As eyes pivot to the Olympic Games in Paris, the NTT IndyCar Series goes on hiatus for a handful of weeks. With only five races remaining in the season, the fight to hoist the Astor Cup has tightened.
Following the series’ trip to the streets of Toronto, the top seven in the standings are separated by a mere 97 points.
Here’s how the standings look after 12 races:
1. Alex Palou (411 points)
Defending IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou heads into the final stretch in the same position he was in last season — leading the standings.
This time around, however, Palou isn’t sitting comfortably.
With only a 49-point cushion over Will Power, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver is walking on thin ice. A rare wreck in the first Iowa Speedway race opened the door wide for the competition.
Aside from the first Iowa race, Palou’s campaign has been stellar. Two victories (Indy Road Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) highlight his season-to-date, along with three additional podium results.
2. Will Power (-49 points)
Team Penske’s Will Power is enjoying a resurgent season aboard his familiar No. 12 Chevrolet. Power, who finished seventh in the standings last year without a win, has two victories this season.
Those two wins came at Road America (Wis.) and the second Iowa event. Three runner-up results in the first four races of the season helped kickstart his campaign. While a win at Iowa lifted the two-time champion, Power has struggled recently.
In three of the last four races, Power has finished 11th or worse.
3. Scott Dixon (-53 points)
Six-time champion Scott Dixon is seeking a record-tying seventh title. The seemingly always consistent driver is 53 points behind teammate Palou, who has finished fourth or better in the last three races.
Dixon scored his 141st podium finish in Toronto (third), which tied him with Mario Andretti for the most all-time.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver boasts wins at the Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.) and the streets of Detroit.
4. Colton Herta (-57 points)
After leading the standings for a handful of races, Andretti Global’s Colton Herta ranks fourth, 57 points behind Palou.
An early wreck during the 108th Indianapolis 500 and disappointing 19th-place effort the following week in Detroit are the only blemishes on Herta’s season, as he has 10 top-11 finishes in 12 races.
Herta also won the series’ most recent race in Toronto, which was his first victory in more than two years.
5. Pato O’Ward (-71 points)
Pato O’Ward’s season has been topsy-turvy in some regards.
While two wins (Florida’s St. Petersburg and Mid-Ohio) have aided the Arrow McLaren driver along with a heart-breaking runner-up effort in the Indianapolis 500, four finishes of 13th or worse have held him back from contending with Palou.
O’Ward, however, out-dueled Palou at Mid-Ohio in arguably one of the best finishes of the season.
A crash in Toronto forced the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet to finish 17th.
6. Scott McLaughlin (-83 points)
Roger Penske’s decision to transition Scott McLaughlin from Repco Supercars to an Indy car continues to pay off.
McLaughlin’s fourth season in North America has been stout — two victories (Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway) along with three additional podium finishes have the driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet primed to make a run at the title.
If it wasn’t for a disqualification in the season opener in St. Pete or an early exit in the Long Beach Grand Prix one race later, McLaughlin’s title bid would be stronger.
However, his first oval victory in race one at Iowa gives McLaughlin plenty of optimism, considering four of the last five races will be run on ovals.
7. Kyle Kirkwood (-97 points)
Kyle Kirkwood has flown under the radar in the championship hunt, however, he’s still firmly in the mix.
The Andretti Global driver has one finish worse than 11th this season (Iowa race two, 16th), and eight results of eighth or better.
While consistency has been a positive on Kirkwood’s season, the only blemish is his lack of podium finishes. Entering the final stretch of the year, Kirkwood is fresh off his best finish to-date (second) to complete an Andretti Global sweep of the top two positions in Toronto.
Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi and Santino Ferrucci rank eighth through 10th in the standings.