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The skill that 27 year old Ryan Briscoe has displayed in recent outings is causing his reputation to shift from that of an up and coming driver to one that has already arrived. Briscoe's talent, coupled with Team Penske's experience, has fellow drivers on the lookout for the young Aussie. Online bookmaker Bodog.com has also taken notice of Briscoe, listing him at 5 to 1 betting odds to win the 93rd running of the Indy 500 on Sunday afternoon.

Helio Castroneves, the favorite to win this year's Indianapolis 500 at 7 to 2 betting odds, really likes what his young teammates bring to the race track. So much so that he will, no doubt, be keeping a close eye on him from the pole.

"He's not here because he's pretty or lucky," Castroneves said of Briscoe, who is starting the race beside Helio from the number two position. "He's here because he is talented and strong."

Ryan Briscoe opened the season by garnering his third career IRL win, taking the checkered flag at the Streets of St. Petersburg on April 5th. He took fourth place at Kansas Speedway on April 26th to move to within one point of points leader Tony Kanaan in the IRL standings.

Briscoe, while excited at the possibility of winning his first Indy 500, knows that it will not come easy. The Syndey, Australia native, however, feels that he and his team have put in the necessary work to give them a chance.

"We worked on the balance and did a few long runs [in practice] — just keeping an eye on how the car is on a full tank of fuel, and then as the tires go off, where the balance goes and how close we can stay together in dirty air," Briscoe said. "We collected a lot of information and we want to see what we can do to keep improving."

Briscoe believes the practice time will pay off, but just how much it will will not be known until this afternoon.

"We have to go out there and make no mistakes," Briscoe said. "We've got to have good pit stops and make sure everything we've done in the first half of the race prepares us for the second half. If we find ourselves in good track position at the end, then we can go for it when it's time."

The Indy 500 will take place at 12:00pm ET this afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast live on ABC.

Bodog.com Indy 500: Ryan Briscoe 5 to 1 Betting Odds

Helio Castroneves 7/2

Scott Dixon 4/1

Ryan Briscoe 5/1

Dario Franchitti 6/1

Tony Kanaan 8/1

Danica Patrick 11/1

Marco Andretti 14/1

Graham Rahal 16/1

Dan Wheldon 17/1

Paul Tracy 20/1

Visit Bodog.com for the latest Ryan Briscoe Indy 500 betting odds before the big race on Sunday.

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