Beyond the Flag
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Indianapolis 500 Driver Power Rankings

By Asher Fair

May 22, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Alexander Rossi (98) leads a pack of cars down the front straightaway into turn one during practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Alexander Rossi (98) leads a pack of cars down the front straightaway into turn one during practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Mikhail Aleshin drives across the yard of bricks during practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Verizon IndyCar Series driver Mikhail Aleshin drives across the yard of bricks during practice for the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

#25 through #21

#25. [Starting Position: 27th] — Jack Harvey won the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015, so he has been strong at the track. Although he is a rookie, he has the advantage of driving for the six-car Andretti Autosport team that has won two of the last three Indy 500 races, including last year’s with Alexander Rossi, a rookie at the time. Harvey is by no means a favorite to win the race, but don’t write him off from having a decent finish.. No. 50. Andretti Autosport, Honda. JACK HARVEY

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda. JAY HOWARD. #24. [Starting Position: 20th] — For a driver that hasn’t raced in IndyCar since 2011, Jay Howard was quite impressive by qualifying 20th for this year’s Indy 500. But if 20th is impressive, can we really expect him to contend for the win? Probably not, but the speed he has shown this month should not be discounted either. He could very well put together a solid race.. No. 77

[Starting Position: 15th] — For a driver who is supposed to struggled on ovals, 15th place in qualifying was a nice surprise from Chilton. The Indy 500 last season, his rookie Indy 500, was actually one of his better results, as he brought home a 15th place finish. Up to this point, Chilton has finished no higher than 7th place in his one-plus season in IndyCar, so giving him a solid chance at winning the Indy 500 is a bit of a stretch.. No. 8. Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda. MAX CHILTON. #23

No. 7. Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda. MIKHAIL ALESHIN. #22. [Starting Position: 13th] — Mikhail Aleshin has never qualified lower than 15th at the Indy 500, but he has never finished higher than 21st. He did show great progression on superspeedways with his career-high 2nd place finish at Pocono last season after taking the pole, but the Indy 500, despite also being a 500-mile race on a superspeedway, is a whole new animal. Aleshin finishing in front of everybody else seems a little bit far-fetched.

#21. [Starting Position: 21st] — I want to be generous to Carlos Munoz in these rankings given his stellar history at the Indy 500, which includes three top 4 and two runner-up finishes in four attempts, but I just cannot. The lack of speed that he and the entire AJ Foyt Enterprises team have shown this month is discouraging to say the least, and Munoz likely won’t be able to get to or stay at the front of the pack on race day.. No. 14. AJ Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet. CARLOS MUNOZ