We more than likely knew this was coming. It has happened every year dating back to 2023. Some have said it’s been a down year for Scott Dixon and the #9 Chip Ganassi Racing team. Although he leads the series in Top 10 finishes, a mental error cost Dixon his second Indy 500 win. After sitting comfortably in the top 3 for the entire race, leading 95 laps, Dixons penalty landed him with a 21st finishing position. With a Top 3 at Indy, he would be the points leader right now. Obviously, they run all 500 miles for a reason, but the 6 time IndyCar Champion broke through on Sunday for his first win of the season on the streets of Toronto.
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NEW TO THE TOP 10
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DOWN THIS WEEK
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UP THIS WEEK
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1. MARCUS ERICSSON: (UP 2) - Ericsson continues to do what he has to do to maintain the championship lead. He has been the best driver on street courses over the last year and continued the drive for the title with a 5th place finish after starting 9th. Out of the 10 races so far, Ericsson has gained positions from his starting spot in 8 of those. In those 7 races, The Indy 500 winner has gained 45 positions in those 7 races. A double header at Iowa could make or break the championship for the #8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
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2. SCOTT DIXON: (UP 5) - Dixon won at Toronto over the weekend moving himself up to second in the points. He’s still having a hell of a season, it just took him a little longer than expected to climb the top step of the podium.
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3. ALEX PALOU: (UP 2) - It was a wild week to say the least for Palou who had issues in practice on Friday and struggled in qualifying on Saturday. He drove from 21st to a 6th place finish and sits 4th in the points despite all of the off the track rumblings.
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4. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: (DOWN 1) - Newgarden faded from his 3rd place starting spot to a 10th place result. Newgarden is tied for fourth in the points with Dixon with some very strong tracks coming up for the #2 crew.
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5. WILL POWER: (DOWN 1) - It was a tough weekend for Power who started 16th and could only manage a 15th place result. Since the Indy 500 it’s been a back and forth result for the 12 crew. The consistency he showed early in the season has gone away since the Indy 500. His last four race results are 15th, 1st, 19th, 3rd, 15th.
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6. FELIX ROSENQVIST (UP 3) - Rosenqvist secured his first podium finish with Arrow McLaren SP on Sunday and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With plenty of talks about his future in IndyCar, Rosenqvist was solid throughout the weekend and even threw out the first pitch at the Blue Jays game on Thursday. He certainly has driven like someone proving himself recently with six top 10 finishes over his last seven races. The one bad result was mechanical after running inside the Top 5 at Mid-Ohio.
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7. SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN (DOWN 3) - With two wins on the season, McLaughlin has shown flashes of brilliance and flashes of a sophomore slump. He’s registered 3 straight Top 10 finishes and will race for the first time this weekend at the Iowa Speedway.
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8. PATO O’WARD (DOWN 1) - It’s been a three race stretch to forget for O’Ward who finished 11th on Sunday at Toronto. He still sits 6th in points and has a Top 4 finish at Iowa. He has an average finish of 5th in 12 IndyCar starts on ovals.
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9. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD (UP 2) - For the first time this season, Christian Lundgaard enters the Top 10. He’s had three straight top 11 runs and is flying under the radar. He’s been the most consistent Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver and after a great test at Sebring last week, the entire RLL three car effort showed pace at Toronto. We will see what the Rookie of the Year leader can do on his first trip to Iowa.
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10. GRAHAM RAHAL (UP 1) - A fourth place finish felt like a win at Toronto for Graham who has had horrible luck throughout the 2022 season. Was this the run the entire RLL team needed to springboard to a better second half of the season? We will see, but 4th on Sunday was Rahals best result of the season by a longshot.
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