Power Rankings: Road America

By Tony Donohue
June 15, 2022

We have reached the halfway point of one of the most competitive seasons in IndyCar history. A new Indy 500 winner has been crowned, five different drivers have won a race, and the pole speed record at the Indianapolis 500 has been broken. 35 drivers have taken the green flag in 2022 including the first race to include two female drivers since 2015.

Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson currently leads the points standings over race winners Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward. Scott McLaughlin and Colton Herta both have a win a piece on the season but sit 9th and 11th in points. Alex Palou, the defending series champion along with teammate and six time champion Scott Dixon have yet to win a race. The power rankings have been shaken up weekly this year, and we don’t expect that to change.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INDYCAR

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1. MARCUS ERICSSON: (NO CHANGE) - The 2022 Indy 500 winner is off on a well deserved vacation as IndyCar has the next 20 or so days off. Despite contact with his teammate, Ericsson finished a strong second at Road America and has the points lead back by 27 points over Will Power.

2. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: (UP 9) - Newgarden secured the million dollar bonus over the weekend with a dominating win at Road America. He’s the only driver with multiple wins on the season, all three coming on the three different types of courses IndyCar has to offer. He finds himself third in the points.

3. WILL POWER: (UP 8) - Road America was more about controversy than results for the 12 car on Sunday. Coming off his first win of the season, Power was shown the boot by Devlin DeFrancesco early in the race. He sits second in the standings with six finishes in the Top 5.

4. ALEXANDER ROSSI: (UP 7) - This is the highest Rossi has been in the power rankings this year. He’s averaging a sixth place finish over his last six races, the best average by any driver in the field. With back to back podiums, Rossi is knocking on the door of his first win in 2022, his final season with Andretti Autosport.

5. PATO O’WARD: (UP 6) - With one win on the season, O’Ward sits 4th in the points and was runner up in the Indy 500. He was on his way to a top 5 finish at Road America before a mechanical issue shuffled him back to a 26th result. O’Ward is still in striking distance of the championship, but he will have to string together Top 10s, Top 5s and podiums to have a shot heading into the last race of the season.

6. ALEX PALOU: (UP 5) - 2022 has been one step forward and two steps back for Palou. A disappointing 27th place finish at Road America has left a bad taste in the defending series champions mouth. Look for a hungry Palou in the remainder of the season.

7. FELIX ROSENQVIST: (UP 4) - Felix has strung together four top 10’s in a row. He scored a 6th at Road America and has ran well most of the season despite rumors of where he could wind up in 2023.

8. SCOTT DIXON: (UP 3) - Outside of the Indy 500, Dixon has finished every race inside the Top 10. He scored his first podium of the season at Belle Isle and a 9th at Road America. Sitting 6th in the points, Dixon needs to find victory circle soon to keep up in the championship despite having seven Top 10’s, the most of any driver this year. If Dixon doesn’t make the mistake in the pits at Indy and finishes a minimum of 3rd at the 500, he would be the points leader right now.

9. SIMON PAGENAUD: (UP 2) - Pagenaud finds himself 10th in points with a lowest finish of 11th in his last five races. The chemistry is still forming on the #60 team and Pagenaud has shown signs of contention this year.

10. COLTON HERTA: (UP 1) - Outside of a horrendous Indy 500, Herta has been in the top 5 in 4 of his last 5 races. Although he hasn’t contended for a win since the Indy Grand Prix, Herta will look for nothing short of wins this season with the championship a bit too far out of his reach.

IndyCar takes a three week hiatus before ramping up for a busy July and August. The power rankings are sure to be shaken up again with Mid-Ohio, the streets of Toronto and a double header at Iowa next on the schedule.

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