Alex Palou dominated the Power Rankings this season, taking the top spot after his The Thermal Club victory March 24 and never relinquishing the lead. Palou earned the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway and ends the year on top of Power Rankings.
The three-time and back-to-back champion ended the year rather quietly without a victory in the final nine races, the last occurring on June 23 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. However, five top-five finishes in the final seven races keeps him on top.
Here is the final top-10 Power Rankings edition of the 2024 season. Remember, this is a snapshot after the season finale, not a ranking for the entire season. The point standings are the ultimate barometer of the season.
↑10. Linus Lundqvist (No. 8 American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: NR)
The 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of The Year ended on a high note with an eighth-place finish in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge. Lundqvist had three top-eight finishes in the final five races.
↓9. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank: 5)
Dixon won twice in 2024, but his runner-up finish on Sept. 1 at Milwaukee Mile was the lone top five in the final five races. The six-time series champion finished 11th, 28th, 10th, second and 17th, respectively, in that final stretch.
↑8. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda; Last Rank: NR)
Kirkwood finished fourth after leading a race-high 67 of 206 laps in the Sept. 15 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. That came a day after earning his first NTT P1 Award of the season. Kirkwood had three top-10 finishes in the final four races of the season.
↓7. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet; Last Rank: 6)
Ferrucci ended the 2024 season with four consecutive top-eight finishes, including a sixth-place result in Nashville.
↑6. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 7)
The Team Penske driver finished the season with three top-three finishes in the final five races, including a third-place result Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway. Coincidentally, the two races he didn’t finish on the podium came at Milwaukee, where Newgarden started on the front row in both 250-lap races but crashed in each.
↓5. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 3)
Power won Aug. 25 at Portland International Raceway and was runner-up on Aug. 31 at the Milwaukee Mile. But finishing 10th and 24th in the final two races of the season drops him two spots in the Power Rankings. But Power remains in the top five due to leading 291 combined laps over the final five races.
↑4. Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet; Last Rank: 9)
O’Ward (photo, above) catapults into the top five of Power Rankings with a pair of top-two finishes in the final three races. O’Ward won Aug. 31 at Milwaukee Mile and finished second Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
↓3. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet; Last Rank: 2)
McLaughlin’s fifth-place finish at Nashville was his sixth consecutive top-eight finish to end the season. He had eight top eights in the final nine races overall.
↑2. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda; Last Rank: 4)
Herta claimed his third season finale victory in six seasons with a triumph at Nashville. He had six top-five finishes in the final seven races of the season, including two wins.
↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda; Last Rank 1)
Palou finished 19th and 11th to end the season, but a championship earns him top honors. Palou had eight top-five finishes in a nine-race span prior to the last two races of the season.