The stretch to the finish has begun. And everyone continues to chase Alex Palou.
The reigning champion earned his sixth victory of the season Sunday at Portland International Raceway.
Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard are two of the drivers chasing him and they both moved up these rankings. Lundgaard had a hybrid issue in qualifying and started 25th before working his way to ninth in the race.
Now, the series heads to Markham, the new Ontario (Canada) stop that takes the place of Toronto.
Here are my power rankings with four weekends (five races) left in the season.
Dropped out: Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 6)
On the verge: Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel, Kyffin Simpson
10.
Power finished third in a strong performance at Portland. He has four top 10s (with a pair of thirds) in his last five starts.
9.
McLaughlin had a workman-like Portland weekend with a disappointing qualifying. He started 13th but was able to gain spots and finish seventh in the race. It was his fifth top 10 in his last seven starts.
8.
Armed with a newly announced contract extension, Ericsson’s rebound season continued with a sixth-place finish at Portland. It was his fourth top 10 in his last six starts.
7.
For the third time in the last six races, VeeKay earned a fourth-place finish. These aren’t flukes; he made the Fast Six at Portland and at Mid-Ohio last month.
6.
Rosenqvist won the pole and finished second at Portland for his first podium and fourth top 10 since he won the Indianapolis 500.
5.
Malukas, saddled by a six-spot grid penalty for exceeding the engine limits, had just his third finish of the season where he placed outside the top 10 as he ended up 12th at Portland.
4.
No longer needing crutches to get around, Newgarden salvaged a decent day after starting 14th and finishing eighth at Portland.
3.
Kirkwood placed fifth at Portland, a place where he qualified 19th and finished 20th a year ago. So he was happy with that even though he lost ground to Palou in the championship race.
2.
A ninth-place finish typically doesn’t result in moving up in the top five of the rankings. But the fact he caboosed the field at the start shows just how strong Lundgaard was at Portland.
1.
After his sixth win, Palou has a 110-point lead in the standings. He can be average the rest of the season and win the championship. And there is nothing average about Palou.
