One hiccup in strategy on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course isn’t going to take Alex Palou off the top spot in these power rankings.
But the great race by Christian Lundgaard in earning his second career victory certainly gave him a boost.
Here are my power rankings heading into the two weeks of Indianapolis 500 practice, qualifying and the greatest spectacle in racing.
Dropped out: Alexander Rossi (Last Week: 10)
On the verge: Dennis Hauger, Felix Rosenqvist, Alexander Rossi
10. Marcus Armstrong (Last Week: 10)
Meyer Shank Racing No. 66 Honda
After the craziness in the rear of the field on the opening lap, Armstrong rallied to finish 11th. He only has one finish worse than 11th in the six races this season.
9. Scott McLaughlin (Last Week: 7)
Team Penske No. 3 Chevrolet
Some early damage cost McLaughlin track position and he finished a disappointing 16th. He desperately needs a top-five finish and there would be no better place for him to do it than the Indy 500.
8. Graham Rahal (Last Week: 9)
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 15 Honda
Rahal finished third for the second time in the last three races and his third consecutive top 10. If he shows speed in Indy 500 qualifying, this could be quite the year for the veteran.
7. Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 5)
Arrow McLaren No. 5 Chevrolet
For the second consecutive road-course race, O’Ward had a race to forget as he finished 18th. This one came as the result of damage on the opening lap of the race from contact with Felix Rosenqvist.
6. Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 8)
Team Penske No. 2 Chevrolet
Newgarden earned his best finish since his win at Phoenix, as he placed fourth on the Indy road course. He had a solid race, and that’s what he needed.
5. Scott Dixon (Last Week: 4)
Chip Ganassi Racing No. 9 Honda
Dixon just remains steadily very good. He’d love to be great. But finishes of seventh, eighth, seventh, third and sixth in the last five races show he can remain a threat.
4. Kyle Kirkwood (Last Week: 2)
Andretti Global No. 27 Honda
Trouble in the pits continues to haunt Kirkwood. And while he could overcome that at some other tracks, the Indianapolis race proved difficult. That being said, he still finished ninth — which isn’t horrible — but it was his worst finish and first outside the top five this year.
3. David Malukas (Last Week: 3)
Team Penske No. 12 Chevrolet
Malukas earned his second podium of the season as he placed second. While that finish could be frustrating, Malukas didn’t appear to have much to match Lundgaard late in the race.
2. Christian Lundgaard (Last Week: 6)
Arrow McLaren No. 7 Chevrolet
Lundgaard earned the win everyone could see was coming on a road course. After seeing one slip away earlier this year at Barber, capturing the checkered flag had to be quite satisfying. It certainly was impressive.
1. Alex Palou (Last Week: 1)
Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10 Honda
Palou lost all his track position when he pitted under caution after most of the field had just pitted under green. It was one of those rare days when Palou had a potentially race-winning car before coming up empty. Or at least relatively empty in fifth.
