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Fox Sports
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Power Rankings: Who has Indy 500 hangover and who is just over it
The Indianapolis 500 — the biggest race of the INDYCAR season — was also the first oval race of the year. But did it give much insight into which drivers will perform best on ovals? Probably not. The 2.5-mile rectangular asphalt oval is nothing like any of the other ovals. The others are Nashville (1.33-mile concrete), WWTR Gateway (1.25-mile asphalt), Milwaukee (one-mile asphalt) and Iowa (0.875-mile asphalt). So keeping that in mind, the influence of the Indy 500 on the power rankings is a little debatable. In trying to weigh all the factors, here's the list: Dropped out: Rinus VeeKay (Last Week: 9) On the verge: David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi 10. Colton Herta (LW: 10) Herta showed speed at Indy, but then a crash in qualifying on Saturday put him behind. Herta finished 17th after a speeding penalty and then overshooting his pit. It was certainly a disappointing result when he had the speed. 9. Marcus Ericsson (LW: Not Ranked) Ericsson, it could be argued, should have won the Indy 500, as Alex Palou passed Ericsson when lapped traffic hindered his pace. It was still a great drive by Ericsson after finishes of 20th or worse in three of the previous four races. 8. Scott Dixon (LW: 7) Dixon finished 23rd at Indianapolis, three laps down after his left rear brake overheated on the warmup laps of the race. Up until then, he had a relatively solid month. 7. Will Power (LW: 4) Power finished as the best Team Penske car in the 500. Unfortunately for Power, it was a 19th-place finish and one lap down. A 20-second pit stop where Power overshot his pit stall and ran over the front air hose ruined his day. 6. Scott McLaughlin (LW: 2) McLaughlin probably still can't figure out what happened as he wrecked on the pace laps of the race, ending his day before it could even begin. 5. Felix Rosenqvist (LW: 8) Rosenqvist earned a solid fifth-place finish, completing a solid month at Indy where he also started fifth. The Meyer Shank Racing driver has five top 10s in the six races this year. 4. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 5) Lundgaard finished a quiet ninth at Indy, where he started eighth. This was another relatively good day, especially considering he didn't have the strongest car. 3. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 6) Kirkwood had confidence in his car the entire month of May but just missed it in qualifying, starting 23rd. To see him race up to sixth was not a surprise. The Andretti driver is third in the series standings. 2. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3) O'Ward's fourth-place finish at Indy ended what he called a good points day, as he moved up to second in the standings. That would be great if he wasn't 115 points behind Palou. 1. Alex Palou (LW: 1) Palou's win earned him his fifth victory in the six races to open the season. It will take at least a few races to knock the Ganassi driver off this spot. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. BEST OF FOX SPORTS' INDY 500 COVERAGE: Ranking Indy 500 drivers from 33 to 1: Can anyone unseat Josef Newgarden? Got milk? 33 potential Indy 500 winners pick preferred dairy option Pato O'Ward pens letter to Indy 500: 'Had my heart broken here … but it also fuels me' No oval experience, no problem: Rookie Robert Shwartzman captures Indy 500 pole Rash of Crash: Inside a wild weekend of wrecks during Indy 500 prep From 'magical' to 'legendary': Drivers describe the Indy 500 in one word 2025 Indy 500 liveries: See the designs of all 34 cars on the track at The Brickyard Counting down the 25 most memorable moments in Indy 500 history recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
28-02-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
2025 INDYCAR odds: Pato O'Ward to win outright, Josef Newgarden to show at St. Pete
So you're looking to do some betting on the INDYCAR opener at St. Petersburg that airs this Sunday on FOX? Just remember this about the series: Seven drivers won two or more races last year. No driver won more than three. So parity is the name of the game, which makes betting a bit of a challenge. Let's dive into my picks for St. Petersburg: Pato O'Ward Outright Winner O'Ward won last year but didn't know he had won until more than a month after the checkered flag. That's because it was discovered that "winner" Josef Newgarden had access to the push-to-pass boost mechanism on restarts when it should have been disabled. O'Ward won the race with no laps led but a solid second-place run across the finish line. He wants to show he can earn the trophy by coming across the finish line first. PICK: Pato O' Ward 11/2 Outright Winner Scott McLaughlin Place The Penske driver was also disqualified last year for the same violation as his teammate. But St. Pete is still a place where McLaughlin has good vibes, as he earned his first career INDYCAR victory in the 2022 season opener. PICK: Scott McLaughlin 14/5 to Place Josef Newgarden Show Newgarden will want to prove that he earned last year's victory — despite the disqualification. He won races at St. Pete in 2019 and 2020. This is still one of his best tracks no matter what the record book says. PICK: Josef Newgarden 10/11 to Show Chevrolet Winning Manufacturer The winner listed here drives a Chevrolet, as do the place and show selections. That's not to say a Honda win would be a surprise, as a Ganassi or Andretti car certainly could capture the victory. PICK: Chevrolet 10/17 to be Winning Manufacturer Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and IndyCar for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Full INDYCAR on FOX coverage: INDYCAR Power Rankings: Alex Palou tops preseason list, but for how long? INDYCAR on FOX primer: 25 key questions answered for the 2025 season McLaren boss Zak Brown 'couldn't be more excited' for start of 2025 INDYCAR season How to watch the 2025 INDYCAR season: TV channels, streaming, dates Old faces, new places: Ranking INDYCAR lineup changes for 2025 Two-time defending INDYCAR champ Alex Palou's next challenge: Conquering ovals 5 INDYCAR storylines to watch in 2025: Alex Palou's three-peat attempt Hailie Deegan moving from NASCAR to open-wheel racing for 2025 recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
