Indy 500 2017: Latest Race Odds and Sleeper Contenders

Scott Dixon is the favourite to win the 2017 Indianapolis 500 after qualifying in pole position.

The New Zealander won starting from the front of the grid back in 2008, and after an excellent showing at qualifying he's 6-1 to win again on Sunday.

He's narrowly ahead of Will Power and Formula One star Fernando Alonso in the bookies' eyes, with the pair close behind at 8-1.

Read on for a look at some of the top sleeper contenders, but first, here are the latest odds, courtesy of OddsShark:

Driver	Odds
Scott Dixon	6-1
Will Power	8-1
Fernando Alonso	8-1
Helio Castroneves	10-1
Juan Pablo Montoya	12-1
Tony Kanaan	12-1
Marco Andretti	12-1
Ryan Hunter Reay	12-1
Josef Newgarden	15-1
Simon Pagenaud	15-1
Alexander Rossi	15-1
Takuma Sato	15-1
Ed Carpenter	15-1
James Hinchcliffe	20-1
JR Hildebrand	30-1
Charlie Kimball	40-1
Graham Rahal	40-1
Carlos Munoz	50-1
Mikhail Aleshin	60-1
Max Chilton	100-1
Oriol Servia	100-1
Jack Harvery	125-1
Field	20-1

JR Hildebrand, 30-1

Despite making the Fast Nine, J.R. Hildebrand is a 30-1 outsider to win the Indy 500 this year.

The 29-year-old infamously came within one turn of winning The Greatest Spectacle in Racing as a rookie in 2011, only to crash and finish second to Dan Wheldon.

He may be yet to win a race in his career, but he has three consecutive top-10 finishes at Indianapolis and has improved year on year—he came 10th in 2014, eighth in 2015 and sixth last time out.

Per IndyCar Series, Hildebrand reflected on a strong qualifying session:

Hildebrand is also hoping he won't just be remembered for the crash, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Tacuma Roeback: "What I still glean from that is no matter how sideways things go, you do have, any athlete has, the opportunity to write their own story to some degree."

The driver also believes he has improved significantly in the years since: "I feel more looking back at it, like, 'Hey, look, I am so much better as a race-car driver and as a decision-maker and as a team-mate and a team member, particularly at Indianapolis, now than I was then.'"

Having qualified in sixth—his best-ever starting position in the race—he could be set for another push at the chequered flag and a shot at redemption.

Carlos Munoz, 50-1

Carlos Munoz was somewhat disappointing in qualifying, per IndyCar Series:

That lap average was only enough to hand him 24th place in qualifying out of the 33 drivers, which perhaps explains why the Colombian has odds of 50-1 heading into the race.

However, Munoz's track record at Indianapolis is remarkable.

The 25-year-old has competed in the Indy 500 on four occasions, and he has managed to finish second twice—including in last year's race—and fourth.

Now with A.J. Foyt Racing, Munoz believes his time will come at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, per IndyCar.com's Joey Burns:

"Waiting for my perfect time and it will be even greater if I win it for A.J. Foyt Racing. I think people won't expect that, to win with A.J. Foyt, but people would like it even more. Like I said before, I think the time has to be perfect, but I think I can do it. I think I have the talent to win this race, and someday I will."

Foyt's team last tasted success at the Indy 500 18 years ago when Kenny Brack won in 1999.

Despite his poor showing in qualification, they have the potential to win the 101st running of the race in Munoz.