2016 IndyCar Preseason Power Rankings

The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season is here. Which drivers have a chance at the championship? And which are in for rocky roads? We’ve sorted them all out for you in our 2016 Preseason Power Rankings.

IndyCar has never been better. The competition level means that any week, any driver can race their way to the top of the podium. With an influx of new talent in 2016, that only makes the league even more exciting to watch. But who’s going to be there at the end?

We’ve ranked each of the 22 full-time IndyCar drivers based on how likely we believe they are to compete for the Astor Cup in 2016, based on their resumes to date. That includes everyone from defending series champion Scott Dixon all the way down to the rookies who will be making their first starts at this week’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

It does not, however, include any driver who is running less than a full-time schedule. That means Indianapolis 500-only drivers like Sage Karam and partial entrants, such as Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot, didn’t make it onto our grid. (The only exception to this rule is Ed Carpenter, given that the No. 20 usually runs a complete season and is expecting to in 2016.)

Click through this slideshow to see where your favorite IndyCar driver is ranked going into the 2016 season. Should you be punching your ticket to Sonoma? Or maybe not getting your hopes up? We’ve broken the entire field down in 22 slides.

Don’t forget to tune in to the Verizon IndyCar Series season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Next: 22. Ed Carpenter