staple on Memorial Day Weekend since 1911. It is one of the most competitive races in the world, evident by the fact that Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) is the only driver to win twice over the last 10 years. Four drivers have won a record four times apiece, while Team Penske (18) has more wins than the next three most successful teams combined. The Brickyard is a 2.5-mile rectangular oval, has four turns, and is home to the Verizon 200 in NASCAR's Cup Series in addition to the Indianapolis 500.

We can tell you the model is high on Colton Herta, even though he's a 20-1 long shot in the latest 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a HUGE payday. And a massive shocker: Pato O'Ward, the top Vegas favorite at 5-1, stumbles big-time and doesn't even crack the top five! There are far better values in the 2023 Indy 500 starting grid.

The model is also targeting two other drivers with 2023 Indianapolis 500 odds of 15-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag! Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it BIG. You ABSOLUTELY need to see who it is before locking in any IndyCar picks.

So who wins the 2023 Indy 500? And which long shots are a MUST-BACK? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the full projected Indianapolis 500 leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed six winners in 2023!