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IndyCar: Top-Five Championship Contenders In 2017

By Asher Fair

Aug 27, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Chip Ganassi Racing Team driver Scott Dixon (9) of New Zealand and Team Penske driver Will Power (12) of Australia and Rahal Letterman Racing driver Graham Rahal (15) of United Statesi and Ed Carpenter Racing driver Ed Carpenter (20) of United States and Chip Ganassi Racing Team driver Tony Kanaan (10) of Brazil during the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 27, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Chip Ganassi Racing Team driver Scott Dixon (9) of New Zealand and Team Penske driver Will Power (12) of Australia and Rahal Letterman Racing driver Graham Rahal (15) of United Statesi and Ed Carpenter Racing driver Ed Carpenter (20) of United States and Chip Ganassi Racing Team driver Tony Kanaan (10) of Brazil during the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5: Helio Castroneves, Team Penske

While he is in “win-now” mode at age 41, Helio Castroneves has not won an IndyCar race in nearly three years. However, he is still racking up solid championship results, with his most recent being a 3rd place finish in 2016.

Castroneves is a driver that still wants to win. He has finished outside of the top 6 in the championship standings just once since 2002, so he can never be counted out no matter his age.

Since he has never finished below 5th place in the championship in the new DW12 car (five seasons), I cannot put him any lower on this list. He is still one of the most consistent drivers in the series having failed to finish just five races over the past five seasons.

All this said, eventually Castroneves should be able to win another IndyCar race. Whether that comes this season or not is irrelevant because Castroneves’ #5 spot on this list is solely based on his consistency over a long period of time. A win would be a bonus.