Power Rankings: Christian Lundgaard, Will Power Charge Back In
Editor's Note: Power Rankings is a feature after every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in which INDYCAR.com staff writer Eric Smith ranks the top-10 current drivers in the series based on objective recent and season-long performance statistics and the subjective 'eye test' of what he sees during race weekends.
Alex Palou captured his series-leading eighth victory of the season July 27 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, defeating Christian Lundgaard by 3.7965 seconds.
Lundgaard's runner-up finish burnished a strong season for Arrow McLaren. The team boasts 11 podium finishes this season between Lundgaard and fourth-place finisher Pato O'Ward, a team record. The previous high was 10 between O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi in 2023.
After 14 races, O'Ward trails Palou by 121 points heading into the next race, the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland, on Sunday, Aug. 10 at Portland International Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Here are the updated Power Rankings following the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey as the series heads into an off weekend:
↑10. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
Power returns to the Power Rankings for the first time since mid-June, following the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. He earned his second consecutive Firestone Fast Six appearance and finished seventh at Laguna Seca, his second top-10 in the last four races.
↓9. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: 8)
Though Malukas finished 13th at Laguna Seca, he holds on to a spot in the rankings with two top-10 finishes in his last three starts. He enters Portland 10th in the points standings.
↑8. Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Liquid Science Chevrolet: Last Rank: NR)
Rasmussen earned his third top-10 finish in the last four races by finishing ninth at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This marks the highest he has climbed in the Power Rankings.
↓7. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion Honda; Last Rank: 4)
Kirkwood's slide continues with his third finish of 16th or worse in the last four races. Despite five top-eight finishes in the last eight starts, including two wins, his recent inconsistency is concerning.
↓6. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda; Last Rank: 5)
Armstrong finished eighth Sunday, his seventh top-10 result in the past eight races. The lone outlier was a 14th-place finish in Toronto, where a pit lane penalty disrupted a promising run that began with a third-place start.
↑5. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
Lundgaard storms back into the rankings after his runner-up finish at Laguna Seca, his second podium in five races and fifth of the season. In comparison, he had just three podiums in 52 starts with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The No. 7 Arrow McLaren car had four podiums in 81 starts before his arrival.
↑4. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 7)
Herta moves into the top five for the first time since the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. His third-place finish at Laguna Seca marked his third top-four result in the last five races. He had only two in the nine races before that.
↔3. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 3)
Dixon surged from 19th to fifth at Laguna Seca, earning his seventh consecutive top-10 finish. The streak includes a win at Mid-Ohio and a runner-up at Iowa Speedway.
↔2. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)
O'Ward qualified second and finished fourth at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for his seventh top-five finish in the last eight races, six consecutively.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1)
Palou rebounded from a 13th-place finish in the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto to lead 84 of 95 laps after claiming the NTT P1 Award in qualifying to take his third victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Palou has two wins in the last three races.
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