Breaking Down The Nine Drivers Still In IndyCar Championship

Nine drivers remain eligible for the 2016 IndyCar championship with two races to go. Beyond The Flag takes a closer look at the title contenders.

After Saturday’s half-race at Texas, there are nine drivers still mathematically capable of winning the 2016 IndyCar championship. And with two races remaining – one of which is a double-points affair, at Sonoma – the title chase is far from over.

1. Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske (529 points)

Pagenaud has led the championship since the second race of the season. His 2016 campaign is eerily like that of teammate Juan Pablo Montoya – right down to running into trouble late in the year. Pagenaud played it safe at Texas, finishing fourth to protect his points lead. But he has never driven an IndyCar race at Watkins Glen and his results at Sonoma have either been great or middling (15th, 5th, 3rd and 16th over four races). Mid-pack isn’t going to cut it with Power on his tail.

2. Will Power, Team Penske (-28 points)

All the momentum is in Power’s hands at the moment. It’s only been two years since the Australian drove to his first IndyCar championship and he wants another desperately. Unlike Pagenaud, Power doesn’t have a whole lot to lose here. He and his team also haven’t made a lot of mistakes. That means he can keep the pressure on Pagenaud and take some risks, especially since he owns a win at Watkins Glen (2010) and three at Sonoma (2010, 2011 and 2013). As long as he and Montoya don’t run into each other again, Power may be the real favorite here.

3. Tony Kanaan, Chip Ganassi Racing (-113 points)

Age? Who cares about age? The 2004 league champion is still going strong and his performance at Texas proved he’s driving the wheels off the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kanaan has only finished outside of the Top 10 twice all season long. He won at Sonoma in 2005 and finished fourth there just last year. He also has a podium finish at Watkins Glen in 2008. Experience really does count for something in the Verizon IndyCar Series, and Kanaan is one of the most experienced drivers in the field with plenty of guts. He can either take the title or play huge spoiler but either way he’ll be a factor.

4. Helio Castroneves, Team Penske (-114 points)

Speaking of experience, Castroneves is possibly the best active IndyCar driver not to have won a championship (in fact many of his fellow drivers already think he has if you watch the “IndyCar Test Drive” videos). But his 2016 season has vacillated between strong performances and ones that are pretty average, and you can say the same about his record at the two remaining tracks. Castroneves has won at Sonoma (2008) but the place has not been kind to him recently (18th in 2014 and 16th in 2015). He’ll have to be on and consistently on to play for the title.

5. Josef Newgarden, Ed Carpenter Racing (-123 points)

It’s probably a matter of when, not if Newgarden will win an IndyCar title. It just may not necessarily be this year. He lost 23 points by not being allowed to finish racing at Texas on Saturday night which didn’t help. He’s also never seen Watkins Glen and has generally been terrible at Sonoma; in four previous races, three times he’s finished 21st or worse. Newgarden has gotten a lot better over the last two years, but that precedent plus how competitive the people in front of him are would seem to stack the odds against him.

6. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing (-132 points)

You have to feel for Dixon, whose campaign to defend his 2015 IndyCar championship has just not worked out at all, usually through absolutely no fault of his own. His chances took another hit, literally, when he spun out after contact with Ed Carpenter at Texas and was ultimately scored 19th. Then again if anyone can stage a massive comeback it’s Dixon – who will be looking for his third straight win at Sonoma in 2016. With him owning that track recently and that race being double points, don’t count the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet out until the final checkered flag.

7. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (-135 points)

Rahal has come a long way in the last two seasons. After Texas he now has three race wins, and this is the second year in a row that he’s been in the championship hunt going into the last month of the calendar. But Rahal is in the same boat as Newgarden – he’s never raced at Watkins Glen and his recent Sonoma results have been disappointing (18th in 2015, 20th in 2014, and 11th in 2013). A bold move from him might get in someone else’s way but he’ll need a little bit of luck to threaten Power and Pagenaud.

8. James Hinchcliffe, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (-137 points)

Hinchcliffe was thisclose to his first victory since the 2015 Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana on Saturday night and you can bet that will only light a fire under the Canadian in the final two events of the 2016 IndyCar championship. Hinchcliffe has not raced at Watkins Glen and his best finish at Sonoma is seventh, in his debut year of 2011. Last year he came home 12th.

9. Carlos Munoz, Andretti Autosport (-147 points)

It’s not certain whether this is Munoz’s last year with Andretti or not, but he certainly has nothing to be ashamed of. He could’ve won the Indianapolis 500 and now he’s the last driver in the IndyCar championship hunt. But of all the names on this list he also has the least experience at the two remaining tracks and what he has, hasn’t been good. Munoz’s two finishes at Sonoma have been 19th and 22nd. Couple that with Andretti’s struggles as a team over this year and an IndyCar championship is not in the cards.

What do you think of the remaining IndyCar championship contenders? Do you have a favorite to make a run for the title?

Breaking Down The Nine Drivers Still In The IndyCar Championship

By Brittany Frederick | Aug 29, 2016