Beyond the Flag
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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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Sep 18, 2016; Sonoma, CA, USA; Steak’n Shake driver Graham Rahal drives during the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2016; Sonoma, CA, USA; Steak’n Shake driver Graham Rahal drives during the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4: Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

We know that the Honda cars can still be competitive despite winning just two races last season compared to Chevrolet’s 14. We know this because of Graham Rahal.

Rahal is one of three drivers to have finished in the top 5 in the championship standings in each of the past two seasons, and he is the only driver of a Honda-powered car to have been in the top 5 of the standings in either the 2015 or the 2016 season.

He snapped a 124-race (7-year) win drought in 2015, and has won a couple more races since that. While it used to be rare to see Rahal in contention for a victory, now it is not a shock to see him at the front of the field no matter the venue.

Rahal will continue to show the Honda teams how it’s done this season. Whether or not they can learn anything from it remains to be seen, but Rahal has two seasons of being Honda’s top driver under his belt. This will be tough to change.