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IndyCar: Top Five Oval Track Drivers

By Asher Fair

Jul 10, 2016; Newton, IA, USA; Verizon Indy Car driver Simon Pagenaud (22) and Josef Newgarden (21) lead the pack during the start of the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2016; Newton, IA, USA; Verizon Indy Car driver Simon Pagenaud (22) and Josef Newgarden (21) lead the pack during the start of the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 12, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Andretti Autosports driver Ryan Hunter-Reay (28) of United States, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Mikhail Aleshin (7) of Russia, and Team Penske driver Will Power (12) of Australia race during the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5: Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport

Ryan Hunter-Reay is coming off of an awful year in terms of his results on oval tracks. However, that does not mean he should be left off this list off top oval drivers given his recent accomplishments.

Hunter-Reay has three wins at Iowa, two wins at Milwaukee, a win at Pocono, and an Indianapolis 500 victory since 2012. Even in his bad season last season, he still showed great skill on the oval tracks.

He was a contender to win last season’s Indy 500 until a crash in the pits, and he came from the back of the field twice at Pocono to finish in 3rd despite starting in 22nd and having a mechanical issue late in the race. Oh, and he did all of that at Pocono in a backup car after crashing in practice.

At Iowa last season, his Honda engine blew up on him, which prevented him from having a chance at his fourth win at Iowa in five seasons.

Hunter-Reay would be higher on this list had his 2016 season been more successful. However, the fact that he is still ranked 5th on this list after an unsuccessful season says something about just how good he can be on oval tracks.