2016 IndyCar Preseason Power Rankings

2. Will Power

For all the praise that was heaped upon Montoya, it’s important to note that his teammate Will Power could just as easily have been the championship leader if not for a handful of things that didn’t go his way. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion is tied with Scott Dixon as the most successful road and street course racer in the league’s history with 19 wins on non-oval courses.

Power had the most Verizon P1 Awards for pole position out of all IndyCar drivers last season, but simply couldn’t find a way to translate starting at the front of the field to finishes at the top of the podium. He collided with Takuma Sato twice (at Alabama and Fontana) to spoil those races, and any outside shot he had at challenging for the championship ended when he and Montoya ran into each other at Sonoma. He just barely missed winning his first Indianapolis 500 in a back and forth battle with Montoya. If any of those moments had gone the other way, there’s a real chance we would have been talking about Power defending his title.

It’s implausible that all those things will go wrong again for Power in 2016. If he’s learned anything from last year, he should be able to regroup and mount the charge that he tried to in 2015. And as one of IndyCar’s most aggressive drivers, a charging Power is always a dangerous Power. Look for him to rebound – and to be a huge threat – this season.

Next: 1. Scott Dixon