INDYCAR Power Rankings: Penalties, Qualifying Heroics and Standout Performances Shake Up Power Rankings

Staff Writer - Jeffrey Hrunka

Photo Credit: Penske Entertainment/Karl Zemlin

Four race wins, five podiums and two poles make Alex Palou the odds-on favorite to win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500. However, Palou's looming winless streak at ovals raises a question about whether it will dampen his dominance. With the end of the “Month of May” approaching, here are Motorsports Today’s power rankings before the Indianapolis 500.

10) Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanagan Racing Honda) (UR)

Rahal was poised to win the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 49 laps led off a front row start. However, a late pass by Palou and an issue on pit road turned a podium day into a sixth-place finish.

9) Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global) (-3)

The Month of May has not been kind to Herta. A pit lane issue at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix took him off the podium, a crash in Indianapolis 500 qualifying put him in a back-up car and a 26th-place finish in the Sonsio Grand Prix has only added to this bad luck.

8) Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) (+1)

Rosenqvist has had a quietly consistent season. After the Swede had his first finish outside the top-10 in the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix, he bounced back with a tenth-place finish in the Sonsio Grand Prix and a fifth-place starting position.

7) Will Power (#12 Team Penske Chevrolet) (-2)

Although Power finished on the podium at the Sonsio Grand Prix, a disqualification in Indianapolis 500 qualifying forced him to the back of the grid. The issue has compounded significant penalties for the team over the last two years. With the problems, Team Penkse’s three highest-ranking personnel were fired.

6) Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) (+2)

After a troublesome weekend at Barber, Dixon has picked up consistency in Speedway, Indiana. A fifth-place finish at the Sonsio Grand Prix and a fourth-place starting spot in the Indianapolis 500 slots Dixon sixth in the standings.

5) Scott McLaughlin (#3 Team Penske Chevrolet) (-1)McLaughlin opened the Month of May with finishes of third and fourth at Barber and Indianapolis, respectively. This momentum continued into Indianapolis 500 qualifying with a top-10 starting spot. The Kiwi’s consistency has him leading the Team Penkse trio fifth in the driver standings.

4) Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global) (-1)

An eighth-place finish around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course slots Kirkwood second in the driver standings. He continued the best start of his career with one finish outside the top-10 through five races and the sole non-Palou victory this season in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

3) Pato O’Ward (#5 Arrow McLaren) (+4)

A second podium this season at the Sonsio Grand Prix, combined with a front row start for the Indianapolis 500, made O’Ward the driver to watch this Month of May. He has two runner-up finishes in the Greatest Spectacle of Racing and claimed his best start at the speedway. If there was ever a year for the Mexican to take home the Borg-Warner Trophy, it's this year.

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

Lundgaard's worst result of the season was 16th at the Sonsio Grand Prix, a track he had never finished outside the top-10 at in his career. However, he has been one of the few drivers who have challenged Palou this season, with three podiums in five races.

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

Palou has yet to finish outside the podium with four wins in five starts. He has a worst second finish in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and has led 149 of 430 (34%) possible laps. Until someone else proves otherwise, the Spaniard is undoubtedly the championship favorite. 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 24, for the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.