Power Rankings: David Malukas Jumps into Top 10 after Strong '500'
INDYCAR
Alex Palou reached victory lane in Sunday's 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and continued his iron grip on the top spot in Power Rankings.
The three-time series champion, who won all three races during the Month of May when factoring in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst on May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park and the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, remains the only mainstay in the Power Rankings.
Here's who rose in the Power Rankings entering Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network.
↑10. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
Originally finishing third in the race, Malukas was elevated to second place following post-race penalties assessed to Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood for technical violations on their Andretti Global cars. Malukas' performance at the Indianapolis 500, coupled with his consistent speed during the oval practice sessions and qualifying seventh, propels him into the Power Rankings.
↓9. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 8)
Herta's performance during the Month of May was notably underwhelming, especially considering his previous success on the IMS road course. In the Sonsio Grand Prix, Herta qualified 13th but finished 25th after a challenging race. In the '500', he started 27th and managed to finish 14th.
↓8. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 7)
Despite strong practice sessions leading up to the '500,' a brake issue before the field even took the green to start the race compromised Dixon's race, leading to a 20th-place finish and ending his streak of climbing through the field in previous races. Dixon gained 14 spots at Barber Motorsports Park to finish 12th and 11 more in the Sonsio Grand Prix, coming home fifth.
↓7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)
Starting from the 10th position, McLaughlin lost control of his car during the final pace lap while trying to warm his Firestone Firehawk tires, resulting in a collision that ended his race before it officially began. This incident disrupted a promising season for McLaughlin, who had previously achieved four top-six finishes in the five races leading up to the Indianapolis 500.
↓6. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)
Power had a dismal '500', finishing 16th after starting 33rd. Entering the '500,' Power had finishes of sixth, fifth, fifth and third, respectively. While McLaughlin is two points ahead of Power in the standings, Power has crossed the finish line ahead of his Team Penske teammate in four of the last five races.
↔5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda; Last Rank: 5)
Kirkwood remains fifth after finishing 32nd in the '500.' While there's a case to drop him further, Kirkwood is the only driver not named Alex Palou to win this season when the Andretti Global driver was victorious in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. That's a race he dominated from the pole. Also, Kirkwood has four top-eight finishes in six races this season.
↑4. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda; Last Rank: 10)
Rosenqvist started fifth and finished fourth in the '500,' the same spot he enters Detroit in the points standings. FRO has three top-five finishes in the last five races and five top-10 results in six races this season with Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian.
↑3. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 6)
Lundgaard earned his best-career '500' finish with a seventh-place result Sunday. He has five top-10 finishes in six races this season, including three consecutive podiums at The Thermal Club, Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park.
↑2. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4)
O'Ward finished third in the '500' for his fourth top-six finish in the last five races this season. Next up, however, is a street course in Detroit. O'Ward finished 11th (St. Petersburg) and 13th (Detroit) on street tracks this season.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1)
Palou has five wins in six races this season, with an average finish of 1.2. His worst result this season is second on the streets of Long Beach. Now that he's a '500' winner and points leader by 112, he's almost untouchable.
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Carson Hocevar Opts for Text Over Talk in Aftermath of Stenhouse Jr. Crash
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Days after controversy erupted during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Carson Hocevar confirmed that he got in touch with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. It all began after Hocevar crashed into Stenhouse Jr. from behind, causing him to lose control of his No. 47 car. He then crashed into the wall and finished the race in last position. Hocevar, on the other hand, secured second place. Stenhouse Jr. recently reported that Hocevar had not called him, and even hinted at retaliation in the upcoming race in Michigan. However, Hocevar said in a recent update that he texted Stenhouse Jr. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said: Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Gainbridge/WNBA All Star '25 Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Pit Road Qualifying Entry/Exit Practice (Open) at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 16, 2025 in North Wilkesboro, North... Carson Hocevar, driver of the #77 Gainbridge/WNBA All Star '25 Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Pit Road Qualifying Entry/Exit Practice (Open) at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 16, 2025 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. More"We texted a little bit back and forth and I think we'll still talk. You see each other 38 weekends a year. Eventually, you're going to run into each other. Not literally, hopefully, but run into each other in person. I think it's better if you're going to have that talk or conversation, to do it before you get to the track and everyone gets into race mode. "Yeah, he wanted to have that conversation, so I just texted him to reach out or whatever. We'll probably have that talk and see where it goes." The 22-year-old racer stated further that his move was unintentional and that he feels bad for wrecking Stenhouse Jr.'s car. He said: "I know my intentions and what I thought was gonna happen. Ultimately, you don't want to wreck anybody's race car. You don't want to wreck anybody. [Spire co-owner] Jeff Dickerson tells me all the time that if you're explaining, you're losing. With us talking about this, instead of talking about how we can get ourselves one spot better, we're talking about this. "I didn't want to wreck him. I went in and I thought I could get there and get a little more space. For his arc, I thought he was gonna go run the middle with the 54 [Ty Gibbs] running the bottom and thought I could get in a little deeper and have his spotter call inside and he just came all the way down and I landed into his left rear. Backed him into the fence. I don't wanna do that and I feel bad for it, obviously, for wrecking somebody's race car. "I think the biggest thing is the story we want is the fact we ran second with the 77 car. Don't think anyone remembers Ryan Blaney won the race because all they're talking about is this so far. I think that's the biggest thing is we don't want to slow ourselves down by having these clouds over our heads just as a team or put any more targets on my back. I've created the world I live in of that reputation; I understand that. You don't want to do anything more to put a bigger target on your back."
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Today in Sports - First Grand Slam Tournament in over 30 years a U.S. man didn't make the 3rd round
May 26 1925 — In Detroit's 8-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, Ty Cobb becomes the first to collect 1,000 career extra-base hits. He finished his career with 1,139. 1959 — Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches 12 perfect innings before losing to the Milwaukee Braves, 1-0 in the 13th on an error, a sacrifice and Joe Adcock's double. Advertisement 1963 — French Championships Men's Tennis: Australian Roy Emerson beats home favourite Pierre Darmon 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. 1963 — French Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Lesley Turner wins the first of 2 French titles; beats England's Ann Jones 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. 1972 — Joe Frazier TKOs Ron Stander in 5 for heavyweight boxing title. 1982 — 26th European Cup: Aston Villa beats Bayern Munich 1-0 at Rotterdam. 1983 — LA Lakers set NBA playoff game record of fewest free throws. 1985 — Danny Sullivan misses almost certain disaster and holds off Mario Andretti and the rest of the fastest field in auto racing to win the Indianapolis 500. On the 119th lap, Sullivan spins his racer 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding both the wall and Andretti. Advertisement 1987 — Boston's Larry Bird steals an inbounds pass from Detroit's Isiah Thomas and feeds over his shoulder to a cutting Dennis Johnson for the winning basket as the Celtics pulls out an improbable 108-107 win over Detroit in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. 1988 — The Edmonton Oilers, with MVP Wayne Gretzky leading the way, beat the Boston Bruins 6-3 to complete a four-game sweep and win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. 1991 — Rick Mears passes Michael Andretti with 12 laps to go and wins his fourth Indianapolis 500, by 3.1 seconds. Mears joins A.J. Foyt and Al Unser as the only four-time winners. 1993 — In Major League Baseball, Carlos Martinez famously hits a ball off Jose Canseco's head for a home run. Advertisement 1993 — 1st UEFA Champions League Final: Marseille beats Milan 1-0 at Munich. 1994 — Haiti's Ronald Agenor wins the longest match since the French Open adopted the tiebreaker. Agenor takes the 71st and final game of a second-round match with David Prinosil of Germany. His five-hour, 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4, 14-12 victory involves the most games in a French Open match since 1973. 1999 — 7th UEFA Champions League Final: Manchester United beats Bayern Munich 2-1 at Barcelona. 2000 — New Jersey finishes the greatest comeback in a conference final when the Devils win the last three games of the series, beating the Flyers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Patrik Elias scores his second goal of the game with 2:32 to play for the win. Advertisement 2004 — Andy Roddick loses at the French Open — to Frenchman Olivier Mutis, who is ranked 125th. With the five-set loss, Roddick joins Andre Agassi and eight other compatriots on the way home, making it the first Grand Slam tournament in more than 30 years without a U.S. man in the third round. 2005 — Americans Andy Roddick, James Blake and Vince Spadea fail to make it through the opening week at the French Open. For the second year in a row — and the second time at a Grand Slam event in more than 30 years — no American man makes it out of the second round. 2008 — Syracuse wins its 10th NCAA men's lacrosse championship, beating defending champion Johns Hopkins 13-10 behind three goals from Dan Hardy. The crowd of 48,970 at Foxborough, Mass., is the largest to see an NCAA championship outdoors in any sport — the BCS football championship game isn't an NCAA event. 2009 — NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Carolina Hurricanes, 4 games to 0. Advertisement 2012 — Toronto FC ends its MLS record nine-game losing streak to open a season with a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union on a late goal by Danny Koevermans. 2013 — Tony Kanaan ends years of frustration by finally winning the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan drives past Ryan Hunter-Reay on a restart with three laps to go, then coasts across the finish line under yellow when defending race winner Dario Franchitti crashes far back in the field. The Brazilian finished second in 2004 and twice finished third. 2013 — Senior PGA Championship, Bellerive CC: Kōki Idoki of Japan wins his lone PGA event by 2 strokes from Jay Haas and Kenny Perry. 2015 — Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Eastern Conference. Advertisement 2018 — UEFA Champions League Final, Kiev: Real Madrid beats Liverpool, 3-1 for third straight title. Zinédine Zidane first manager to win 3 consecutive titles. 2019 — Indianapolis 500: 2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud of France finishes just two-tenths of a second ahead of Alexander Rossi for Team Penske's record-extending 18th victory in the event. 2019 — Senior PGA Championship, Oak Hill CC: American Ken Tanigawa wins his first career major title by 1 stroke ahead of Scott McCarron. _____
NBC Sports
20 hours ago
- NBC Sports
NASCAR to have podium celebrations for top three finishers in Cup, Xfinity races in Mexico
For the first time after a Cup points race, NASCAR will honor the top three finishers with a podium celebration next weekend in Mexico. While podium celebrations are common in other forms of racing, including Formula One and IndyCar, NASCAR celebrates only the winner in its U.S.-based series. The only time NASCAR has had a podium celebration in Cup was for the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum exhibition races from 2022-24. That was done in a nod to the historic venue having hosted the Olympics. The top three drivers received medals — gold for the winner, silver for second place and bronze for third place. NASCAR will have podium celebrations for the top three finishers for its Xfinity Series and Cup Series races June 14-15 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. That weekend will represent the first international Cup points race since 1958. 'For this historic weekend, it felt appropriate to recognize the heritage of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and give a nod to the traditional international motorsports celebrations,' NASCAR stated to NBC Sports. 'There are currently no plans for podium-style celebrations following the Mexico City event.' The NASCAR Mexico Series also will have podium finishes after its races June 13-14 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez as it does for all its races. Dustin Long, While podium finishes are not an official statistic for NASCAR, Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson each have had the most top-three finishes this season. Both have six in the first 14 Cup points races of the year. Bell has three wins, two runner-ups and a third-place finish. Larson has three wins, one runner-up and two third-place results. Denny Hamlin and William Byron are next with five podium results each. Hamlin has two wins, two runner-ups and a third-place finish. Byron has one win, three runner-ups and a third-place result. Ryan Blaney, who won last weekend's race at Nashville Superspeedway. completes the top five. He has three podiums, scoring one win, no runner-up results and two third-place finishes.
