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2016 IndyCar Preseason Power Rankings

By Brittany Frederick

Jan 29, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; Scott Dixon before practice for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; Scott Dixon before practice for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 14, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; IndyCar Series driverrs Luca Filippi (20) and Josef Newgarden (67) react after finishing second and first at the Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; IndyCar Series driverrs Luca Filippi (20) and Josef Newgarden (67) react after finishing second and first at the Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

20. Luca Filippi

Luca Filippi has not officially signed a contract to fill the second Dale Coyne Racing seat for 2016, but all signs point to it being a virtually done deal and Filippi will represent DCR on the grid for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. His biggest problem is that we still don’t really know who this guy is.

Filippi was Ed Carpenter’s substitute in the No. 20 entry last year, driving the street and road courses for CFH Racing. Over those seven races, he was either average or disastrous. Filippi’s best finish was a second place behind teammate Josef Newgarden in Toronto, and he had two other Top 10’s but petered out with results outside the Top 20 in his final two starts at Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. That Toronto podium was great, but coming home ninth and tenth isn’t good enough to get yourself into championship position unless you reel it off consistently, and consistency seems to be something Filippi is working on.

Due to his co-driving arrangement with Carpenter in 2015, we only have half a sample with which to judge Filippi. We have no idea if he could be even better on road and street tracks, or possibly worse. He’s also racing for Coyne, which is a team that has usually found itself toward the back of the IndyCar field on most occasions. So even if the Italian does post well in a full-season ride, does his team have the resources to push him the rest of the way to the top? It’s just hard to imagine Coyne competing with the likes of Ganassi and Penske in September.

Next: 19. Takuma Sato