Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou returned to human form in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. His 16th-place result was his first finish outside the top eight in 637 days, since coming home 12th on Sept. 4, 2022, at Portland International Raceway.

However, dropping the defending series champion off the perch atop the Power Rankings is difficult since many of the immediate drivers behind him had challenging races, too.

Who else made a rise, or tumble following Sunday’s chaotic, 100-lap race on the streets of Detroit?

↑10. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 AJ FOYT RACING/SEXTON PROPERTIES Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)

The AJ Foyt Racing driver has four top-10 finishes in six starts, including three in the last four races. Ferrucci finished seventh at Barber Motorsports Park, eighth in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and ninth in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.

↓9. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)

Newgarden was sixth and 10th, respectively, in the pair of prequalifying practice sessions at Detroit and qualified third. Several issues during the 100-lap race relegated him to 26th at the finish. The Indianapolis 500 victory leaves him in the top 10 of the Power Rankings – barely.

↑8. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 9)

O’Ward finished runner-up in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and charged from 12th to finish seventh last Sunday in Detroit.

↑7. Marcus Armstrong (No. 11 Root Insurance Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: NR)

Armstrong is rising. After finishing 30th due to a mechanical failure in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, last year’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year backed that up with a career-best finish of third Sunday in Detroit. With a fifth-place finish in the May 11 Sonsio Grand Prix, Armstrong has two top-five finishes in three races and is entering his favorite track – Road America.

↓6. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)

Sunday’s 20th place result at Detroit was McLaughlin’s third finish of 20th or worse, joining St. Petersburg (27th) and Long Beach (26th). Outside of that, McLaughlin finished second (The Thermal Club), first (Barber Motorsports Park) and sixth in both Indianapolis Motor Speedway races. He qualified fourth at Detroit, but a costly error on Lap 33 relegated him to the back.

↑5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda; Last Rank: 8)

Following a fourth-place finish in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, the Andretti Global driver ascended four spots in the points standings from 10th to sixth. Kirkwood has finished 10th, seventh, 10th, 11th, seventh and fourth, respectively, this season. He was fourth and second, respectively, in practice last weekend and qualified sixth.

↑4. Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 6)

Rossi climbed five spots in points (10th to fifth) in the last two races with a fourth-place finish in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and a fifth Sunday in Detroit. For the season, Rossi has five top-10 results in six races.

↑3. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4)

Power rebounded from four in-race penalties, being spun on Lap 1 and getting collected in another spin near the mid-race mark to finish sixth. Power has five top-six finishes in six races this season.

↑2. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 5)

Here comes Dixon, the new points leader. Four top-four finishes in his last five NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts, including victories at Long Beach and Detroit and a charge from 21st to third in the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, propel Dixon to the edge of being the top-ranked driver.

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

With another bad race in Road America, maybe Palou will drop. However, qualifying second in Detroit, ending up first and third, respectively, in practice and getting caught in an incident not of his making in a race immersed in chaos makes it unfair to drop Palou from the top ranking. Palou has eight wins and 14 podium finishes in his last 25 starts, including The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge.