INDYCAR Power Rankings: It’s Alex Palou’s World

The run for Pato O’Ward atop these INDYCAR rankings didn’t last all that long. 

It’s Alex Palou’s world and the rest of the drivers are just living in it, recognizing that they could have an excellent season and still not match Palou.

Palou’s eight wins give him the chance to clinch the title at the next race in two weeks at Portland. He sits 121 points ahead of O’Ward and needs to leave Portland with a 108-point lead to clinch his fourth championship.

Here’s how the drivers stack up after the weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca:

Dropped out: Rinus VeeKay (Last Week: 10) 

On the verge: Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Christian Rasmussen

10. David Malukas (Last Week: 8)

Malukas had a strong qualifying effort in making the Fast Six but was 13th in the race. That’s still two top 10s in his last three starts and no finish worse than 15th since early May for the A.J. Foyt Racing driver. He’s 10th in the standings.

9. Felix Rosenqvist (Last Week: 6)

Rosenqvist found himself in the barrier in the opening lap after contact from Kyffin Simpson. He wound up 24th. He started 12th, so that can happen in the middle of the pack, but the Meyer Shank driver never got to show what he had. He’s sixth in the standings.

8. Will Power (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Power started fifth and finished seventh as the top-running Team Penske driver in the race. He’s ninth in the standings despite two engine issues in the last month.

7. Kyle Kirkwood (Last Week: 4)

Kirkwood had a race to forget, as he was penalized with a stop-and-go for avoidable contact when he got into Rinus VeeKay. He finished 16th and was mathematically eliminated from championship contention. The Andretti driver is still fourth in the standings.

6. Marcus Armstrong (Last Week: 5)

Armstrong continues to have a workman-like season, starting 10th and finishing eighth. The Meyer Shank driver has eight top 10s in the last nine races and is eighth in the standings.

5. Colton Herta (Last Week: 9)

Herta started third and finished third for his second podium of the season. The Andretti driver now has back-to-back finishes of fourth and third and maybe has found his groove. This could be a little bit late for the 2025 season but still good to see. He is seventh in the series standings.

4. Scott Dixon (Last Week: 3)

Dixon was ninth and finished fifth for his sixth top five of the season. A teammate of Palou’s at Ganassi and a six-time champion himself, Dixon (third in the standings) was mathematically eliminated from having a shot at the title.

3. Christian Lundgaard (Last Week: 7)

Lundgaard’s second-place finish was his fifth podium of the season in a year when he still seeks his first win. He ran a solid race but still finished 3.8 seconds behind Palou. The Arrow McLaren driver is fifth in the standings.

2. Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 1)

O’Ward wasn’t the happiest with his car but still muscled his way to a fourth-place finish. The Arrow McLaren driver is still mathematically alive in the championship hunt, but he is a distant second at 121 points behind Palou.

1. Alex Palou (Last Week: 2)

Another pole. Another win. Another race where he earned max points. The Ganassi driver looked pretty much unbeatable on the way to his eighth victory of the year and would need a huge collapse and an O’Ward surge to get beat for the title.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.