INDYCAR Power Rankings: There's a new No. 1 and his name is Kyle
Alex Palou still has a dominating lead in the INDYCAR point standings, but with Kyle Kirkwood capturing the last two races, there's a new driver on top of this power rankings list.
Kirkwood earned his first career oval victory Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway (commonly known as Gateway). That followed his win on the streets of Detroit.
With three wins this year, Kirkwood has shown the growth needed to be a major factor in the series. If not for a penalty at Indianapolis, he'd be just 51 points (instead of 75) behind Palou.
Here are this week's power rankings heading into back-to-back races on permanent road courses at Road America and Mid-Ohio.
Dropped out: Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 9)
On the verge: David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist
10. Scott McLaughlin (LW: 7)
McLaughlin's day ended 44 laps before the finish when he broke something in the left rear. The Team Penske driver had started second on the grid. He continues to have speed. He led 51 laps Sunday night. But he's not having the finishes he would like.
9. Marcus Armstrong (LW: Not Ranked)
Armstrong finished ninth at Gateway, his third top 10 in the last four races. For the young Meyer Shank Racing driver, that type of consistency is key.
8. Colton Herta (LW: 6)
Herta couldn't follow up his third-place run at Detroit with a solid finish. He placed 17th at Gateway, while Kirkwood — an Andretti teammate — won the race.
7. Santino Ferrucci (LW: 10)
Ferrucci placed fifth at Gateway for his third consecutive top-five finish. The AJ Foyt Racing driver has moved up to 11th in the standings and would be eighth without the penalty for a driver's compartment weight violation in Detroit.
6. Will Power (LW: 5)
Power blew a tire and hit the wall early in the race at Gateway, ending a promising event where he had won the pole — the 71st of his career and the series record. The Penske driver fell to seventh in the standings.
5. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 4)
Lundgaard finished 14th, the last driver on the lead lap at Gateway. The Arrow McLaren driver started 14th, too.
4. Scott Dixon (LW: 8)
Dixon finished fourth at Gateway, as he led 43 laps with a fast car and solid fuel strategy. The Ganassi driver is fifth in the series standings.
3. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3)
O'Ward ran among the leaders the entire race and finished second. The Arrow McLaren driver might have been a tick off the fastest cars but made the right moves to secure the runner-up finish.
2. Alex Palou (LW: 1)
Palou started ninth and finished eighth on what is arguably his worst track on the circuit. Plus, considering the points position he is in, he just needed a respectable finish. The Ganassi driver did just that.
1. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 2)
Who says Kirkwood can't win on ovals? Kirkwood won for the first time on an oval, showing his versatility. The Andretti driver continues to be the biggest threat to Palou for the championship.
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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