INDYCAR Power Rankings: Kyle Kirkwood Moves Up With Huge Win At DC

With three (and for many drivers, four) new venues over the first 15 races of the 2026 season, the last three INDYCAR competitions will be on familiar circuits.

A weekend doubleheader awaits drivers on Saturday and Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile oval before the season wraps up Labor Day weekend at the Laguna Seca road course.

Here are my power rankings after the last new venue, the street course in Washington, D.C.

Dropped out: Felix Rosenqvist (Last Week: 10)

On the verge: Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, Nolan Siegel

Malukas was solid in qualifying, getting to the Fast Six. But he hit the wall in the final round and then again early in the race. He said he needs to be better and that’s because he has had moments of brilliance. His wrist injury has flared up and that hasn’t helped.

VeeKay wrecked out early at Washington after contact that was initiated by Marcus Armstrong, who was penalized for the incident that included Christian Rasmussen. Still, he has three top 10s in his last five starts.

A fifth-place finish at Washington was Simpson’s fourth top 10 in his last six races. It was a great rebound after his crash in qualifying had him starting 23rd.

McLaughlin crashed out when trying to make a move for the lead late in the race at Washington. Typically, crashing doesn’t mean a driver moves up, but something should be said for him making a move for the win at a place where it was hard to pass.

Newgarden, still nursing an injured left foot, was eighth at Washington. That's not great. D.C. was yet another weekend where he wasn't impressive and appeared to be taking what his car and the track were giving him.

Power finished third at Washington for his third consecutive third-place finish and his sixth top 10 in the last seven races. He probably can’t wait for next year to see if he can get off to a good start and challenge for the title.

Ericsson followed up his win from Markham with a fourth-place finish at Washington. After an engine penalty, he started 21st. It was a very solid day.

Lundgaard finished second at Washington. It was a great result for a driver who has shown no signs of slowing down and that's despite not being retained at Arrow McLaren next season.

What a victory for Kirkwood at Washington as he dominated the race from start to finish. He remained in the championship hunt for at least one more week, as he is now 91 points behind Alex Palou.

It was a disaster of a day for Palou after he won the pole at Washington. There was a pit-road miscue and then a couple of incidents where he found the wall. It was a memorable weekend but also a forgettable one as he’ll look to clinch his fifth INDYCAR title at Milwaukee.