INDYCAR Championship: Full Driver Standings After GMR Grand … – Crash

Five races into the season, five different drivers have been crowned winners. The most recent was Alex Palou, who dominated the race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course today. The 2021 IndyCar champion led 52 laps and won by nearly 17 seconds, as he moved into the top spot of the championship standings. Palou holds a six-point advantage over Pato O'Ward, who today finished runner-up for the third time this year.

Marcus Ericsson dropped two spots to third in the standings after his 8th place finish today. The reigning Indianapolis 500 winner will aim for a repeat, although double-points will not be awarded this year as the series made a rule change to end that. There will still be 12 bonus points on the line for qualifying, and all four Ganassi drivers will have a shot at maximum points and a front row starting spot.

Despite a miserable weekend on the road course, Romain Grosjean did move up one spot in the championship. He is now one point ahead of rival Scott McLaughlin, as the Team Penske driver also had a weekend to forget on the IMS road course. Two-time champion Josef Newgarden remains in 6th while Scott Dixon moves up to 7th as he chases his seventh title. Both Newgarden and Dixon will be as hungry as they have ever been entering the 500 this year.

Defending series champion Will Power slid down one spot in the standings while Christian Lundgaard improved three spots to find his way into the top-ten. The RLL Racing driver scored big this weekend with his first career pole, and a solid 4th place finish in the race. Kyle Kirkwood dropped a spot but maintains his place inside the top-ten.

The championship will always be importance, but it will also always take a back seat to the Indianapolis 500. None of the drivers will care about points for the rest of this month, as they turn their full attention to their pursuit of immortality, in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

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INDYCAR Championship: Full Driver Standings After GMR Grand ... - Crash