Five Drivers Poised To Jump High in 2027 Standings

Marcus Ericsson made the biggest jump in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES points standings, climbing from 20th in 2025 to seventh this season. His 13-position improvement was the largest among the 25 full-time drivers, although three of those cars were driven by rookies.

Who will be the next Ericsson in 2027? Three Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winners -- Will Power, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi -- finished outside the top 10 in the 2026 standings. Can any of them return to the top 10, or will they be left off the list of drivers poised to make a significant move?

Of course, everyone is chasing Alex Palou, who captured his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship in 2026, all within the past six seasons. The last four of those titles came consecutively, tying the series record set by Sebastien Bourdais from 2004-07.

Scott McLaughlin

How much improvement can a driver who finished sixth in the standings realistically make? Scott McLaughlin (photo, above) believes one that ends with the Astor Challenge Cup championship trophy.

McLaughlin enters 2027 with reason to believe he can close the gap to the championship contenders. He ended the 2026 season with three consecutive top-five finishes, including a victory from the pole in the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. McLaughlin also had the potential to finish the season with seven consecutive top-eight results, but a late crash on the streets of Washington ended that possibility. He was attempting to pass Kyle Kirkwood for the lead when the incident occurred.

His late-season surge came after a longer-than-expected adjustment to a new engineer, strategist and spotter. Once the group found its rhythm, McLaughlin returned to being a consistent threat near the front. That chemistry could prove critical as he pursues his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. His best season finishes are third in 2023 and 2024.

Will Power

Power (photo, above) finished 11th in the standings in 2026, ending a streak of top-10 finishes in every full-time season dating to 2009.

Granted, 2026 was his first season with Andretti Global after 17 years with Team Penske. Still, going winless while his Andretti teammates Kyle Kirkwood and Ericsson combined for three victories was a surprise.

Power, a two-time series champion, found his footing in the second half of the season. He recorded three consecutive third-place finishes in August and led laps in 12 of the 18 races. He also earned five third-place finishes on the season. His five podiums were surpassed only by Palou and Christian Lundgaard, with seven each, and David Malukas and Kirkwood, with six apiece.

Scott Dixon

Dixon's streak of 21 consecutive seasons with at least one victory came to an end in 2026. So did his run of 20 straight seasons finishing in the top six in the championship standings. He finished 12th.

A move to Arrow McLaren in 2027 offers Dixon (photo, above) an opportunity for a fresh start. McLaren has placed two drivers in the top five of the standings in each of the past two seasons, and there's little reason to believe Dixon can't join new teammate Pato O'Ward in that group.

Dixon brings 59 career victories and six championships to the organization. His experience and proven ability to contend for titles should make him an immediate asset. After a season that ended two of his most remarkable streaks, he also has plenty of motivation to prove he's still a championship contender.

Marcus Armstrong

Marcus Armstrong (photo, above) came agonizingly close to winning two races in 2026.

He led the Lap 199 restart of the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, only to be passed by Malukas and then-Meyer Shank Racing teammate Felix Rosenqvist. Armstrong ultimately slipped to fifth on the final lap.

At Road America, he led with three laps remaining when a mechanical failure ended his hopes of victory. Two opportunities for his first series win slipped away, leaving him winless through 64 career starts.

There is reason for optimism entering 2027. Rosenqvist departs for Arrow McLaren, leaving Armstrong as Meyer Shank Racing's lead driver. A 14th-place points finish like Armstrong produced in 2026 won't be enough if he wants to take advantage of that opportunity.

Rosenqvist finished sixth and ninth in his two seasons leading the team, establishing a benchmark Armstrong will be expected to meet or exceed.

Armstrong was inside the top 10 in the standings after seven of the season's first nine races. However, a difficult final stretch dropped him to 14th. Over a seven-race stretch in the middle of the season, he averaged a 19.7 finish, with at least three of those results coming due to mechanical failures.

If the New Zealand native can find more consistency and avoid the misfortune that derailed his 2026 campaign, a significant jump in the standings is possible.

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher replaces the promoted Armstrong in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, giving him an opportunity to make a substantial improvement in his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Schumacher (photo, top) has room to climb after finishing 23rd in the standings as a rookie with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.