Andretti Global Duo Climbs Swiftly After Markham Success

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 based on recent and season-long performance, statistical trends and the eye test from race weekends.

Marcus Ericsson (photo, top) erased a 63-race winless drought with his Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham victory Sunday, Aug. 16 and climbs higher in the Power Rankings. So did his Andretti Global teammate Will Power, who also is rising rapidly after his third-place finish in Markham.

Points leader Alex Palou finished fourth for his fifth consecutive top-five finish and leads the Power Rankings entering Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. (11:30 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Honda has swept the podium in the last two races, with its drivers continuing to rise in the rankings.

↓10. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 5)

Newgarden finished 13th in Markham, ending a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes. He had five top-10 finishes, including a June 7 victory at World Wide Technology Raceway, in his previous six starts before the Markham weekend. This is the seventh consecutive race he’s been ranked, the longest streak since the Power Rankings began in 2024.

↓9. David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 3)

Malukas crashed from sixth late in the Markham race, finishing outside the top 10 for the second consecutive race. He had 10 top-10 finishes in his previous 11 starts. This is his lowest ranking since he was 10th following the St. Petersburg season opener.

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

O’Ward gets the nod over Malukas after finishing ahead of him in each of the last two races, with 11th and fifth-place results. The popular Mexican driver has three top-seven finishes in the last four races, including a victory July 5 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. O’Ward has finished in the top five in all five street races this season. He returns to the Power Rankings after going unranked following the Portland race, the only time in 46 editions he has been on the outside looking in.

↔7. Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, Last Rank: 7)

VeeKay finished seventh at Markham, earning his fourth top-seven finish in the last six races. He started sixth for his third Firestone Fast Six appearance of the season, all consecutively. The team had three Fast Six appearances in its previous 104 starts before VeeKay’s arrival.

↔6. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 6)

McLaughlin finished eighth for his fifth top-eight finish in the last six races. He had two in his previous six starts. This is the eighth consecutive race McLaughlin has been ranked, but he’s riding a 33-race winless streak dating to 2024 at Milwaukee Mile, the longest drought of his professional racing career.

↑5. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 10)

Lundgaard started second and finished sixth for his sixth top-10 result in the last seven races. That stretch includes a Road America victory and a runner-up finish at Mid-Ohio, where he started from the pole, in consecutive races. This is the fourth time in the last six races Lundgaard has been ranked in the top five.

↓4. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda, Last Rank: 2)

Kirkwood was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying Saturday and took a six-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change to start 22nd. He climbed into the top 10 before a crash left him 21st. Kirkwood is second in points and has six top-10 finishes in the last seven races, including three top-five results. This is the seventh consecutive race Kirkwood has been ranked in the top five. Kirkwood has six career series wins, and five have occurred on street courses.

↑3. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 RVI Group Honda, Last Rank: 9)

Ericsson snapped a 63-race winless drought to earn his fifth career victory and first with Andretti Global. He joined the team in 2024 following four seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing (2020-23) and one with Arrow McLaren (2019). Ericsson has five top-eight finishes in the last seven races. That stretch also includes a runner-up finish at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he led a race-high 114 laps. He’s also ninth in points. This is the highest Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, has ever been ranked in the Power Rankings.

↑2. Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda, Last Rank: 8)

Few drivers are hotter than Power right now. While he hasn’t won a race since August 2025 at Portland International Raceway, a 17-race drought, the two-time series champion has finished third in three of the last five races. Power also has five top-eight finishes in the last six events. He had one in his previous eight. The Aussie climbed from last (25th) to finish third at Markham. This is his highest ranking in this list since he was second following the 2025 Sonsio Grand Prix.

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

Palou made a rare error by crashing in qualifying at Markham and started 11th for Sunday’s race. He still climbed to finish fourth and extended his series lead over Kirkwood from 110 to 133 points. He has topped the Power Rankings for 11 consecutive races and 43 of the 46 editions since the feature debuted at the start of the 2024 season. Palou, a four-time series champion, is on the verge of becoming the second driver in series history to win four consecutive titles. Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) is the other.