IndyCar Gradebook: Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
- Dan Jones
- Jul 9
- 10 min read
Written by Dan Jones
A late race Álex Palou blunder gifted Scott Dixon his first victory of the season at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as the Kiwi became the first driver not named Palou or Kyle Kirkwood to be victorious in 2025. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 27 drivers' performances during the Mid-Ohio weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - A
This was indisputably the best weekend of Simpson's IndyCar career, just further proof of his impressive development in his sophomore campaign. The Cayman Islander qualified third, as he made the Fast Six for the first time in his career. Simpson attempted the two-stop on Sunday, and was still in podium contention coming to his final set of stops. However, a stall, which eventually led to a drive-through for running over Rinus VeeKay's right-rear tyre changer relegated Simpson to 10th. Considering that would have been an excellent result for Simpson last year, it speaks testament to his progress. Although no major result to show for it, a weekend to be very impressed with.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - A
I don't think even in Dixon's wildest dreams he could have envisioned winning at Mid-Ohio once Palou had remained ahead of the Kiwi after his final stop - but he took full advantage of his teammate's error. It was a vintage Dixon performance after qualifying ninth, where he would attempt to fuel save in the hope that things could fall his way. It didn't work at Road America, but it certainly worked here. To stay in touching distance of Palou during the final stint was vital, with his defense in the closing laps being masterful. Yes, Dixon had more than a fair share of fortune to win, but that doesn't take away from what was a superb performance.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A
Palou must be relieved that he already has six victories this season, because otherwise, this result would have played on his mind for a long, long time. Up until that moment, it was one of Palou's finest weekends of his career. The Spaniard was once again dominant, taking a third pole of the year, and never relinquishing his net lead for 85 laps at Mid-Ohio. But, all that's going to be remembered is the unforced error that he made at Turn 9 which ultimately lost him the race. It won't make a difference in the championship fight, with Palou further extending his points lead, but it's proof that these things can happen to the very, very best. Barring that moment, it was still a superb weekend all-round and the three-time champion continued to display his dominance over the field.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - D+
Every week I write out this Gradebook, it feels like it's the last occasion I have to give Newgarden a grade in the C-D range. Every single week, nothing changes. Newgarden's catastrophic season got even worse at Mid-Ohio after he locked the rears on the opening lap, causing a collision with Graham Rahal which took him out the race. It's unclear whether this was Newgarden's fault, but the fact of the matter is that the American still did not qualify well and remains a distant shadow of the two-time champion that he once was. Yet another weekend to forget.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - D
This was a disastrous weekend for Penske in every single assessment possible, with McLaughlin being the only car to see the chequered, and even that was a lap down. Admittedly, McLaughlin did have a tyre delaminate but he was running in the low-20s for the majority of the race anyway and his finishing result of 23rd was likely not too distant from where he would have finished without the failure. It's not the type of weekends we were expecting from one of the pre-season championship favourites.
No.12 - Will Power - D+
Similarly to Newgarden, Power did not have a representative day of running, after he had to pull over after just 11 laps with an engine failure. Power did not qualify well in 22nd - the worst of the Penske's (although Newgarden had the best qualifying with just 18th). Despite this, Power remains the only Penske car in the top 10 in points over halfway into the season. Another weekend to forget for Power amidst of another weekend to forget for Penske.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Colton Herta - A-
Execution has consistently been a problem for the No.26 stand throughout 2025, meaning a fourth-place finish will be a very satisfactory result for Herta, on a weekend where they clearly did not have the pace of the frontrunners. Herta qualified fifth, and ran on the fringes of the top five for the majority of the race. Although he had a slight bobble on his final stop, it proved inconsequential, as the American claimed a third top-five finish of the season. A better weekend after a scrappy few weekends for Herta.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - B
It's been rather rare to not have Kirkwood as the lead Andretti car in 2025, but this was one of those now-scarce weekends that the American was not at his very best. Kirkwood qualified seventh, after he felt like he was blocked on his final run in the Fast 12. There was no major improvement on Sunday, but considering this had never been a track Andretti had gone well at, an eighth-place finish may still leave Kirkwood satisfied.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - C+
What does it say about Ericsson's Andretti career that a 12th place is one of his better weekends that he's had with the team? Even then, he had a heavy crash in second practice and was the slowest of the Andretti's in qualifying - albeit still made the Fast 12 for the fifth time this season. Race day was an anonymous one for the Swede - although he still bizarrely leaves Mid-Ohio with his second-best finish of 2025.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - B+
As strange as it is to say, what had previously been O'Ward's strong point has let him down in 2025 - and that comes in the form of qualifying. We've only season O'Ward in the Fast Six once on a road/street course this season - and if he had matched his teammates' qualifying results at Mid-Ohio, he would have certainly been in podium contention. O'Ward had an excellent race car, and executed an aggressive three-stopper very well which climbed him up to fourth despite starting 14th. Although, he had to relinquish a position to Herta late-on after an emergency fuel save. It was an excellent drive from O'Ward, but he can't beat the likes of Palou and Kirkwood on a weekly basis by qualifying in the mid-pack.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - B+
Although there was no result to show for it, this felt like another big weekend for Siegel after a few weeks of pressure for the young American. Siegel qualified impressively in fourth, but couldn't execute the strategy on Sunday, which meant he fell to 11th at the chequered flag. Siegel showed well during the race though, with his race craft having a noticeable improvement in recent months. It wasn't the result his weekend deserved, but plenty of positives.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - A
After a several-race slump of form for Lundgaard, it was pleasing to see him at the same level of form which wowed many at the start of the season. As he has so often done on road courses thus far this season, Lundgaard qualified excellently once again, this time lining up alongside Palou on the front row. Lundgaard displayed maturity beyond his years in race day once again too, maximising what was on the table for him with a third place finish. A fourth podium for his new employers in 10 races is almightily impressive and he continues to set the standard at Arrow McLaren on road courses.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - C-
Mid-Ohio is always a big weekend for Rahal being his home race, but this was one to forget. He qualified rather poorly in 20th considering his recent qualifying form, with any chance of a good result being ended by being the victim of Newgarden's accident. But as I say many times, you make your own luck - qualifying 20th does not help your cause when looking for a strong weekend.
No.30 - Devlin DeFrancesco - C-
After seeing several bright sparks early on in the season from DeFrancesco, Mid-Ohio compounds what has been an awful run of form. The Canadian qualified an underwhelming 23rd and backed that up by finishing an underwhelming 20th - consistently behind the standard of Rahal and his rookie teammate.
No.45 - Louis Foster - B-
It's a shame that execution continues to be a problem for Foster and the No.45 stand, because the Brit continues to drive excellently on a week-by-week basis. Foster once again made the Fast Six for a third consecutive occasion on a road course but once again failed to convert it into anything meaningful on Sunday. A massive fuel save got Foster stuck in traffic and unable to achieve anything better than 14th place.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - B+
Execution is a big watchword of the series, and 2025 has seen Meyer Shank Racing become the epitome of that - led by Rosenqvist. Not many favoured the two-stop, but Rosenqvist was one of them, and executed that extremely well after starting in 15th. It's the sixth occasion Rosenqvist has finished in the top seven this season and he has become one of the most reliable performers in the series. Whether it's an aggressive strategy like in Road America or conservative like Mid-Ohio, Rosenqvist continues to display himself as one of the most underrated drivers in the series.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B+
Like Rosenqvist, Armstrong continues to perform at a quiet, but consistently strong level as once again showed at Mid-Ohio, after starting eighth and finishing seventh. It's the sixth occasion Armstrong has finished in the top 10 this season, and has done that in four of the last four races. The No.66 opted for the more conventional three-stop strategy which worked out in his favour once again in yet another very decent weekend.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B-
It feels like it's becoming a recurring theme in 2025, of Rossi qualifying just inside the Fast 12, just to fall slightly backward on race day in a pretty anonymous outing. That was certainly the case in Mid-Ohio, after qualifying 12th and finishing down in 15th on a three-stop strategy. The step forward for the team in qualifying has clearly been made in 2025, as backed up by Christian Rasmussen's performances but they need to find a way to convert their race days into better finished.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - B
Although his day ended short due to running out of fuel, it was another quietly decent weekend for Rasmussen, who seems to have the upper edge at Ed Carpenter Racing at this current time. Rasmussen qualified for the Fast 12 again in 10th, but was relegated to 16th due to an engine change. He didn't do much of note on race day, until he pulled over to the side of Turn 9 on Lap 30 after a fuel miscalculation meant he run out. A disappointing result, but still positives to take.
A.J. Foyt Racing
No.4 - David Malukas - C
After a stretch of races that was so positive for A.J. Foyt Racing, Mid-Ohio marked a return of the early-season form which disappointed many. On what was considered one his strongest venues, Malukas qualified 14th, only to finish an underwhelming 17th at the flag. Results haven't gone Malukas' way in recent races, just as talks about the No.12 ramp up ahead of 2026.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - C-
Ferrucci was coming into Mid-Ohio on the back of an excellent run of form, but his weekend was his worst all season. He qualified 17th and finished 16th but that does not tell the whole story. Ferrucci caused controversy in practice after a dangerous manoeuvere whilst overtaking slow-moving cars on his out lap. It would get worse when he ran Conor Daly off the road at Turn 5 for no real reason, earning him a yield three places penalty. Ferrucci would also run into the back of Daly on pit road. A very poor way to end his sensational stretch of races.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Conor Daly - B-
This was one of Daly's better weekends in 2025, certainly his best on a road/street course. He marginally missed out on the Fast 12 in 13th and would run around those positions for the opening stints. However, he was the unfortunate victim of Ferrucci's lunacy which lost him valuable time and meant that he finished 19th. Not the result Daly was looking for, but positives to take from the weekend.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - C
This wasn't a stellar weekend for Robb, but certainly one of his better weekends this season. Robb qualified in 19th - his second best qualifying of the season and would run in the mid-pack most of the day, sometimes on the fringes of the top 10. The American would finish 18th which is his best result on a road course this season.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Rinus VeeKay - B+
VeeKay's ability to seemingly pick up top 10 finishes out of nowhere on a regular basis has been a really impressive feat throughout the course of the season, shown once again by a ninth-place finish in Mid-Ohio. VeeKay has really turned the tide around for Dale Coyne Racing after a disastrous 2024 season, and continues to market himself as one of the hottest properties in the driver market. Qualifying is still an Achilles Heel that needs sorting, but VeeKay's race day performances have been nothing short of excellent.
No.51 - Jacob Abel - C-
Although it was not a fantastic weekend for Abel, qualifying 25th and finishing 22nd, there was none of the gremlins that have let him down in recent races. He remained on the lead lap, which has been a difficulty this season, and was on the tail of fellow rookie, Robert Shwartzman by the end of the race. An improvement on recent performances, but still plenty of work to do.
PREMA Racing
No.83 - Robert Shwartzman - C-
It was not a good weekend for Shwartzman, who qualified 27th and finished 21st in a pretty anonymous weekend. The Israeli has bizarrely starred on the ovals in 2025, but struggled on the road courses, which needs work if he wants to claim the Rookie of the Year honours.
No.90 - Callum Ilott - B
Although PREMA are not quite at the level where Ilott had a chance to star like he did at Juncos, clear development is being made race-on-race. Although qualifying was once again a problem, with Ilott lining up 24th, an aggressive strategy elevated him to 13th - his best result (on paper) of 2025. PREMA aren't quite at the level they need to be at yet, but things are improving.
All photos in this article were taken by DIVEBOMB Photographer, Dominic Loyer. You can find Dominic's work on Instagram (@dominicloyer_photography)
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