Surging Andretti Global Trio Puts Pressure on Leader Palou

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.

Kyle Kirkwood earned his seventh career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory and second of the season in the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

Kirkwood capped a near-perfect weekend, finishing first or second in both practice sessions, qualifying second and leading a race-high 128 of 147 laps.

He led a strong contingent for Andretti Global, which placed three drivers in the top four of the 250-mile race. All three remain near the top of the Power Rankings.

Up next is the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend at the Milwaukee Mile. Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 starts at 1 p.m. ET. Both races air on FOX, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Here’s the top 10 entering the only doubleheader of the season for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES:

↑10. Romain Grosjean (No. 18 BMax Honda, Last Rank: NR)

This marks Grosjean’s second appearance in the Power Rankings after finishing 10th in Washington, D.C. He was ranked seventh following the season opener in St. Petersburg. His solid race in Washington, D.C., follows a runner-up finish the previous week in Markham.

↓9. Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, Last Rank: 7)

VeeKay crashed and finished 23rd after starting 17th, but he still has four top-seven finishes in the last seven races.

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

O’Ward started seventh but dropped to 16th in Washington. It was the first race this season in which he failed to finish on the lead lap, leaving teammate Christian Lundgaard as the only driver in the series to do so this season.

↓7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 6)

McLaughlin started third and challenged for the lead on the Lap 129 restart but crashed in Turn 1 and finished 22nd. He had five top-eight finishes in the six previous races. This is the ninth consecutive race McLaughlin has been ranked, but he’s riding a 34-race winless streak dating to 2024 at the Milwaukee Mile, the longest drought of his professional racing career.

↑6. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 10)

Newgarden charged from 14th to finish eighth for his sixth top-10 finish in the last eight races. That stretch includes a June 7 victory at World Wide Technology Raceway. This is the eighth consecutive race he’s been ranked, extending the longest streak since the Power Rankings began in 2024.

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

Lundgaard remains fifth after a runner-up finish in Washington. This was his third runner-up finish of the season. He also has two wins, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Lundgaard climbed from ninth at the start in D.C. for his seventh top-10 result in the last eight races. This is the fifth time in the last seven races Lundgaard has been ranked in the top five.

↓4. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Acura Honda, Last Rank: 3)

Ericsson finished fourth in Washington for his fourth consecutive top-six finish. He also has six top-eight finishes in the last eight races. That stretch includes a runner-up finish at the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he led a race-high 114 laps.

↓3. Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda, Last Rank: 2)

Power hasn’t won a race since August 2025 at Portland International Raceway, an 18-race drought. But the two-time series champion has finished third in four of the last six races. Power also has six top-eight finishes in the last seven events. He had one in his previous eight.

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

Kirkwood earned his second win of the season with a dominating weekend in Washington. He has seven top-10 finishes in the last eight races. This is the eighth consecutive race Kirkwood has been ranked in the top five. Kirkwood has seven career series wins, including six on street courses.

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

Palou made a rare error, committing a pit-lane penalty on his first stop in Washington, before making contact with the Turn 4 wall on Lap 123. He finished 20th after earning his seventh NTT P1 Award of the season and ending up first and second, respectively, in Saturday’s practice sessions. Palou remains No. 1 with two wins and five top-five finishes in the last six races. The four-time series champion is on the verge of becoming the second driver in series history to win four consecutive titles. Sébastien Bourdais is the other (2004-07). Palou leads Kirkwood by 91 points with three races remaining.