INDYCAR: The Race to Championship Week Heats Up
Three drivers had a very good week in the IndyCar Power Rankings. Eric Smith has these drivers making the biggest moves:
Up 4. Josef Newgarden jumps five spots from 9 to 4 this week. No surprise there after he earned his sixth victory at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday night. He also moves up to sixth in the points tally. With three top-10 finishes in the last four races, Josef is on a hot streak. He is also the only driver, besides Alex Palou, with multiple wins in 2026.
Up 6. Scott McLaughlin finished fifth at World Wide Technology Raceway, which helped propel him to 6 from 10 last week. It's his third top-five finish this year and second in the last three races. This is his highest Power Ranking since March.
Up 10. Marcus Ericsson, who wasn't even ranked last week, breaks back into the Power Rankings at 10, thanks to his second-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Josef Newgarden returned to victory lane in dominant fashion Sunday night, capturing the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis for a record sixth career win at the 1.25-mile oval. Battling through two rain delays and a fiercely competitive race that featured a track-record 268 passes for position, the Team Penske driver held off Marcus Ericsson by just 0.661 seconds at the finish. The victory was Newgarden's second win of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and the 34th of his career, further cementing his reputation as one of the sport's greatest oval racers. Remarkably, 20 of Newgarden's 34 career INDYCAR victories have now come on oval tracks, including six at World Wide Technology Raceway alone.
From Last to First: James Rowe Wins in INDY NXT by Firestone
James Rowe continued his impressive 2026 campaign with a hard-fought victory in the latest INDY NXT by Firestone race, showcasing speed, consistency, and racecraft throughout the event. The win further strengthens Rowe's position in the championship battle as the season heads into its critical summer stretch.
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