Power Rankings: Christian Lundgaard on the Charge After Victory

Editor’s Note: Power Rankings is a feature published after every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in which INDYCAR.com staff writer Eric Smith ranks the top 10 drivers in the series based on objective recent and season-long performance statistics, along with the subjective “eye test” from race weekends.

Alex Palou remains atop the Power Rankings following a pole position and fifth-place finish in Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

He has a new closest rival in the rankings. Race winner Christian Lundgaard jumped to No. 2 after making a daring pass on David Malukas on Lap 65 en route to his second career victory and second top-two finish in the last three races.

Here are the top 10 drivers entering the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls) on Sunday, May 24.

↑10. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 Remax Honda, Last Rank: NR)

Armstrong returns to the Power Rankings for the first time since being ranked fifth following the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on March 29 at Barber Motorsports Park. The Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian driver finished 11th in the 85-lap Sonsio Grand Prix. Armstrong, from New Zealand, has five top-11 finishes in six races this season and enters his third Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge 10th in points.

↓9. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, Last Rank: 8)

Rosenqvist backed his NTT P1 Award and runner-up finish in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19 with a third-place starting spot in the Sonsio Grand Prix. But the Swede sparked a chain-reaction crash on the opening lap that resulted in a 23rd-place finish. He’s 11th in points.

↓8. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 4)

O’Ward started second in the Sonsio Grand Prix, but an opening-lap incident in which he was spun by Rosenqvist dropped him to an 18th-place finish. He has finished 17th or worse in three of the last four races, though four top-five finishes in the other events keep him in the rankings.

↑7. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 10)

Newgarden finished fourth in Saturday’s 85-lap race for his second top-five finish of the season. The two-time series champion hailing from Tennessee believed he had a top-five car and delivered despite starting 10th. Newgarden enters the Indianapolis 500 fifth in points, 75 behind Palou, and has won the race two of the last three years, in 2023 and 2024. He also owns a victory this season in the lone oval race, the Good Ranchers 250 on March 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

↓6. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Last Rank: 5)

Dixon was collected in the opening-lap crash in Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix and fell from eighth to last (25th). He recovered to finish sixth, extending his streak to five consecutive top-10 finishes this season. The six-time series champion enters the Indy 500 sixth in points, 89 back of Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Palou.

↑5. Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda, Last Rank: 7)

Rahal climbs for a second straight race to his highest ranking since the list debuted in 2024. He began his ascent after Long Beach, where he started 10th and finished eighth. Rahal advanced from seventh at the start to finish third in Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix, marking his second podium finish in the last three races and fourth top-10 finish in the last five. He also has four top-10 starting spots over the last five races.

↓4. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda, Last Rank: 2)

Kirkwood drops two spots after recording his first finish outside the top five this season in the Sonsio Grand Prix. He started ninth and climbed to second during the opening stint but stayed on track during the full-course caution after Alexander Rossi stalled on track on Lap 22. A slow pit stop on Lap 39 cost Kirkwood additional track position, and he finished ninth. Kirkwood trails Palou by 27 points in the standings but hasn’t led a lap since his victory in the March 15 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, where he paced the final 16 laps.

↔3. David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 3)

Malukas started fifth for the second straight race and, unlike Long Beach where he faded to seventh, converted it into a runner-up finish Saturday in the Sonsio Grand Prix. He led a race-high 27 of 85 laps. Malukas also has been one of the strongest qualifiers this season, starting in the top 10 in all six races and inside the top five in five of them. He returns to the Indianapolis 500 – a race in which he finished runner-up last year – third in points, 52 back.

↑2. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 6)

Lundgaard moves to second in the rankings for the third time in his career. He also held the No. 2 spot following races at Barber Motorsports Park and Portland International Raceway last season. The four-position jump comes after his second career victory Saturday in the Sonsio Grand Prix but first since joining Arrow McLaren last season. It was his third podium finish in six races this season, and he enters the Indianapolis 500 fourth in points, 55 behind Palou.

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

Palou led the opening 23 laps of Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix, but a strategy mistake by staying out under caution dropped him to 19th. He recovered to finish fifth, giving him five top-five finishes in six races this season. He’s the defending Indy 500 winner.