IndyCar Power Rankings from Iowa double-header: Josef Newgarden redeems himself as Chevy finds breakthrough

With curtains pulling over the IndyCar's doubleheader Iowa race weekend, some drivers have shone through the 27-car grid. The 11th and 12th rounds of racing came to a close with Alex Palou extending his lead in the championship standings yet again.

While the first 10 races of the 2025 IndyCar season were won by Honda-powered drivers, Chevrolet finally got its first win of the season at the tri-oval circuit, but not at the hands of Josef Newgarden as many hoped. Let's take a look at which drivers excelled at the fastest short track on the planet:

---

Power rankings for the IndyCar Iowa double-header

#10. Will Power

Will Power has had a topsy-turvy campaign despite not having a contract with Team Penske for the next year. He claimed a much-deserved podium at the Synk 275 on Saturday and looked to get another solid result on Sunday for the double-header.

Will Power at the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series Iowa Race Weekend - Source: Getty

But, reliability again came to bite him at the Iowa Speedway, as he suffered a mechanical failure for the second week running. This hampered him in the overall rankings as he only had one race result on the basis that fans and experts could judge him at a race weekend where scoring good in both races was required.

#9. Robert Shwartzman

Robert Shwartzman has been an anomaly so far this season. Despite the 2025 campaign being his rookie year, he claimed pole position at the Indy 500 earlier this year.

Moreover, this trend of performing at ovals has continued this year, as he claimed his maiden top-10 finish at the WWTR a month ago, and claimed his second top-10 result at the Iowa Speedway this week. This has made him one of the drivers to look out for while competing at ovals, a track type which was not his forte until he began racing in IndyCar this year.

#8. Marcus Armstrong

The Meyer Shank Racing squad has been on the climb up in the IndyCar ladder, which has been aided by Marcus Armstrong's podium at the second Iowa race. Moreover, the Kiwi had already secured a top-10 result earlier in the weekend, showcasing his prowess behind the wheel.

This has helped the 24-year-old claw down the gap to his teammate in the standings to 31 points.

#7. Scott McLaughlin

Team Penske was slated to be the favorites for securing at least a single race win at the Iowa Speedway. However, Scott McLaughlin already began the weekend on the back foot after crashing during his qualifying attempt.

Despite this, McLaughlin moved up the grid in the first race after starting last and finished an elated fourth behind his teammates. Though he was unable to finish even a single lap during the second race, it was out of his bounds as he was tagged by Devlin DeFrancesco

#6. Christian Rasmussen

Christian Rasmussen had already proved himself around oval tracks earlier this year after scoring a podium at the WWTR. While he was unable to recreate this feat at the Iowa Speedway, he brought in two top-10 results for the Ed Carpenter Racing squad.

The Dane started in the lower fringes of the field and had a moment with Santino Ferrucci early on in the second race. But he stayed away from any chaos and secured considerable results.

#5. Conor Daly

Conor Daly's hopes of having a racing seat in 2025 were dwindling at one point. However, his impressive results have helped him emerge as a driver to be reckoned with and stop himself from being perceived as a backmarker.

Conor Daly at the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series Sukup Iowa Weekend - Source: Getty

The Indiana-born driver clinched a ninth-place finish during the first race, which helped him get a 15-point cushion over Graham Rahal, who sits behind him in the standings.

#4. Scott Dixon

Mid-Ohio Grand Prix winner Scott Dixon was unable to add another race victory under his belt at the Iowa double-header. However, he achieved solid results in both of his outings.

In the first 275-lap race, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver did not have great pace, and he barely clung on to finish tenth. However, his fortunes changed on Sunday as strategy helped him secure the runners-up trophy just behind his teammate Alex Palou.

#3. Alex Palou

Alex Palou won an impressive seventh race victory of the 2025 season. This has all but sealed his name on the championship title, as he now aims to take down A.J. Foyt's all-time win record in a single season in the following rounds.

On the other hand, Palou did not have a glamorous result in race 1, where he finished fifth, and even the victory in the second race was down to the fortune gods being on his side. Despite this, he drove an extremely clean race and just needed to edge up on his lapping skills while reflecting on the weekend.

#2. Pato O'Ward

Pato O'Ward ended Honda's dominance on the top step of the podium. The Mexican emerged as the fourth different race winner in the 2025 IndyCar season after a victory was snatched away from him at the Thermal Club earlier in the year.

The Arrow McLaren driver claimed a fifth-place result in the following race and brought home a massive points haul after the two races.

#1. Josef Newgarden

Josef Newgarden's winless drought continued at the Iowa race weekend. However, this did not translate into his performances being neglected by the IndyCar sphere.

Josef Newgarden at the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series Sukup Race Weekend - Source: Getty

The Team Penske driver was on course to win Race 1 when he had a slow stop, and O'Ward overtook him in the pit sequence. This helped the Mexican inherit the race win, while the former aimed his sights at grabbing the victory on Sunday.

But the fortune gods were not on O'Ward's side, as he went a lap down after an untimely caution period, and in spite of his efforts that helped him regain the lead, he faced the same plight yet again. This took victory away from his hands, into the hands of the reigning champion.