INDYCAR Power Rankings: Pato O'Ward Dethrones Alex Palou, Moves To No. 1

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

Yes, Alex Palou is expected to win the championship. A couple of wins by Pato O’Ward isn’t going to change that.

But O’Ward winning two of the last three races? Yes, Palou won the race between, but that’s enough to lift O’Ward to the top of the rankings.

And that’s because Pato’s other finish was a fifth, while Palou has a fifth and a 12th in the two races he didn’t win.

Pato O’Ward takes center podium after winning at Toronto

How long will he stay there? Both drivers are strong at Laguna Seca Raceway, the site of the race this weekend.

Here are this week’s power rankings after Toronto:

Dropped out: Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 8), Santino Ferrucci (Last Week: 10)

On the verge: Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden, Will Power

10. Rinus VeeKay (Last Week: Not Ranked)

VeeKay enjoyed his first podium finish in three years with a second at Toronto. But it also was his seventh top 10 of the season. Few would expect that from a Dale Coyne driver.

Rinus VeeKay looks on before the green flag

9. Colton Herta (Last Week: Not Ranked)

A fourth-place finish might have been mildly disappointing for the Andretti driver, considering he won from the pole last year. But it still was a more than respectable finish and his fourth top five of the season.

8. David Malukas (Last Week: 9)

Malukas finished ninth at Toronto for his fourth top 10 in his last eight starts. Maybe the most impressive thing about his ninth-place finish was that he started 15th.

David Malukas during race weekend at Toronto

7. Christian Lundgaard (Last Week: 7)

Lundgaard finished 13th in a little bit of an off-day in a race where an Arrow McLaren teammate won. He’s still fifth in the season point standings.

6. Felix Rosenqvist (Last Week: 5)

Rosenqvist battled an ill-handling car after suffering damage early and ended up hitting the wall with a few laps remaining. The Meyer Shank driver is sixth in the season standings.

Felix Rosenqvist prior to the INDYCAR Series race at Toronto

5. Marcus Armstrong (Last Week: 4)

Armstrong got an early penalty for avoidable contact and never could dig himself out of the hole with the strategy, as he finished 14th. A frustrating day for the Meyer Shank driver after starting third. He is seventh in the season standings.

4. Kyle Kirkwood (Last Week: 6)

Kirkwood started sixth and finished sixth at Toronto and moved up a spot to third in the standings. It wasn’t the great street-course race he has had at times earlier this year, but the Andretti driver just needed a good day after a horrible Iowa.

Kyle Kirkwood during the INDYCAR Series race at Toronto

3. Scott Dixon (Last Week: 3)

Dixon finished 10th in a race where the Ganassi drivers didn’t come out on the right end of the strategy. He now sits ninth in the series standings.

2. Alex Palou (Last Week: 1)

No one will cry for Palou. His strategy to start on primary tires ended up not being the right one, and he finished 12th. He still has a comfortable points lead at 99 over O’Ward with four races remaining. The Ganassi driver doesn’t have much to worry about.

Alex Palou climbs into his ride during race weekend at Ontario

1. Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 2)

O’Ward should enjoy having won two of the last three races and that hey came on two different tracks — a short oval (Iowa) and a street course (Toronto). That win on Sunday was a big one and shouldn’t be underestimated on what it could do for him and his future.

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.