INDYCAR Power Rankings: Josef Newgarden Returns, Alex Palou Ends On High Note

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

The 2025 INDYCAR season is in the books.

The final point standings will reflect how drivers raced throughout the entire year. These rankings show who might have some momentum going into next season — if they can carry over the last month of the year into next March.

Here are the last power rankings of the 2025 season, as the race Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway concluded the year.

Don’t worry, the 2026 preseason rankings (and maybe some way-too-early 2026 rankings) will come soon enough.

Dropped out: Christian Rasmussen (Last Week: 8), David Malukas (Last Week: 9), Colton Herta (Last Week: 10)

On the verge: Colton Herta, Christian Rasmussen, Alexander Rossi

10. Felix Rosenqvist (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Rosenqvist finished seventh at Nashville, despite an early penalty for jumping the restart. The Meyer Shank driver finished sixth in the season standings. Rosenqvist had 10 top 10s in the 17 races but just two in the last five.

Felix Rosenqvist had 10 top-10 finishes in 2025.

9. Josef Newgarden (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Newgarden captured the victory at Nashville, clearly the highlight of his season. He finished 12th in the standings, nowhere near the season the Penske driver had expected. The victory was Newgarden’s third podium of the year.

8. Will Power (Last Week: 7)

Power slid through his pit box, resulting in a penalty for hitting his equipment. He finished a lap down in 21st, quite possibly ending his Penske tenure with a season where he finished ninth in the standings with eight top 10s.

Will Power finished 21st at Nashville to end a disappointing 2025 season.

7. Kyle Kirkwood (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Kirkwood placed sixth at Nashville. This was another solid finish, as the Andretti driver had three victories on the season and ended up fourth in the standings. He had hoped for more but had only two top 10s in the final seven races.

6. Marcus Armstrong (Last Week: 6)

Armstrong had a blocking penalty during the race that cost him a lap, forcing him to settle for 19th. The Meyer Shank driver finished eighth in the standings. Prior to Nashville, Armstrong had finished top 10 in nine of the previous 10 races.

Marcus Armstrong finished the season eighth in the INDYCAR standings.

5. Christian Lundgaard (Last Week: 3)

A mechanical issue ended Lundgaard’s race early at Nashville. The Arrow McLaren driver finished fifth in the series standings, with six podium finishes to his credit.

4. Scott Dixon (Last Week: 5)

Dixon placed 12th at Nashville, a quiet end to the quietest third-place finish in the season standings. The Chip Ganassi Racing veteran did record a win during the year, as he watched teammate Alex Palou win the title. Before Nashville, he had finished top 10 in eight of the previous nine races.

Scott Dixon had a relatively quiet year but still finished third in the standings.

3. Scott McLaughhlin (Last Week: 4)

McLaughlin led seven laps at Nashville and finished third. The Penske driver placed 10th in the standings with back-to-back third-place finishes and four consecutive top 10s to end the season.

2. Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 2)

A flat tire ended the race for O’Ward early with a crash. The Arrow McLaren driver was the best of the rest as he finished second in the standings. O’Ward had six top fives in the final eight races of the year.

Pato O’Ward finished second in the 2025 INDYCAR standings.

1. Alex Palou (Last Week: 1)

Palou’s incredible season was capped with a second-place finish at Nashville. He won eight races on the way to his fourth title, and he finished 196 points ahead of O’Ward, a record in the 30 years of the modern era scoring system.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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