With the Indy Grand Prix this week, it’s a good time to examine the drivers’ power rankings as we approach the Indy 500.

1. Alex Palou Palou is still riding the coattails of what was a fantastic season. While he doesn’t have an official win on the season, he still sits pretty good at the #1 spot with three top-5s, not to mention the Thermal win. A good showing at the Indy Grand Prix could shoot Palou to the top of the Championship standings as well. Palou is the only driver to finish in the top 5 in all three races.
2. Felix Rosenqvist I’m super high on Felix. He seems relieved to be the top guy at Meyer Shank Racing, and it feels like he is just a few good laps away from picking up a win. Three top 10s, two top 5s, and a pole have given Felix a new life. Rosenqvist should be shooting for the Stars now. He just needs a little lady luck on his side.
3. Colton Herta, The current champion, has a one-point lead in the standings and has had a resurgence in 2024. After having a rough 2023, Herta seemed like an afterthought coming into this season, but great finishes at St. Pete and Long Beach, and Herta had three top 10s at the start of the season. He doesn’t have a win yet, but Indycar fans know how much Herta loves the Indy GP.
4. Will Power The second-place driver is also looking for a win after going winless last season for the first time in 16 seasons. Despite the Penske scandal, Power never used the push to pass illegally, and despite losing ten championship points, Power has been great this season finishing two times in the top ten and seems locked in. If Power can secure another pole position at the GP or the 500, look out. He could struggle with losing Tim Cindric and his other crew members from suspensions.
5. Scott Dixon The Iceman used a bold fuel-saving strategy to pick up a win at Long Beach but has looked out of sorts at other times, namely St. Pete and Thermal. Dixon hasn’t found qualifying success this year, and a rare mistake at Barber cost him that race. So far, when Dixon has been locked in, he looks good–but when he hasn’t, it’s been brutal. Dixon won at Indy last year, holding off Rahal in a hot last two laps. Can he find success there? With the Indy 500 coming, Scott must feel he’s running out of chances to win his second 500.
6. Josef Newgarden Newgarden probably would have been way higher on my list had it not been for a tumultuous April. He won St. Pete easily and had both laps, and his win stripped away. Since then, he hasn’t seemed the same. he did finish fourth at Long Beach but shrunk away at Barber (16th) and 8th at Thermal. Newgarden will need a strong May to get back into the points hunt, but it will be tough without his eyes and ears.
7. Pato O’Ward O’Ward has a win without leading a single lap thanks to Newgarden’s Disqualification at St. Pete. O’Ward has had a very High/Low season. He won at St. Pete by default after Newgarden’s victory was taken away but had issues at Long Beach, and at Barber, he ran into his own teammate (Pourchaire). Pato needs to find some success in May.
8. Scott McLaughlin After getting disqualified from St. Pete, McLaughlin quickly went back to work doing what he did best—racing. The Kiwi dominated Barber and quickly jumped back into the top ten after sitting at the bottom of the standings following Long Beach. McLaughlin, like Newgarden, will suffer without having their peeps on the timing stand.
9. Santino Ferrucci Santino has come a long way, and AJ Foyt’s partnerships with Penske seem to have been a huge help for the team. Ferrucci has been near the front, even leading some laps at Barber, although a poor strategy cost him the race. Santino LOVES Indy and finished third at the 500 last year. Will he see similar results this year, or could this be the year he finds gold? Stay tuned.
10. Kyle Kirkwood Kirkwood has had a relatively quiet start to this season compared to last year, but the Florida native finds himself in 7th place with 3 top tens in the first three races. Kirkwood had a massive crash at the 500 last year and is looking for much better results this season.

Just missing the cut, Christian Lundgaard, Linus Lundqvist, and Theo Pourchaire

Header Image Credit: Joe Skibinski