Alex Palou’s Portland victory left him with six wins and a 110-point lead, while champions Scott Dixon and Will Power remained winless outside the top 10.
Alex Palou departed Portland on August 9 with 510 points, six victories and a 110-point championship lead. Scott Dixon and Will Power were outside the top 10, without a win between them.
The numbers show IndyCar’s generational shift. Palou, Dixon and Power have won 12 series championships between them, but their 2026 seasons are heading in sharply different directions.
Palou leads every major category
Palou has won six of the opening 13 races for Chip Ganassi Racing, giving him a 46.2 percent strike rate. He also leads the official standings with six poles, 10 top-five finishes and 558 laps led.
His Portland result stretched his run at the top of the championship to 10 consecutive races. IndyCar also reported that the reigning champion has led the standings after 42 of the past 45 events.
Dixon confronts an unfamiliar drought
Dixon, Palou’s teammate and a six-time champion, sits 12th on 252 points. Through 13 starts, he has one top-five finish, five top-10s and 78 laps led.
Palou has scored 258 more points than Dixon, so the championship leader’s advantage over his teammate exceeds Dixon’s entire season total.
That gap carries extra weight because both drivers race under the Chip Ganassi Racing umbrella. Broad team performance has less influence on the comparison, putting greater emphasis on Palou’s execution across the first 13 rounds.
Power’s consistency falls away
Power is 11th with 256 points, four more than Dixon. The two-time champion has three top-five finishes and five top-10s, though he remains without a victory or pole.
His 71 laps led are 487 fewer than Palou’s total.
Power returned to the Portland podium, adding to his strong record at the Oregon road course. Still, the standings show those isolated peaks haven’t developed into a sustained 2026 title challenge.
Dominance by the numbers
Cross-era rankings need context because schedules, points systems and car formulas change. The 2026 season still provides a clear snapshot: Palou has six wins, while Dixon and Power have combined for zero after starting all 13 races.
Palou’s 10 top-five finishes also exceed the veterans’ combined total of four. Together, their 149 laps led amount to 26.7 percent of Palou’s 558.
Markham presents the next test
The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham takes place August 16, with Washington, D. C. following on August 23. Palou heads to the new street circuit 110 points clear of Kyle Kirkwood, while Power and Dixon continue chasing their first victories of 2026.
