With yet another surprise podium finish, championship leader Alex Palou has reclaimed his spot atop the NBC Sports IndyCar Power Rankings.
Despite admittedly having chosen the wrong strategy in the Music City Grand Prix, Palou still finished third and increased his lead to 84 points over fourth-place finisher Josef Newgarden with four races remaining in the 2023 season.
Nashville winner Kyle Kirkwood was the biggest mover of the week, gaining four spots after his second career IndyCar victory (both on street courses).
Heading into the Gallagher Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through 13 of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):
1. Alex Palou (2): After two late yellow flags saved him from needing a pit stop that could have cost 20 points, Palou admitted he never has had a season so blessed with good fortune in his career.
2. Josef Newgarden (1): With a career-best fourth in his hometown race, Newgarden at least is keeping the runaway championship favorite honest.
3. Scott McLaughlin (4): After qualifying first and finishing second for the second consecutive year in Nashville, McLaughlin was angry at IndyCar officials for late-race restarts he considers embarrassing.
4. Kyle Kirkwood (8): The only IndyCar driver with multiple victories this season outside of Palou and Newgarden, Kirkwood has emerged as Andretti’s lead driver just based on results alone.
5. Scott Dixon (5): He tied the IndyCar consecutive start record (318) at Nashville and now needs to win one of the last four races to extend his streak of seasons with at least one win to 19.
6. Marcus Ericsson (7): A nice rebound to seventh from a disappointing 20th-place starting position, Ericsson has maintained his rock-solid consistency while waiting to learn where he’ll drive in 2024.
7. Will Power (3): After enduring every driver’s nightmare of missing critical equipment (earbuds!) just before climbing into the cockpit, Power did well enough of finish 10th.
8. Pato O’Ward (6): The promise of qualifying second faded with his car’s handling near the end of the first stint, another sign that Arrow McLaren seems to be regressing as the season ends.
9. Christian Lundgaard (NR): A ninth at Nashville marked his seventh top 10 finish in 13 races. Lundgaard now heads to his best track on the circuit (where he earned his first career pole in May).
10. Romain Grosjean (NR): He showed some fight in starting and finishing sixth at Nashville, his best result in three months (since a second at Barber). But it still might be too late to keep him in IndyCar.
Falling out: David Malukas (9), Colton Herta (10)
PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS
PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship
RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete
RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas
RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top
RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory
RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500
RACE 6: Alex Palou stays on top amid Indy 500 surges
RACE 7: Alex Palou continues roll out of Detroit
RACE 8: Alex Palou maximizing his No. 1 ranking
RACE 9: Who’s behind Alex Palou this week?
RACE 10: Alex Palou holds firm, Christian Lundgaard makes jump
RACE 11: Josef Newgarden takes top spot on Iowa dominance
