Power Rankings: Mid-Ohio

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1. WILL POWER: (UP 2) - If Will Power wins the championship in 2022, we will look back to Mid Ohio as the weekend that saved it. A spin on the opening lap dropped Power to the back of the field. He used the remaining 80 laps to climb up through the field for a third place finish. Most say he is the driver to beat for the championship.

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1. MARCUS ERICSSON: (DOWN 1) - Ericsson found himself in the top 10 all weekend before driving to a 6th place result. He is averaging a finish of 7.4 this season, slightly under Alex Palou’s championship pace from 2021 that saw him finish the season with a 7.3 average finish. Ericsson holds onto a 20 point lead over Power.

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3. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: (DOWN 1) - Mid-Ohio was just meh for Newgarden who now sits 3rd in the points standings. Newgarden is chomping at the bit for the next 6 races on the schedule. He has race wins at Toronto, Iowa, IMS Road course and Gateway and wants nothing more than a victory at his home track in Nashville.

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4. SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN: (UP 6) - McLaughlin broke out of a major slump with a win on Sunday. Since his second place finish at Texas, the Aussie hadn’t scored a Top 5 finish. If he can rip off a few more wins, he could find himself back in the championship conversation, but a top 5 in the championship is certainly not out of the question if he can eliminate results 15th or worse.

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5. ALEX PALOU: (UP 1) - It was a much needed runner up result for the defending IndyCar champ after a forgettable weekend at Road America that has put him behind the eight ball for the championship. If Palou is going to make a move for the second championship, it will have to come over the next three races. Toronto is a track he has never raced at and his two previous Iowa starts have resulted in finishes outside the Top 10. It will be an uphill climb to overcome the current deficit, but if anyone can do it, it’s Palou.

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6. SCOTT DIXON (UP 2) - You know, I really don’t know what else to say. Dixon scored his 4th top 5 of the season and his IndyCar leading 8th Top 10. If each driver eliminated their worst race of the year, Dixon would be your championship leader. Shoutout to his nanny and her husband for entertaining us at our campsite at Mid-Ohio.

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7. PATO O’WARD (DOWN 3) - O’Ward snagged his first pole of 2022 and looked well on his way to a podium finish at worst on Sunday. He led 28 laps before mechanical issues knocked him out.

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8. ALEXANDER ROSSI (DOWN 4) - He was the hottest driver in the paddock heading into the weekend until all hell broke loose at the Andretti camp mid race. He tangled with Romain Grosjean.

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9. FELIX ROSENQVIST (DOWN 2) - Rosenqvist put in a great qualifying effort and was taken out early by a mechanical failure. It was a very unfortunate end to a good start of the weekend for both the Arrow McLaren SP drivers.

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10. SIMON PAGENAUD (DOWN 1) - An overall decent weekend for Pagenaud at Mid-Ohio. He had finished inside the Top 12 in 6 straight races. The team seems to be getting better with Pagenaud in the cockpit as the season goes on.