Power Rankings: David Malukas Jumps into Top 10 after Strong '500'
INDYCAR
Alex Palou reached victory lane in Sunday's 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and continued his iron grip on the top spot in Power Rankings.
The three-time series champion, who won all three races during the Month of May when factoring in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst on May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park and the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, remains the only mainstay in the Power Rankings.
Here's who rose in the Power Rankings entering Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network.
↑10. David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet; Last Rank: NR)
Originally finishing third in the race, Malukas was elevated to second place following post-race penalties assessed to Marcus Ericsson and Kyle Kirkwood for technical violations on their Andretti Global cars. Malukas' performance at the Indianapolis 500, coupled with his consistent speed during the oval practice sessions and qualifying seventh, propels him into the Power Rankings.
↓9. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 8)
Herta's performance during the Month of May was notably underwhelming, especially considering his previous success on the IMS road course. In the Sonsio Grand Prix, Herta qualified 13th but finished 25th after a challenging race. In the '500', he started 27th and managed to finish 14th.
↓8. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 7)
Despite strong practice sessions leading up to the '500,' a brake issue before the field even took the green to start the race compromised Dixon's race, leading to a 20th-place finish and ending his streak of climbing through the field in previous races. Dixon gained 14 spots at Barber Motorsports Park to finish 12th and 11 more in the Sonsio Grand Prix, coming home fifth.
↓7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)
Starting from the 10th position, McLaughlin lost control of his car during the final pace lap while trying to warm his Firestone Firehawk tires, resulting in a collision that ended his race before it officially began. This incident disrupted a promising season for McLaughlin, who had previously achieved four top-six finishes in the five races leading up to the Indianapolis 500.
↓6. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)
Power had a dismal '500', finishing 16th after starting 33rd. Entering the '500,' Power had finishes of sixth, fifth, fifth and third, respectively. While McLaughlin is two points ahead of Power in the standings, Power has crossed the finish line ahead of his Team Penske teammate in four of the last five races.
↔5. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda; Last Rank: 5)
Kirkwood remains fifth after finishing 32nd in the '500.' While there's a case to drop him further, Kirkwood is the only driver not named Alex Palou to win this season when the Andretti Global driver was victorious in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. That's a race he dominated from the pole. Also, Kirkwood has four top-eight finishes in six races this season.
↑4. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda; Last Rank: 10)
Rosenqvist started fifth and finished fourth in the '500,' the same spot he enters Detroit in the points standings. FRO has three top-five finishes in the last five races and five top-10 results in six races this season with Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian.
↑3. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 6)
Lundgaard earned his best-career '500' finish with a seventh-place result Sunday. He has five top-10 finishes in six races this season, including three consecutive podiums at The Thermal Club, Long Beach and Barber Motorsports Park.
↑2. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 4)
O'Ward finished third in the '500' for his fourth top-six finish in the last five races this season. Next up, however, is a street course in Detroit. O'Ward finished 11th (St. Petersburg) and 13th (Detroit) on street tracks this season.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 1)
Palou has five wins in six races this season, with an average finish of 1.2. His worst result this season is second on the streets of Long Beach. Now that he's a '500' winner and points leader by 112, he's almost untouchable.
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