Power Rankings: Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power Gain Big Ground
Kyle Kirkwood dominated the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend by earning NTT P1 Award honors and taking the victory in the 90-lap race Sunday. That allowed the Andretti Global driver to take a significant climb in the Power Rankings.
However, Alex Palou had his worst finish of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with a runner-up. His hold on the top spot of Power Rankings remains intact leading into the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Here's who joins Kirkwood and Palou in the rankings after the third race of the season in Long Beach:
↔10. Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet; Last Rank: 10)
Rossi's top-10 streak came to an end on the streets of Long Beach when he finished 15th. However, dual top-10 finishes out the gates in his first season with Ed Carpenter Racing and qualifying eighth last weekend leave him narrowly in the top 10 of Power Rankings.
↓9. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 6)
Dixon began his quest for a record-tying seventh championship with a runner-up result in St. Petersburg. He started 11th and finished 10th at The Thermal Club and finished eighth from starting 14th at Long Beach. The speed isn't quite there yet to challenge for race wins, but he's one of just five drivers to secure a top-10 finish in all three races this season joining Palou, Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard and Felix Rosenqvist.
↓8. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)
O'Ward's street-course problems were evident in Long Beach, where he qualified ninth and finished 13th. His other Long Beach finishes are 27th, fifth, 17th and 16th, respectively. The street-race woes aren't exclusive to Long Beach. He qualified 23rd and finished 11th in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg by RP Funding. Away from street circuits, O'Ward earned his first NTT P1 Award since 2022 at The Thermal Club, led 51 of 65 laps and finished second. Luckily for him, there's not another street course until the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June 1.
↑7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 8)
McLaughlin started and finished sixth in an uneventful Long Beach weekend. But that was his best result in five Long Beach tries and got his season back on track. McLaughlin qualified 25th and finished 27th in a tough day at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. He began 2025 with an NTT P1 Award and fourth-place finish after leading a race-high 40 of 100 laps in St. Petersburg.
↑6. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 9)
Power is making a habit of charging through the field after tough qualifying performances. In Long Beach, he climbed from 13th to finish fifth. That comes after charging from 21st to finish sixth in the The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. He was the top Team Penske finisher in each race.
↔5. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 5)
Herta has two front-row starting positions in three races. Unfortunately, he's not turned those solid Saturdays into super Sundays. A slow pit stop in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding relegated him to a 16th-place finish. In Long Beach, Herta faded to seventh. Between those races, Herta started fourth and finished fourth in The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix.
↔4. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda; Last Rank: 4)
Rosenqvist qualified third and finished seventh in St. Petersburg. He charged from ninth to finish fifth at The Thermal Club. In Long Beach, he qualified and finished fourth. The Swede is fourth in points, the best standing he's had since he finished fourth in the 2019 and 2024 INDYCAR SERIES season openers at St. Petersburg. The 2019 race was his series debut.
↔3. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)
Lundgaard has had a solid first outing with Arrow McLaren finishing eighth in St. Petersburg after leading 23 laps, qualifying second and finishing third at The Thermal Club and charging from 12th to finish third at Long Beach.
↑2. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda; Last Rank: 7)
Kirkwood had a strong Long Beach weekend, earning NTT P1 Award honors and leading 46 of 90 laps en route to his third career victory, two coming on the 1.968-mile street course. Kirkwood also began 2025 with a strong outing. He was quickest in the opening practice of the season at St. Petersburg and charged from ninth at the start of the race to finish fifth in the season opener. Kirkwood then qualified eighth and finished in that spot at The Thermal Club.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1)
Palou started third and finished second Sunday in Long Beach. He won the previous two races and leads Lundgaard in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points standings by 34. The Spaniard has been atop the Power Rankings for more than a year and that continues into the May 4 race at Barber Motorsports Park.
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