It’s only a matter of time for Alex Palou to be crowned a two-time champion, but he’s out of the top spot in the NBC Sports IndyCar Power Rankings.
Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon is No. 1 after extending his streak of seasons with at least one victory to 19, winning Aug. 12 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in a performance that featured quintessential fuel saving by the six-time series champion. It’s the first time this year that Dixon has topped the Power Rankings.
Palou remained second in the poll after finishing eighth at Indy despite a Lap 1 skirmish that collected Josef Newgarden, who finished 25th and slipped to third behind Dixon in the points standings.
INDYCAR AT WWTR: Schedules, start times for watching on NBC, Peacock
Though Newgarden could become the first IndyCar driver to sweep a season’s oval races Sunday, Palou also could make history by clinching at World Wide Technology Raceway (and if he doesn’t, it’s virtually a foregone conclusion he likely will next week at Portland International Raceway or in the Sept. 10 finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca).
Heading into the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at the 1.25-mile oval commonly known as Gateway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through 14 of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):
1. Scott Dixon (5): From his team’s impeccable strategy to his sublime rebound from a minor shunt on Lap 1, everything about his 54th career victory was perfect. Winning in the most Dixon way possible was the ideal way to mark a new record with his 319th consecutive start in IndyCar.
2. Alex Palou (1): Another race weekend of awkward headlines and uncomfortable grid encounters seemingly had no effect on Palou, whose inevitability was reaffirmed on the first lap. If he leaves Gateway as the presumptive champion, it’ll be yet another sign that it’s always been his year.
3. Pato O’Ward (8): A return to the podium was reassuring for the Arrow McLaren star, but the winless frustration remains very evident. Gateway might be his last best shot at a victory this season, so expect O’Ward to be aggressive this weekend.
4. Christian Lundgaard (9): Now that he’s settled into a consistent top-10 presence on road and street courses, an oval breakthrough would be the next step. But that might depend as much on Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s cars as his limited experience.
5. Will Power (7): He’s the last of the recent champions (and Team Penske drivers) to remain winless, and Power seems to be trending in the right direction. With three podiums and a win in seven starts, the defending series champ is sneaky good at Gateway.
6. Josef Newgarden (2): He followed his most disappointing weekend of the season (starting and finishing 25th at Indy because of a grid penalty and mediocre qualifying effort) by spending a week in Paris with his wife. Here’s betting Newgarden returns refreshed to set an oval record Sunday.
7. Scott McLaughlin (3): After a serviceable showing at Indy, the finishing kick of the schedule has some meat for McLaughlin. The Team Penske star nearly won Gateway last year and then was a force at Portland. He’ll be pushing to end his third season on a high.
8. Kyle Kirkwood (4): Though his average start and finish are slightly behind Colton Herta, Kirkwood quietly has emerged as Andretti Autosport’s most productive driver this season by many other metrics – notably in the points standings.
9. Marcus Ericsson (6): For the second consecutive race, he rebounded from a disappointing qualifying session for his 12th top 10 this season. Wednesday morning brought the news that Andretti Autosport will be enjoying that championship-contending consistency for years to come.
10. Graham Rahal (NR): If anyone else but Dixon had been the off-sequence leader, Rahal very well might have chased down his first victory in six years. This weekend will be a major test of his team’s trajectory as Rahal moves toward returning to RLL for another season.
Falling out: Romain Grosjean (10)
PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS
PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship
RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete
RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas
RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top
RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory
RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500
RACE 6: Alex Palou stays on top amid Indy 500 surges
RACE 7: Alex Palou continues roll out of Detroit
RACE 8: Alex Palou maximizing his No. 1 ranking
RACE 9: Who’s behind Alex Palou this week?
RACE 10: Alex Palou holds firm, Christian Lundgaard makes jump
RACES 11-12: Josef Newgarden takes top spot on Iowa dominance
RACE 13: Alex Palou reclaims No. 1; Kirkwood moves up
