Alex Palou retains the top spot in the Power Rankings following a chaotic Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader race weekend. Just one race remains this season -- the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
After a fifth-place finish in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the first 250-lap race on Aug. 31, a 19th-place result for Palou ensued a day later on the 1.015-mile track. That could have threatened Palou’s status on top, but plenty of bedlam left the championship points leader first in Power Rankings.
↑10. Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
The Arrow McLaren driver has improved his finish in four consecutive races, climbing from 19th at World Wide Technology Raceway to 12th at Portland International Raceway to seventh and sixth, respectively, at the Milwaukee Mile.
↑9. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
O’Ward catapults himself back into the Power Rankings after securing his third win of the season in the opening race of the Milwaukee Mile weekend. But he finished 24th in the second race, which was his fourth result of 15th or worse in the last five races, too.
↓8. Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet; Last Rank: 7)
VeeKay boasts six top-11 finishes in the last seven races. He charged from 15th to finish seventh in the second 250-lap race at the Milwaukee Mile, and his ninth-place average oval finishing position ranks fourth best.
↓7. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Snap-On Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4)
Qualifying on the front row for both races at Milwaukee Mile shows the speed was there for Newgarden. However, he crashed in each race, finishing 26th and 27th, respectively. Newgarden had four top-seven finishes in the five previous races, including an Aug. 17 victory at World Wide Technology Raceway.
↑6. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet; Last Rank: 10)
Ferrucci finished fourth in both Milwaukee Mile races, becoming the only driver to produce top-five finishes each day. With 10 top-10 finishes in 16 races this season, including in six of the last eight, Ferrucci climbs four spots in the Power Rankings.
↑5. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 6)
A runner-up on Sept. 1 at Milwaukee was the second podium finish in the last five races for Dixon, who has won two races this season. In his last nine starts, Dixon has finished sixth, 27th, fourth, fourth, third, 11th, 28th, 10th and second, respectively.
↓4. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 2)
Herta qualified poorly at Milwaukee (10th and 18th) but climbed 15 spots to finish third in the second 250-lap race. That was his third podium finish in the last four races. He finished 26th in Race 1 at Milwaukee. Herta has a 6.3 average finish in the last 10 races.
↑3. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 5)
Power spun on his own on the Lap 131 restart in Race 2 on Sunday at Milwaukee, relegating him to a 10th-place finish. Still, he led 64 laps in that race and has led 342 laps in the last six races. That’s why despite finishes of first, 12th, 18th, first, second and 10th, respectively, he’s this high in the Power Rankings.
↑2. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)
McLaughlin qualified first and second, respectively, at Milwaukee and finished eighth and first. He had six podium finishes in the last 10 races, boasting a 6.5 average finishing position.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1)
It’s hard to penalize the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader on the cusp of his third title in four seasons despite a 19th-place finish Sunday. He also finished fifth Saturday and has a 6.6 average finish in the last 10 races. Palou has three runner-up results included in that 6.6 average finishing position.