Indy 500 Power Rankings: Unlikely heroes shine behind Alex Palou's breakthrough win

The biggest race of the IndyCar season is done, and a new Indy 500 champion was crowned in the form of Alex Palou, taking his first win around the oval course. While he is an easy pick in the winner's section of the race, 32 other drivers participated in the race and put up a strong showing for the 109th running of the fabled race.

The chaos was not over after the checkered flag had fallen on the track, as three drivers were moved to the rear of the grid for infringing the technical regulations. This witnessed the provisional runner-up finisher and top spot holder being relegated to the back of the field and being levied heavy fines on.

But, the other 30 drivers remained true to the essence of the racing spectacle, so let's skip the wait and look at the Top 10 drivers at the Indy 500 this year:

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Power rankings for the 109th Indy 500

#10 Devlin DeFrancesco

Devlin DeFrancesco had a respectable outing at the Indy 500. The 25-year-old had his best result at the elusive race to date in the RLL car. Though he didn't make it to the top 10, his early pace and strategy helped him lead 17 circuits of the 2.5-mile track.

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#9 Ryan Hunter-Reay

Ryan Hunter-Reay is an easy pick due to his spending a massive 48 laps in the lead of the race. The former Indy 500 winner looked on course to take home the victory at one point in the race, but strategy differences and cautions ruled him out of contention as the race drew to a close.

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#8 Christian Lundgaard

While Christian Lundgaard did not face the wrath of the fabled race like his teammate, Nolan Siegel, did on the final lap, he remained a constant threat for a top-10 finish at all times. The Dane eventually recorded a P7 finish after some post-race shenanigans, but in the end, it was a strong showing for him.

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#7 Takuma Sato

Starting the race on the front row and finishing ninth might seem bad on paper, but the old ranger had done almost everything in his power to get a strong result. Takuma Sato led the most laps of any driver, more than a quarter of the race distance.

A torrid pit stop ruled him out of contention, else he could have been in for a better day and possibly taken home his third Indy 500 victory.

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#6 Santino Ferrucci

Santino Ferrucci helped A. J. Foyt Racing to their first double top-five finish at the Indy 500 in 25 years. He recorded a commendable P5 result and finished a mere five seconds behind the race leader, Alex Palou.

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#5 Felix Rosenqvist

Since the start of the 2025 IndyCar season, Felix Rosenqvist has been a nagging threat to the top teams, a trend that continued at the Indy 500. The Swede finished P4 and showcased to the paddock why never to rule him out of podium contention yet again, that too at the biggest racing stage in the world.

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#4 Pato O'Ward

Pato O'Ward was promoted to a top-three result after Marcus Ericsson was promoted. But, without that, the Mexican had driven a stellar race and never put a foot wrong in a race where collisions and retirements were looming at every corner, helping Arrow McLaren secure a solid result at the Indy 500 yet again.

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#3 Conor Daly

The home hero put up a stern battle for the lead midway through the race. He led 13 laps of the race but finished eighth as the Juncos Hollinger Racing car was not a match for the frontrunners.

Despite this, the Indy 500 helped him take home his first top-10 result of the season and exhibit his racecraft on the grandest stage.

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#2 David Malukas

David Malukas is an easy pick. Without Marcus Ericsson's retirement, the Illinois-born driver was still on course for a high ranking among the fans.

He helped A. J. Foyt Racing score its first top-three result since 2023 at the fabled oval course and was just a few hundred feet away from possibly getting his first Indy 500 victory in the series.

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Honorable Mentions

Robert Shwartzman deserves a shout-out due to his impressive pole lap a week earlier, but was unable to make it to the top-10 as he had a botched pit stop and retired from the race after he collided with his pit crew members. Similarly, Josef Newgarden was en route to a great result before his car essentially gave up and ruled him out of contention from completing a historic three-peat.

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#1 Alex Palou

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

There are no ifs and buts left while talking about Alex Palou, as the Spaniard won the race fair and square. Though a last-lap caution aided him in taking home the race victory, he had it since he took the lead a few laps from the end.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver won his first oval race in stark fashion and would not have any doubts raised against his calibre again.