Las Vegas oddsmakers gave rookie driver Danica Patrick a solid shot at making history May 29 by becoming the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500, this according to Jeff Haney of the Las Vegas Sun.

Patrick, 23, started the Indy 500 in 2005 from the inside of Row 2, in the 33-car race. She drives for Rahal Letterman Racing, owned by 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal and TV host David Letterman.

Odds on Patrick winning the race ranged from roughly 6-1 to 10-1 in a majority of sports books around Las Vegas, placing her just behind the favorites in the erstwhile "greatest spectacle in racing." according to the Sun.

Online she had even more favorable betting odds.  Danica Patrick was 13-1 at Sports Interaction, 14-1 at WallStreet.com and 20-1 at BetWWTS

These were the odds as they appeared just prior to the 2005 Indy 500 race:

DANICA PATRICK LADY DRIVER SPECIALS Time: 10:01   Price   Danica Patrick to fail to complete the race 2.50 Any female driver wins Indy 500 within 5 yrs 3.00 D Patrick to win the Indy 500 within 5 years 4.00   Price   Danica Patrick to finish on the podium 5.00 D Patrick in a USA Today cartoon this week 11.00   DANICA PATRICK SPECIALS - SHOWDOWN Time: 10:02 Any male driver to meet Patrick in a 1 on 1 showdown by 12/3   Price   Yes 11.00

Micah Roberts, sports book director at Palace Station, told the Las Vegas Sun he thought Patrick stood a good chance of winning.

"There's a huge amount of hype around this story," said Roberts, a specialist in motor sports wagering. "You hear a lot of people saying, 'Ah, there's no way a girl can win.' But you know what? A girl never had this type of car before."

Patrick made a basic error on the first lap of her qualifying run that cost her an even more impressive finish.

"If it wasn't for that nervous first lap, she would have been on the pole," Roberts said. "The only question mark is that she's a rookie. Not that she's a woman -- that she's a rookie.

"When she is in the car, she's a race driver, not a woman," team manager Jimmy Prescott told The Mercury News. "She's had a lot of press, and it's been tough on her. I think she's handled it well."

Danica Patrick was featured recently in a pictorial for FHM Magazine.

......Sports Interaction offers 'Each Way' bets on the 2006 Indy 500.  Here is how 'Each Way'  bets work:

An 'Each Way' bet will enter two bets on your selection - one bet to win the event and a second bet for the same amount for your selection to come within the specified number of places (first 2, 3 or 4 places). The 'place' part of your bet will pay out at the specified fraction of the 'win' odds for your selection i.e. 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc. of the win odds.

When you place an each way bet, two bets will automatically be entered, each for the amount of your stake - a 'win' bet and a 'place' bet. For example, if you place a $10 Each Way bet, a $10 'win' bet and a $10 'place' bet will be entered for a total stake of $20.

If your selection wins, both bets will be paid out at the specified odds for each bet part. If your selection does not win but does come within the specified number of places (in the first 2, 3 or 4 as applicable) only the 'place' part of your bet will pay out.

The 'Each Way' places and odds, i.e. the number of places within which your selection must finish and the fraction of the win odds at which the place part of your bet will pay out, are displayed under any event offering 'Each Way' betting.

You may bet this 'Each Way' bet today at Sports Interaction HERE

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Christopher Costigan, www.sports911.com

originally published May 26, 2005 10:55 pm EST
revised December 20, 2005 5:21 pm EST

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