INDYCAR Power Rankings: Continued Dominance, Palou Stays At No.1 With McLaughlin and Power Big Movers

Staff Writer - Jeffrey Hrunka

Photo Credit: Penske Entertainment/James Black

Three Race Wins, four podiums and a pole continue to put an exclamation point on an already dominant season for Alex Palou as he remains at the top of Motorsports Today’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES power rankings.

While there is no significant movement on the list, Team Penske's exceptional performances at the Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix shake things up heading into the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

10) Alexander Rossi (#20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet) (-)

Rossi was one of the biggest movers at Barber, as he started 15th and finished seventh. He’s proving to be a prominent replacement for former Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus Veekay, with three top-10s through three races.

9) Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) (-3)

Rosenqvist faced his worst finish this season of 13th after qualifying 14th at Barber. This ended a streak of three consecutive top-10s for the Swede. He looks to reinvigorate this consistency at the IMS Road Course, a circuit he has finished top-10 in four of the last five races at.

8) Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) (-4)

As the season progresses, Dixon’s finishes have worsened. He started the season with a podium at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Since the opening race, Dixon has had an average finish of tenth.

7) Pato O’ Ward (#5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) (-)

Varied speeds on street courses have defined O’Ward’s season. At St. Petersburg and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, he finished outside the top-10. On road courses, he’s been able to counteract these issues with a second-place finish at The Thermal Club Indy Grand Prix and a sixth-place finish at Barber.

6) Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global) (-1)

Another race, another pit lane issue for Herta. While the Andretti Global driver has an average qualifying position of 2.75, pit issues at St. Pete, Long Beach and Barber have taken him out of podium contention for finishes of 16th, seventh and seventh, respectively. Herta’s season-best finish of fourth came at the Thermal Club, his only race without an issue.

5) Will Power (#12 Team Penske Chevrolet) (+4)

Like his two Team Penske teammates, Power had a difficult start to 2025. A wreck in the opening lap at St. Petersburg saw him finish 26th. However, he rebounded with sixth and two fifth-place finishes over the last three races. His race pace has translated to his qualifying pace with three consecutive appearances in the Firestone Fast Six.

4) Scott McLaughlin (#3 Team Penske Chevrolet) (+4)

After McLaughlin began his season with a fourth-place finish and an NTT P1 Award at St. Petersburg. A 27th-place finish at the Thermal Club added to Team Penkse's struggles early this season. However, a sixth and third-place finish at Long Beach and Barber has launched the New Zealander from eighth to fourth in the driver standings.

3) Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global) (-)

Consistency has been key for Kirkwood to start the season. After winning on the Streets of Long Beach last weekend, he followed it up with an 11th-place finish. He was one spot short of four-straight top-10 finishes.

This marked the best start of his career, as he's never kept himself inside the top three in the standings after four races into a season. The question is whether he can carry this impressive start to the IMS Road Course, where the American has a best finish of ninth. 

2) Christian Lundgaard (#7 Arrow McLaren) (-)

Lundgaard continues to impress in his first season with Arrow McLaren, with three straight podiums and four straight top-10s, only second to Palou. In any other season, the Danish driver would be the title favorite; however, it's all a question of whether the Chip Ganassi Racing driver can run into bad luck.

1) Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) (-)

What else is there to say about Palou? In the season's first four races, the Spaniard has finished first, first, second and first—for a full race points gap over the field. He fully displayed his dominance at Barber Motorsports Park, leading 81 or 90 laps en route to his third victory.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES action returns at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 10, for the Sonsio Grand Prix around the IMS Road Course in Speedway, Indiana.