INDYCAR Power Rankings: There's a new No. 1 and his name is Kyle

Alex Palou still has a dominating lead in the INDYCAR point standings, but with Kyle Kirkwood capturing the last two races, there's a new driver on top of this power rankings list.
Kirkwood earned his first career oval victory Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway (commonly known as Gateway). That followed his win on the streets of Detroit.
With three wins this year, Kirkwood has shown the growth needed to be a major factor in the series. If not for a penalty at Indianapolis, he'd be just 51 points (instead of 75) behind Palou.
Here are this week's power rankings heading into back-to-back races on permanent road courses at Road America and Mid-Ohio.
Dropped out: Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 9)
On the verge: David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist
10. Scott McLaughlin (LW: 7)
McLaughlin's day ended 44 laps before the finish when he broke something in the left rear. The Team Penske driver had started second on the grid. He continues to have speed. He led 51 laps Sunday night. But he's not having the finishes he would like.
9. Marcus Armstrong (LW: Not Ranked)
Armstrong finished ninth at Gateway, his third top 10 in the last four races. For the young Meyer Shank Racing driver, that type of consistency is key.
8. Colton Herta (LW: 6)
Herta couldn't follow up his third-place run at Detroit with a solid finish. He placed 17th at Gateway, while Kirkwood — an Andretti teammate — won the race.
7. Santino Ferrucci (LW: 10)
Ferrucci placed fifth at Gateway for his third consecutive top-five finish. The AJ Foyt Racing driver has moved up to 11th in the standings and would be eighth without the penalty for a driver's compartment weight violation in Detroit.
6. Will Power (LW: 5)
Power blew a tire and hit the wall early in the race at Gateway, ending a promising event where he had won the pole — the 71st of his career and the series record. The Penske driver fell to seventh in the standings.
5. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 4)
Lundgaard finished 14th, the last driver on the lead lap at Gateway. The Arrow McLaren driver started 14th, too.
4. Scott Dixon (LW: 8)
Dixon finished fourth at Gateway, as he led 43 laps with a fast car and solid fuel strategy. The Ganassi driver is fifth in the series standings.
3. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3)
O'Ward ran among the leaders the entire race and finished second. The Arrow McLaren driver might have been a tick off the fastest cars but made the right moves to secure the runner-up finish.
2. Alex Palou (LW: 1)
Palou started ninth and finished eighth on what is arguably his worst track on the circuit. Plus, considering the points position he is in, he just needed a respectable finish. The Ganassi driver did just that.
1. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 2)
Who says Kirkwood can't win on ovals? Kirkwood won for the first time on an oval, showing his versatility. The Andretti driver continues to be the biggest threat to Palou for the championship.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

34 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message

Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message originally appeared on The Spun. Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith is trending on social media this weekend because of something she didn't even do. Advertisement The Sky selected Van Lith with the No. 11 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft. She helped out her stock tremendously by averaging 17.9 points and 5.4 assists per game at TCU. Not only was she named Big 12 Player of the Year, she took the program to the Elite Eight. Van Lith is still trying to figure out her role in Chicago, but that hasn't stopped her from making an impact. The TCU product is currently averaging 5.2 points and 1.3 assists per game for the Sky. Despite getting off to a respectable start this season, Van Lith has been publicly called out by a five-time WNBA All-Star. During an appearance on the "Let Her Shoot" podcast, Angel McCoughtry questioned if Van Lith is in the WNBA because of her social media following. Advertisement "Hailey Van Lith, she's a decent player," McCoughtry said, via Sporting News. "Are there players out there who may be better than Hailey Van Lith? I believe so. They're not popular... If Hailey Van Lith had 10,000 followers, would she be in the league? Just her true talent, take away the followers." May 6, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith (2) warms up before a WNBA game against the Minnesota Lynx at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesKamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images It didn't take long for WNBA fans to rip McCoughtry for this message. "That's so nasty man," one fan said. "HVL had a successful college career and lead TCU to an elite 8 in the '25 NCAA tourney after they were a 2nd round exit in the WBIT the szn prior. It's normal for rookies to struggle, most take an adjustment period. Sucks to see old ppl be so hateful." Advertisement "The way the WNBA media covers their league is so toxic," a second fan wrote. "It's fair to ponder Hailey Van Lith's upside as a player. It's also reasonable to debate her fit with the Chicago Sky. But to suggest she would not be qualified to be in the WNBA if she didn't have a large social media following is…an asinine stretch of a take," another fan replied. "This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard," a fourth person commented. Van Lith has not responded to McCoughtry's claim. At this point, she wouldn't gain anything from it. Fans will get to see Van Lith in action this Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury. Advertisement Related: Hailey Van Lith Looks Amazing In Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Digital Cover Former WNBA Star Gets Ripped For 'Nasty' Hailey Van Lith Message first appeared on The Spun on Jun 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.

Yahoo

36 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Braves' Chris Sale goes on 15-day IL with fractured rib cage suffered on diving catch

Chris Sale made an excellent diving stop on a grounder by Juan Soto for the first out of the ninth inning to finish off his start against the New York Mets on Wednesday night. Yet going hard to the ground cost the veteran left-hander a trip to the injured list. The Atlanta Braves announced on Saturday that Sale is going to the 15-day IL with a fractured ribcage. The injury occurred as Sale pitches his best game of the season, with 8 2/3 scoreless innings, five hits and one walk allowed, and seven strikeouts. Advertisement The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has a 2.52 ERA (third among NL starting pitchers) and 5-4 record in 15 starts, compiling 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings. With Wednesday's 5-0 win, the Braves (34-40) had victories in six of their past eight games, part of a stretch during which Atlanta won seven of 10. Perhaps more importantly for the NL East standings, For the Mets, the defeat was their fifth straight in what's become a seven-game losing streak that's knocked them out of first place (45-31) in the division. Sale's IL stint is backdated to Thursday, which would make him eligible to return on July 3. However, a rib injury could keep him out for a longer period. Sale suffered a stress fracture in his right rib cage before the 2022 season that sidelined him for more than three months.

Washington Post

38 minutes ago

• Washington Post

Dortmund beats Mamelodi Sundowns 4-3 in blistering hot Club World Cup group stage match

CINCINNATI — Borussia Dortmund was gifted an easy goal to start the match and held off a strong response from the Mamelodi Sundowns on a fiercely warm day to win 4-3 in the Club World Cup group stage on Saturday. Both teams and the crowd of 14,006 at TQL Stadium sweat through high temperatures that forced a heat advisory and cooling breaks, called at the referee's discretion. Temperatures approached 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).