DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway preview, odds and tips
Graham Rahal can make his presence felt on oval track
Sky Sports F1 & Main Event, 1.45am Saturday night
Takuma Sato can probably feel harshly treated to be a 9-1 shot for the DXC Technology 600 in Texas on Saturday night after being fast all weekend and taking pole position.
The veteran Japanese former Formula One driver has won one IndyCar race this season, on a road course in Alabama, and was third behind Simon Pagenaud in the Indy500 last month.
He was second to Scott Dixon in the first practice session and beaten only by rookie Colton Herta in practice two before beating Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais to pole.
Most firms have four drivers ahead of Sato in the betting, and perhaps his record at the track is putting them off - he has never finished better than the seventh he posted last season in this race.
Dixon, Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the bookmakers' preferred drivers, but for a value bet, consider Graham Rahal.
Rahal is a 16-1 shot after qualifying ninth, but he had been third in first practice and seventh in the second session. He won this race in 2016 and has been fourth and sixth in the last two seasons, so another strong showing could be on the cards.
Rahal was battling for seventh place with Bourdais at the Indy500 when their crash caused a pile-up but his oval-track speed looks solid.
Leading grid positions: 1 T Sato, 2 S Dixon, 3 S Bourdais, 4 R Hunter-Reay, 5 S Pagenaud, 6 S Pigot, 7 J Newgarden, 8 J Hinchcliffe, 9 G Rahal, 10 C Herta.
Leading standings: 1 J Newgarden 316, 2 A Rossi 301, 3 S Pagenaud 291, 4 S Dixon 264, 5 T Sato 255, 6 W Power 232, 7 R Hunter-Reay 219, 8 J Hinchcliffe 179, 9 G Rahal 175, 10 S Bourdais 165.
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G Rahal
1pt each-way 16-1 bet365, Ladbrokes
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