Power Rankings: Christian Lundgaard Rises After Road America Stunner

Editor’s Note: Power Rankings is a feature published after every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in which INDYCAR.com staff writer Eric Smith ranks the top 10 drivers in the series based on recent and season-long performance, statistical trends and the eye test from race weekends.

Alex Palou remains atop the standings and the Power Rankings following Sunday's XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR.

Palou earned the NTT P1 Award but finished fifth after rallying from a pit road speeding penalty, as a timely caution helped him avoid serving the penalty under green-flag conditions.

Christian Lundgaard was the biggest mover, jumping to second in Power Rankings after earning his second victory of the season. The Arrow McLaren driver overcame an unscheduled opening-lap pit stop following contact with Scott Dixon that dropped him to 25th and last. Lundgaard rallied for his third career victory.

Here are the top 10 drivers entering the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2027 CR-V Hybrid on Sunday, July 5 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

↑10. Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda, Last Rank: NR)

Power had just one top-10 finish in the first eight races but enters the rankings after finishing third at Road America. It was his second consecutive top-10 result after placing eighth at World Wide Technology Raceway. Power becomes the 16th different driver ranked this season.

↓9. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 7)

O'Ward finished 12th at Road America, his third result outside the top 10 in the last five races. He owns six top-five finishes this season, though none better than fourth. The popular Mexican driver has led only 19 laps all season -- nine in the Indianapolis 500 and 10 at Phoenix Raceway. This marks O'Ward's lowest ranking since he was 10th after the 2025 season opener at St. Petersburg.

↑8. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, Last Rank: 9)

Armstrong was three laps away from his first career victory before a mechanical problem while leading left him 24th, his worst finish of the season. He ranked first or second in both pre-qualifying practice sessions, started third and led 14 of 55 laps. This is the eighth time in the last nine races Armstrong has appeared in the rankings.

↓7. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 4)

Newgarden initially finished ninth, but a post-race penalty for avoidable contact on the final lap dropped him to 22nd. Newgarden is one of three drivers with multiple victories this season, joining Palou and Lundgaard, with wins at Phoenix Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway. He sits eighth in points.

↑6. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, Last Rank: 8)

Rosenqvist rebounded from a 14th-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway, his worst result since the Sonsio Grand Prix, to finish eighth at Road America. The Indianapolis 500 winner is sixth in points, nine behind former Arrow McLaren teammate O'Ward for fifth. Rosenqvist has four top-eight finishes in the last six races, including a runner-up result at Long Beach. This is the third time he has been ranked in six consecutive races.

↑5. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 6)

McLaughlin finished seventh for his third top-10 result in the last four races. He had three top 10s in the previous six races combined. This is the first time since being ranked fifth after the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington in March that McLaughlin has cracked the top five in the rankings.

↓4. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sam's Club Honda, Last Rank: 2)

Kirkwood rallied from 18th on the grid to finish 10th at Road America, extending his streak to three consecutive top-10 finishes. He has nine top 10s in 10 starts this season. The concern is that he has led only five laps over the last eight races, all of them in Detroit, where he finished second. Kirkwood also led 47 laps in a runner-up finish at Phoenix Raceway and 16 laps in his lone victory this season at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. This is the ninth time in 10 races he has ranked inside the top five.

↔3. David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 3)

Malukas stays third after recording the fifth runner-up finish of his career. Three have come this season, including two behind Lundgaard. Malukas has eight top-seven finishes in his last nine starts. The lone exception was an 18th-place finish in Detroit. He led a combined 57 laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- 27 in the Sonsio Grand Prix and 30 in the Indianapolis 500 -- but has not led a lap in the three races since. This is the ninth consecutive race in which Malukas has ranked inside the top five.

↑2. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 5)

Lundgaard's Road America victory was his second in the last five races, as his first came in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Both wins came on natural road courses, and he now enters Mid-Ohio, another natural road course where he started second and finished third last season. Lundgaard has four top-10 finishes in the last five races and is fourth in the standings, trailing Palou by 77 points.

↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Last Rank: 1)

Palou has earned five consecutive NTT P1 Awards, tying for the third-longest streak in series history, but has only one victory during that span. Even so, his finishes have been fifth, seventh, first, 17th and fifth. The four-time series champion continues to show the most speed in the field and carries a 60-point lead over second-place Malukas in the standings. Palou has led at least 13 laps in nine of 10 races this season, including each of the last eight.