INDYCAR Power Rankings: It's Alex Palou's World
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.
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Those bonus points can trickle down to any other driver on the grid (with the caveat that only one driver can win pole and only one can lead the most laps in the race), so there aren't point totals a driver finishing in a certain spot would earn. But the base point awards for given finishing positions are as follows: 40 points for second; 35 for third; 32 for fourth; 30 points for fifth (and two fewer for each successive position down to 20 for 10th); 19 points for 11th (and one fewer for each successive position down to five for 25th); five points for each position below 25th. Points report: IndyCar 2025 drivers title, Rookie of the Year, Leaders Circle standings after Laguna Seca Without listing every single points possibility that would either keep O'Ward alive or allow Palou to clinch (keeping in mind O'Ward stays alive by making up at least 14 points and Palou can clinch at Portland by staying within 13 points of O'Ward), here are the nuggets of note that would allow Palou to secure Aug. 10 his fourth IndyCar title in five years: But there are additional ways in which Palou could leave Portland knowing he and the No. 10 crew need only take the green flag in the final two races of the season at the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway, earning a minimum of five points in both instances, to clinch the title. With Palou's 121-point cushion, he need score a minimum of 41 points over the final three races to guarantee himself the championship. O'Ward could finish with a run of three perfect 54-point weekends, and 41 additional points for Palou would still wrap things up. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown: IndyCar must remain 'commercially viable' despite team's growth That 41-point target would amount to finishing 16th in the final three races (without any bonus points), for 42 points. None of the top 8 drivers in points have suffered a three-race stretch at any point this year where they've scored fewer than 41 points, and Palou has never had such a stretch in his five seasons with Ganassi. With that in mind, given Palou's lead and the knowledge that holding an 108-point lead after Portland would secure his fourth championship, he would only needs a 98-point cushion leaving the 15th race of the season to feel as if things are locked up given five points if he starts the final two races. Here's a sampling of how Palou could maintain a 98-point leaving Portland and needing to start the final two races for the championship: Best in class: Pato O'Ward targeting second-place IndyCar championship finish
